Au g u s t 2 0 1 5
Fr e e
KNOXVILLE
In This Issue... You’ve Got The Power “...it’s always better to understand how to arrive at an answer than to memorize a rule!”
August 2015 Volume IV • Issue VII Adam and Samantha Kalwas, Publishers Advisory Board
Contributing Writers
Sr. Mary Marta Abbott, RSM The Diocese of Knoxville
Jeff Ashin, CEO Jeff Comas Jim McIntyre Tracey Matthews Erin Nguyen Mike O’Hern Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D Which Way Out Knoxville
Marie Alcorn United Way of Greater Knoxville Mike Bailey Small Business Representative
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My Meditation Journey “Because of my meditation practice, I am coping better with some of the undesirable things in my life that I cannot fix or change.” PAGE 5
What Children Can Learn From Adopting A Shelter Pet “Saving a life by providing a home for a shelter pet gives the child a powerful lesson in their ability to make a difference by the choices they make.”
Paul Parson East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Tracey Matthews Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Elizabeth Pooley Marketing Professional Lee Tramel Knox County Sheriff ’s Department Liza Zenni The Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville
Parent publications are GREAT places to advertise! For more information, please call: (865) 622-9680. Contact Info: Phone: 865.622.9680 Fax: 888.457.9602 E-mail: KnoxvilleParent@gmail.com KnoxvilleParent.com
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Contents 4 You’ve Got The Power
9 Homework: Theirs…Not Ours!
5 My Meditation Journey
10-11 Which Way Out Knoxville...Could You
Escape? 12 Reading Knoxville: Paperboy
6 What Children Can Learn From Adopting
A Shelter Pet 7 Getting The Most Out Of Practice: Part 3
13 An Interview With Author Vince Vawter
8 Dear Knox County Schools’ Families
14 10 Terrific Books: Unusual Schools!
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Knoxville Parent Magazine 3
Knoxville Parent • August 2015
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
You’ve Got The Power
by Mike O’Hern, Center Director of Mathnasium of West Knoxville
f you’ve been reading my articles for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m not big on memorizing things, but would much rather understand them. I don’t deny that to have “number facts” close at hand is a good thing for example. Yet, rather than simply memorizing them, a student should understand how to arrive at them. When the inevitable lapse of memory rears it’s head, we’re not stuck and can quickly arrive at the answer. When I was working with a student recently, I needed to stop him for a moment to help him understand something. He was dealing with an exponent and a very special one in particular. What’s an exponent, you ask? It’s the symbol or number we put in superscript after a number or variable to tell to what power that number or variable should be raised. Clear? No? Fear not, here we go… In the number 43, the 3 is the exponent, and it means we want
“...it’s always better to understand how to arrive at an answer than to memorize a rule!” 4 to the third power which means we multiply with fours three times like so: 4 x 4 x 4 = 43 = 64. Try another? 28 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 256. Okay, that’s pretty clear, but my student was dealing with an exponent of zero such as 50. What the heck? I guess that would just be zero, like 50 = 0, right? That seems intuitively correct since we’re multiplying 5 zero times, but it turns out that 50 = 1! WHAT THE HECK?? This is where it’s important to understand rather than just memorize. When you just memorize that anything to the zero power equals 1, you’ll later come up against it and say, “What was that rule again?” After that you’ll have to research it again. But if we can arrive at the solution, we can figure it out each time we forget the answer. Here’s how it works. We’ll do it with tens because tens are easy, but it works with any number at all. So 103 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000. But 102 = 10 x 10 = 100, and 1,000 ÷ 10 = 100. So we see that when we divide 103 by 10 we get 102, right? As it turns out, when we divide any number raised to a power by the number itself, we simply subtract 1 from the exponent! 103 ÷ 10 = 103-1 = 102. Try it with 7: 73 = 343. 72 = 49. 73 ÷ 7 = 49 = 72. So go back to the tens and see that 103 ÷ 10 = 102 = 100, so 102 ÷ 10 = 101 = 10. Each time we simply subtract 1 from the exponent. So here’s the money shot: 101 ÷ 10 = 1 = 100. Boom. 71 ÷ 7 = 1 = 70. So 4,523,9060 = 1? Now you’ve got it. But guess what! This can also take us into negative exponents! But we shall save that for another day. For the moment I hope you’ve learned something new. Two things, actually. First, any number raised to the zero power equals 1. Second, and more important, is that it’s always better to understand how to arrive at an answer than to memorize a rule! As owner and director at Mathnasium (a math learning center in West Knoxville (www.mathnasium.com/westknoxville) for the past five years, Mike has extensive experience teaching children and young adults the foundations of math concepts that are crucial to building their confidence and engagement with math throughout life.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
My Meditation Journey By Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D.
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ach February for the past nine years, I have attended an annual 3-day meditation retreat with a group of Knoxville friends held at St. Mary’s Sewanee Center. Most of the retreat, including meals, is held in silence, and twice daily we meditate as a group. Many of my retreat friends have a regular meditation practice and have spoken compellingly of the benefits of daily meditation. Each time I returned from the retreat I would think about starting to meditate on a regular basis but never did. I simply could not figure out how to fit it in to my busy schedule. Following this year’s retreat, however, I was in a decidedly different frame of mind. I found myself more receptive to the idea of regular meditation because I had experienced some disruptive and persistent physical and personal problems that had “thrown me off my game”. I decided to start with a modest goal—meditate for 12-15 minutes prior to bedtime. I found this amount of time to be doable for me. After four or five months, I wanted to step up my practice but was doubtful I could do so on my own. This is where Claudio Barrientos, director of the Mindful Center Knoxville (http://themindfulcenter.com), entered my life. Four times a year, Claudio offers an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) course. Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, MSBR is a program which includes weekly meetings, instruction in different types of meditation, homework assignments, and recordings of guided meditations to use at home for such things as body scans and mindful yoga. I am currently enrolled in Claudio’s summer course which runs through the end of August. The next 8-week course starts in late September. For those who are curious about MSBR but not ready or able to commit to an 8-week course, Claudio offers periodic one day courses, the next of which will be on September 12th. Claudio is an excellent teacher: articulate, energetic, optimistic and encouraging. He listens with compassion as his students pose questions about obstacles encountered in developing a meditation practice. As a daily meditator, he practices what he preaches. He is familiar with the challenges of implementing and sticking with a meditation practice, but he also speaks from personal experience to the benefits that come with practice: reduced reactivity to stress, increased ability to cope with physical and emotional pain, and a greater overall sense of calmness and peacefulness. The course that I attend has a great group of participants. On the first day, Claudio asked us to tell the group why we were REALLY there. Stated reasons included a desire for help with anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, addiction recovery, stress and trauma. Some participants were brand new to meditation, and others wanted to rejuvenate a meditation practice that had grown tepid. We were told that for the duration of the course we would be meditating for 35 minutes a day, either all at once
“Because of my meditation practice, I am coping better with some of the undesirable things in my life that I cannot fix or change.”
or broken into two or three sessions throughout the day. We learned about “mini-meditations” and “mindful-breathing”, practices that can easily be done at any point during the day to bring calming awareness to one’s body. We were instructed to set up a special space in our home for meditation. In class, participants are encouraged to reflect upon and discuss barriers to daily meditation (e.g. “I was too busy that day and ran out of time”) but also to share successes. For me, a breakthrough occurred when I realized I prefer non-guided seated meditation to guided forms which involve listening to an instructor. We are encouraged to “sit with” feelings and unpleasant bodily sensations as they arise. We are learning that we do not have to deny or resist our inner experiences but instead can observe them as they are occurring and discover their temporary, transient nature Even chronic pain when approached through mindfulness meditation can become easier to bear. Meditation is already making a difference in my life. Because of my meditation practice, I am coping better with some of the undesirable things in my life that I cannot fix or change. One day at a time, I will keep moving forward with my practice, grateful for the support of my meditating friends and teachers like Claudio. Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. is a private practice psychologist specializing in psychological assessment and parenting consultation. Dr. Smith can be reached at kerea@aol.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
What Children Can Learn From Adopting A Shelter Pet By Jeff Ashin, CEO, Young-Williams Animal Center
P
ets are great for kids and pet adoption from a shelter or rescue group teaches children important lessons that will last throughout their lives. As a pet owner, a child learns discipline and responsibility. Through pet adoption, a child gains insight into social responsibility, community service, compassionate care of animals and so much more. A dog or cat is a loving companion for a child and a warm, furry friend to cuddle, hug and hold. With few exceptions, any healthy dog you get will give your child unconditional love, loyalty, great joy and plenty of laughter. What else can a shelter pet provide that you can’t get from a pet purchased from a pet store? From the very start, adopting a pet from an animal shelter teaches a child that bringing a new pet into the family is not like buying a new toy at the store. Visiting the shelter to look for a pet introduces the child to the issue of pet overpopulation. Saving a life by providing a home for a shelter pet gives the child a powerful lesson in their ability to make a difference by the choices they make. Adding a pet to the family can help children continue growing into caring and empathetic adults, and pet adoption has many benefits.
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“Saving a life by providing a home for a shelter pet gives the child a powerful lesson in their ability to make a difference by the choices they make.” Thoughtful decision-making There are many dogs, cats and small mammals to choose from at the shelter. Shelter pets come in all shapes and sizes and selecting the “the one” deserves careful thought. Rabbit or hamster? Dog or cat? Puppies and kittens win the prize for cutest every time but require much greater supervision, play time and attention. If left alone, a bored puppy may be prone to destructive behavior, such as chewing beloved Teddy and destroying furniture. When the puppy grows up, will it be a good fit for our family? It is more difficult to predict the temperament of a younger pet. If you are set on having a pet with a particular disposition, it’s probably better to adopt an older pet from the shelter that comes with a behavior profile. Social Responsibility Adoption introduces children to an important issue in our society—pet overpopulation. Children are curious about animals and a visit to the shelter prompts lots of questions and interest in pet homelessness. This is a good time to talk about true love of animals and compassion. Pets need us the way that children need their parents--not just for a month or a year, but for life. A pet is like a member of the family. Unfortunately some people treat pets more like toys. They get bored or the pet gets old. They stop playing with it and usually end up giving it away. Many of these unwanted pets end up in shelters. Compassionate Care of Animals Introducing a child to a dog that through no fault of its own has come into this world without a home can help a child develop compassion for the wellbeing of companion animals. It also gives them an opportunity and the experience of helping to make a difference by adopting their own pet, which provides a valuable lesson for any child. Adopting a shelter pet who needs a home is a great way to teach your child to be loving and responsible pet owners as well as advocates for a healthy community through compassionate care of animals. Young-Williams Animal Center encourages families to visit and to adopt, not shop. Jeff Ashin is the CEO of Young-Williams Animal Center, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit animal welfare organization and the official shelter for Knoxville and Knox County. The center offers pet adoption at two locations and affordable spay/neuter solutions. For more information visit www.young-williams.org
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
Getting The Most Out Of Practice Chapter 3: Part 3 (Learning To Read Pitch)
R
by Jeff Comas
eading music is an activity in three and sometimes four dimensions;
1. Pitch (highness or lowness of the sound), 2. Rhythm (when notes are played & how long they last), 3. Dynamics (the volume of the music played), 4. Timbre (sound quality- this is often dictated by instrument indicated but some instruments can vary their own tone).
“...the method of learning that I will describe here can be effectively used by almost anyone.” Then sing the notes’ names. This not only teaches you the names but also helps you associate the relative pitches, literally right in your head. How awesome is that? Try it for one week. I’ll be astounded if you don’t see
Note Names. In this article we’ll deal with learning to read pitch.
dramatic results.
The challenge of learning to read music varies with a student’s age, and to some extent their learning style. However, the method of learning that I will describe here can be effectively used by almost anyone. I have been advocating this practice for most of my nearly 25+ years as instruction. My students who apply this technique learn to read music faster and with greater ease. Those who do not experience more confusion when trying to sight read, their progress is slower, and the process is more frustrating. The idea here is actually pretty simple. A note (pitch = a sound at a certain frequency of vibration) is to have a three-way association. 1. The name (a, b, c, etc.) of the note (sound) should be associated with the note’s location on the musical staff and with the location (or a fingering for some instruments like saxophone or a trumpet) on the instrument. 2. The note on the staff should be associated with its letter name and with its location on the instrument. 3. The note on the instrument should be associated with a location on the music staff and a letter name. Pretty simple, right? But how do we make those associations clear? To be able to effectively read music, the student needs to be able to recognize a note’s abstract symbol (written note) instantaneously, like we recognize the letters of the alphabet or numbers. One key element of achieving this is to thoroughly learn the notes’ names. Here is a great way to accelerate the process. Say the names of the notes as you play them. If you play a brass or wind instrument you will have to sub vocalize (think) the note names. Keep doing this until you can look at a note and instantly recognize it by name and know how to play that note on your instrument. It works pretty fast. Every day spend 5-10 minutes saying the names of notes in melodies you play and/or work with flash cards if you can get a helper. Want to make this activity even more beneficial?
Till then, let it be easy.
Next time we’ll look at reading rhythms. Jeff Comas started playing music at 5 years of age. He is the owner of Allied Music Instructors. He has been a music educator since 1989, and has given over 40,000 music lessons.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
Dear Knox County Schools’ Families
W
elcome back to school! I am thrilled that our schools are bustling again with effective teaching and high-level learning. As I visit the schools, I’m impressed with the enthusiasm and professionalism demonstrated by our teachers and principals and the bright optimism shared by students and parents. Each year, we have multiple and daily reasons to celebrate, and this year is already proving to be the same. On August 3, the Knox County Schools made history when it was named an Exemplary District by the Tennessee Department of Education. We are the first large metropolitan school district to ever earn this distinction from the state. I was honored to be joined by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen and other special guests to make this announcement during a festive celebration held in the new Carter Middle School gymnasium. To earn the Exemplary distinction, the Knox County Schools significantly improved student performance and narrowed achievement gaps for students in the 2014-2015 school year. More details about those achievements are at knoxschools.org. Gov. Haslam, Dr. McQueen and I also shared the honor of naming the 2014-2015 Reward Schools, which are in the top five percent for annual growth or the top five percent for academic achievement under Tennessee’s accountability system. Six schools in the Knox County Schools earned the Reward School designation: • • • • • •
Carter High School (Reward School for Progress) Carter Middle School (Reward School for Progress) Copper Ridge Elementary School (Reward School for Progress) Gap Creek Elementary School (Reward School for Performance) Farragut High School (Reward School for Performance) Sequoyah Elementary School (Reward School for Performance)
And just to celebrate a little more: Farragut High School has earned the Reward School distinction for three consecutive years, and Sequoyah Elementary School has earned the honor for four years in a row! These are outstanding educational outcomes, and our continued academic progress is a testament to the exceptional teaching and learning that are taking place within our schools. I want to express my appreciation to the Carter High School
“On August 3, the Knox County Schools made history when it was named an Exemplary District by the Tennessee Department of Education. ” Marching Band and the Carter High and Carter Middle schools cheerleaders for elevating the excitement during the celebration on Aug. 3. This is the level of enthusiasm with which we enter the 20152016 school year, and I believe it will only become stronger as we work toward Excellence for Every Child. To reach that level of excellence for each of our students, we continually seek ways to personalize education, and one way to do that is through technology. I was thrilled earlier this month to announce that two of our middle schools, Bearden and Carter, have been selected to participate in the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program directed by Digital Promise. Through this program, each student in these schools receives an Apple iPad Air 2 tablet and a free data plan for two years to ensure connectivity when students are using their devices at home. I’m thankful to Verizon and Digital Promise for their support of education. While celebrating our enthusiastic start of school, it’s important to share a reminder about safety. Along with our law enforcement partners, the Knox County Sheriff ’s Office and Knoxville Police Department, we urge our parents and others to drive slowly and responsibly in school zones and neighborhoods and watch for pedestrians and school buses. Safety on our school buses is of utmost importance. Earlier this month, I announced enhancements we will begin implementing this fall to increase the safety of our school buses. These enhancements include additional annual training for bus drivers; a safety check ride system; two-camera video systems on all buses; and a review of our transportation program. These measures along with our established stringent safety protocols will help ensure every child is safe in transport to and from school each day. As students return to classrooms, let’s make it a point to celebrate the numerous achievements we experience each day in the Knox County Schools. Have a wonderful school year! Sincerely, Jim McIntyre Superintendent
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
Homework: Theirs…Not Ours! Empowering Parents by Empowering Students
By Tracey Matthews Wynter, Supervisor of the Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Department
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his month’s theme is “Empowering Parents”, and empowering parents is directly related and connected to empowering children. Check out the following opportunities that will not only provide us as parents more time to be “parents” but also simultaneously increase the “power” and capacity of our children to think and work smarter and more independently when it comes to homework and athome learning. POWER TIP #1: “To teach is to learn twice” – Joseph Joubert The ability to teach what one has learned demonstrates the highest level of understanding. Insist that your child teach you the new skills(s) he or she learned in school each day. This will help you keep up with your child’s current learning on a regular basis, encourage your child to be prepared to teach you something new each day, and most importantly enhance their level of learning. POWER TIP #2: “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James Baldwin We should model the behavior we wish to see in our children. While your child is doing homework, spend time reading or working, and make sure your child knows what you are doing. It’s always easier to accomplish a task when we feel we are not alone in our efforts. When you’ve both completed your “homework”, you can both talk about how much you’ve accomplished or learned. POWER TIP #3: “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” – Abraham Lincoln Homework is designed to help students maintain and increase their knowledge. Have your child make up his or her own sample quiz or questions/problems on index cards with the correct answers on the back of the cards. Then use these materials to help your child review what has been learned or even help him or her prepare for a quiz or assignment. POWER TIP #4: “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy. Do what is great while it is small.” –Sun Tzu Timing is everything, particularly when it comes to balancing homework and at-home learning with other after-school
demands. Consider having your child complete what is most difficult, most important, and required first. If time runs short, his or her priorities will be finished. Save and complete easy or optional tasks last—even if they are more enjoyable—when your child is more likely to be most tired or even first thing in the morning before leaving for school. Reading for 20 minutes per day is an example of a quick and fun assignment Lastly, find a regular time for homework when possible, and help your children plan how he or she will use limited time. For longterm assignments/projects that will require a lot of time, use a small calendar to plan when and what step(s) of the assignment will be completed daily. Source: http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/44-provenideas-parents-can-use-to-help-their-children-do-better-in-school.htm Please let us know if you try any of these ideas, and share your success stories! We’d also like to hear from you if you have other related tips. To share your ideas and/or make topic suggestions for future articles, contact Mrs. Tracey Matthews Wynter, Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Department Supervisor, 865-594-9525, tracey.matthews@knoxchools. org. For more information and resources available to Knox County Schools’ students and families, please visit us online at knoxschools.org/fce and knoxschools.org/frc. FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER’S RESOURCE OF THE MONTH:
Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee The Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee helps cancer patients and their loved ones enhance their health and well being by providing professionally led programs. The Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee offers a full range of educational and emotional support services in a comfortable home-like setting. All services are completely free of charge. For more information and a calendar of upcoming programs, visit cancersupportet.org or call 865-546-4661. For additional local resources, contact Mrs. Tamekia Jackson, Knox County Schools Family Resource Center Director,tamekia. jackson@knoxschools.org, 865-594-1192. We wish you a wonderful new school year!
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
Which Way Out Knoxville … Could You Escape? By Which Way Out Knoxville
I
magine being in a room with several others and only 60 minutes to figure “Which Way Out”! You’re told the solution is in the room, but you must solve puzzles, find hidden clues, decipher codes, and understand riddles, all while the clock is ticking, until you get the final answer that leads to the way out. At first, everyone feels confused, checking out their surroundings, looking under everything, reading clues, opening unlocked items and then at one moment it’s right before you, a clue. The excitement is amazing, you work hard at solving it and then it happens, you open a lock! Others in the room start to experience the same excitement of accomplishment as drawers open, answers
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explore with your child!
“Exploration of your surroundings and keen observation skills are needed to solve the challenges, beat the clock and find the way out!”
unfold, and puzzles are solved. But then you realize, this is just the beginning and 10 minutes has already passed. Your heart starts pounding, you’re aware there is so much more to do and so little time to do it. Hopefully your group understands how important it is to work as a team, split up, attack different problems and then maybe, just maybe as a team you will beat the clock. At Which Way Out Knoxville, we provide an opportunity for groups to share a unique live escape game experience that requires the use of problem solving skills, critical thinking and persistence all while playing a challenging yet exciting game! Play is our earliest form of learning. From peekaboo to organized sports, children take in the world around them and process it through play. This continues through out all stages of life as we enjoy playing games, beneficial life skills are also being developed. Benefits of Play
Increased Creativity Incorporating play into the learning situations produces valuable results. Taking risks, sharing out-of-the-box ideas, and embracing fresh perspectives come naturally during play and are also characteristics essential to successful school and work careers. Problem Solving, Critical Thinking & Persistence Many games - especially puzzles - are designed to be a challenge. They encourage a try-try-again attitude that can carry over into other activities. There can be multiple ways to solve problems. Analytical and critical thinking skills
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
developed during game play can be particularly useful when applied to science and technology problems. Teamwork and Social Skills Play is incredibly social! We learn to work together and to compete with each other in a friendly way. Kids with advanced communication and teamwork skills tend to do better in school and later in the workplace.
Beyond Board Games to Live Game Experiences Opportunities for learning abound in everyday games. Entire companies have been built to make learning fun. This new trend of live escape games has taken the online game world offline. In escape games, a group of people r are escorted into a room and directed to use only the elements in the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape within a set time limit. Exploration of your surroundings and keen observation skills are needed to solve the challenges, beat the clock and find the way out! Which Way Out Knoxville is a local company currently offering two live escape games; The Casino Heist and The Professor’s Challenge, designed for middle school aged children through adults and is especially designed for families to play together. This is not a maze, an obstacle course or a physical challenge. The game challenges your communication skills, creative thinking and the desire to have fun. Success is much higher when people communicate, share information and trust others to conquer the puzzle! It is not often that children have an opportunity to solve a problem that helps the parent and this game actually encourages it! Which Way Out Knoxville is located at 6906 Kingston Pike, Suite 101, a block west of PF Chang’s. Games are open to the public Tuesday - Sunday weekly. Check online for available times and more details. www.WhichWayOutKnoxville.com For more information about group reservations contact Karen Ray by email: karen@whichwayoutknoxville.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
“I
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
Reading Knoxville: Paperboy Book by Vince Vawter, Reviewed by Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
’m typing about the stabbing for a good reason. I can’t talk. Without stuttering.” The first sentence of the absorbing book Paperboy by Vince Vawter introduces Little Man, an eleven-year-old boy with a stutter, and foreshadows the dangerous plot that will unfold. The book is set in 1959 Memphis. Little Man has agreed to take over his best friend Rat’s paper route for the month of July while Rat is away. Rat’s real first name is Art, but Little Man can’t push the “A” sound out of his mouth. Consequently, he says, “my stuttering makes me the best nicknamer in Memphis.” Vince Vawter drew on his own experiences to fashion the character of Little Man. “My first recollection of my stutter is just before I was five. I have been stuttering— sometimes fiercely, sometimes gently—for more than sixty years now,” he says in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. “Stuttering manifests itself most cruelly during childhood, creating a lonely and baffling experience just at a time the world is beginning to open and expand.” Paperboy allows us to enter the world of Little Man and emphathize with the pain and problems that his stuttering presents. The adults he encounters only partially understand him. His parents are kind but confused about what to do. Mam, the African-American housekeeper, looks after Little Man, trying to keep him away from Ara T., a disreputable junk collector. Mrs. Worthington, an alcoholic homemaker who is on Little Man’s paper route, is friendly but does not recognize Little Man’s incipient adolescent desires. Most of his other customers barely talk to him. Mr. Spiro, a retired merchant marine, is the exception; he befriends Little Man and gives him a chance to have genuine conversations with a grown-up stranger. Mr. Spiro’s house is filled with books, and he encourages Little Man to ask him questions. For instance, “Why do s-s-ss-people who can talk right waste so s-s-s-s-many words saying s-s-s-s-nothing?” Mr. Spiro quotes Voltaire: “Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.” Little Man is stunned: “I burned that sentence on to my brain like Ted Williams’s name was burned on to my Louisville Slugger
“Paperboy is a fascinating portrait of a young boy transforming his disability into an astute awareness of himself and the world he lives in. ” baseball bat.” Mr. Spiro becomes the mentor that most young children wish they had. Mr. Spiro gives Little Man one quarter of a torn dollar bill with the word STUDENT written on the other side. He says that Little Man will get another quarter each week with a different word. Mr. Spiro calls this Little Man’s quest for the Golden Fleece. This quest becomes part of the book’s mystery. The book builds to a tense climax involving Little Man, Mam, and Ara T. After this encounter, the summer ends with Little Man returning the paper route to his friend Rat. On the first day back at school, Little Man reflects on the summer’s mysteries: “My math teacher told us on the first day that we’d be working with Unknowns. It doesn’t seem fair to pile more Unknowns on top of all the Unknowns I already have. But that’s seventh grade for you.” In the end, we also finally learn Little Man’s real name. After he describes himself in front of his class, he reflects on his performance: “I stuttered about the same as always with all the gigantic pauses and funny sounds coming out around the words but I didn’t pay any attention to how my classmates looked at me and didn’t try to figure out what they were thinking. And I said exactly what I wanted to.” Paperboy is a fascinating portrait of a young boy transforming his disability into an astute awareness of himself and the world he lives in. Like Huck Finn and his adventures on the Mississippi, Little Man and his paper route etch this Memphis world permanently in our memories. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., is owner of TESTPREP EXPERTS (www.testprepexperts.com ) which prepares students for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. He is also a consultant to Discovery Education Assessment. He can reached at mike@testprepexperts.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
An Interview With Author Vince Vawter By Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
“A
lot of this book was memoir,” Vince Vawter told us over lunch at Panera. My son, Wyatt, and I wanted to talk to him about his intriguing book Paperboy. Wyatt, a rising 7th grader at Sacred Heart, had been assigned the book for his summer reading. Vince has stuttered since he was five. He told us that he had taken over his friend’s paper route one summer in Memphis. He did have, at one point, a housekeeper who took him to bars on Beale Street and let him drink milk while she drank and danced. He did know a junk man like Ara T., although the real Ara T. met a different fate than that in his book. Finally, he was 55 years old when he learned that his father was not his biological father. Mr. Spiro is the only created major character in the book. “He’s the mentor I wish I had,” Vince said. His editor had suggested, “He’s you at 65”, an observation that Vince seemed to acknowledge. My son, Wyatt, asked him what the four parts of the dollar bill and the four words represented that Mr. Spiro gives to Little Man. “It’s the quartering of the soul,” Vince said, with the idea that each self has at least four parts that need to be integrated to have a happy life. Vince has given many talks about Paperboy to schools across the country. “I’ve learned a lot about myself by talking about the novel.” He related an interesting dialogue at one middle school. A young girl asked him, “Would you have written the book if you didn’t stutter?” He said, “No, probably not.” She replied, “Then you’re glad that you stuttered.” Vince said, “You’re right.” Vince has also given many talks about his experiences of stuttering. His essay, “Notes from a Stuttering ‘Expert’”, offers cogent advice to children, adolescents, adults, parents, and speech clinicians
“His essay, “Notes from a Stuttering ‘Expert’”, offers cogent advice to children, adolescents, adults, parents, and speech clinicians about how to accept and deal with stuttering. ” about how to accept and deal with stuttering. “Although I’m removed by five decades from the heartbreak that is associated with an adolescent stutter, the scars run deep.” Vince wanted to be a professional baseball player. He played at LSU for a year and then at Rhodes College in Memphis for two years. When he realized he was not going to make the major leagues, he pursued sports writing and journalism, first at the University of Memphis and then at the University of Tennessee. He worked at the Memphis Press Scimitar from 1970 to 1983, then as Managing Editor at the Knoxville NewsSentinel from 1985 to 1995, and finally as Editor and Publisher at the Evansville Courier-Journal until his retirement. Although Vince, along with his wife, has retired to a farm in Louisville, he is busy writing another book. He has also written a screenplay for Paperboy. As we finished lunch, Vince offered to autograph Wyatt’s copy of his book. As we said goodbye, Wyatt and I both felt that it was a great pleasure to meet the real Paperboy.
Note: Vince Vawter will give a presentation on September 16, 2015, at Sacred Heart School in Knoxville. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., is owner of TESTPREP EXPERTS (www.testprepexperts.com ) which prepares students for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. He is also a consultant to Discovery Education Assessment. He can reached at mike@testprepexperts.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
10 Terrific Books: Unusual Schools! Compiled by Erin Nguyen
Children’s Department, Knox County Public Library
Flight School by Lita Judge PreK-2nd Because he has “the soul of an eagle” Little Penguin enrolls in flight school, and his creative teachers have to think of a way to help him fly.
School for Bandits by Hannah Shaw PreK-2nd Since Ralph Raccoon’s parents think he is too polite and well-behaved, they send him to Bandit School where he can learn how to be sneaky and thieving like all the other raccoons.
Tiny Goes Back to School by Cari Meister K-2nd When Tiny the dog has trouble obeying the rules, it is time for him to return to obedience school.
Eerie Elementary: The School Is Alive! by Jack Chabert 1st-3rd Third-grader Sam Graves does not like his new job as hall monitor at Eerie Elementary, especially when he finds out the school is alive and wants to eat him!
School Days Around the World by Margriet Ruurs 1st-3rd Thirteen children from around the world share what a school day is like where they live.
Freedom’s School by Lesa Cline-Ransome 2nd-5th Lizzie and her brother are eager to attend the new school for freed slaves, but they soon learn that not everyone in their community is happy about the school.
Ms. Rapscott’s Girls by Elise Primavera 3rd-6th In this humorous tale, the headmistress of the Great Rapscott School for Girls of Busy Parents teaches her students all the basics their parents forgot.
For library information in your area visit: www.knoxlib.org/
Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions by Sheila Grau 4th-7th Young werewolf Runt loves his school where minions are trained to serve evil overlords, so he fights back when an unknown attacker tries to shut it down.
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger 8th-12th In an alternate England of 1851, Sophie is sent to a finishing school where proper young ladies learn not just manners, but the skills of spying and espionage as well.
Alienated by Melissa Landers 9th-12th When Cara and gorgeous alien Aelyx are paired up in the first intergalactic high school exchange program they become the target of her small town’s prejudice and fear.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2015
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