September 2015
Fr e e
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
KNOXVILLE
September 2015 Volume IV • Issue IX Adam and Samantha Kalwas, Publishers Advisory Board
Contributing Writers
Sr. Mary Marta Abbott, RSM The Diocese of Knoxville
Monica Brown Jeff Comas Jim McIntyre, Ph.D. Tracey Matthews Erin Nguyen Mike O’Hern Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
Marie Alcorn United Way of Greater Knoxville Mike Bailey Small Business Representative 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
In This Issue... The Power Of Negativity “...it’s always better to understand how to arrive at an answer than to memorize a rule!” PAGE 4
Bonding Through Book Clubs “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 To Do If Your Pet Is Lost “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.” PAGE 6
Contents 4 The Power Of Negativity
9 Creative Parenting Solutions
5 Bonding Through Book Clubs
10 Reading Knoxville: Under The Same Blue
Sky 6 What To Do If Your Pet Is Lost
12 Conversing With Pamela Schoenewaldt
7 Getting The Most Out Of Practice: Part 4
14 10 Terrific Books: Unusual Schools!
8 Dear Knox County Schools’ Families
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Knoxville Parent Magazine 3
Knoxville Parent • September 2015
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
The Power Of Negativity
by Mike O’Hern, Center Director of Mathnasium of West Knoxville
R
emember that stuff last month about exponents? You might remember that we discovered that if you raise any number – any number at all – to the power of zero you end up with an answer of 1. We arrived at that conclusion by doing a series of divisions, and I think I mentioned that if we continued on that path we might discover something about negative exponents. Perhaps one way to think about it is that the power of positivity unites, but the power of negativity divides! (Don’t take that one too far – it just popped into my head and I thought it had a ring to it.) Now for a very brief review, 102 = 100, divide by 10, 101 = 10, divide by 10, 100 = 1. Each time we divide, on the left side we simply subtract 1
from the exponent, and on the right we divide by 10 just like we learned in fourth grade. Now I know that after reading last month’s article, inquiring minds wondered what would come next. And perhaps some of you have already
“Perhaps one way to think about it is that the power of positivity unites, but the power of negativity divides!” figured that out! But I can’t assume that it goes without saying (and I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to say something anyway), so we’ll take the next step here together.
Let’s just divide by 10 one more time. On the left, where you have 100, you simply subtract 1 from the exponent, just like we had done before. And what is 0 – 1? Negative one: -1. So the left side is 10-1. And on the right side, what do we get when we divide 1 by 10? You might say 0.1, and you would be right, but for the moment this will be clearer if we use the fractional notation: 1/10. So 10-1 = 1/10. One more step and this starts to get interesting. (I know you’re thinking “it’s about time!” – stop it.) Divide by 10 again. 10-2 = 1/100. What’s so interesting about that? Notice that another way to write 1/100 is 1/102. Here’s the connection: 10-2 = 1/102. 10-3 = 1/103, and so on. And this turns out to be true in general! STOP, MR. MIKE! Why in the world would we care about negative exponents? Glad you asked! One example comes to mind right away. In the scientific world we like to talk about distances in terms of meters, for example. So when we talk about the distance to the moon we can say it’s over 100,000,000 meters. That’s 108 meters. So what if we’re talking about the distance between atoms? In space the distance between atoms can be up to a meter or so, but in a chemical compound here on earth it can be something like 1/10000000000 (or 0.0000000001 if you prefer) meters (it’s slightly more, but this is a math illustration!). That would be 10-10 meters. If we were working with atoms regularly (that is, not just comparing them to space atoms!) we would refer to that as 1 angstrom, really, but the point is that when we want to work with very small numbers or compare things that have great differences, negative exponents can make things a lot simper for us. That will have to suffice for this month. It’s been like 10-6 years since I filled my coffee mug, so I’d best get back to that!
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 • September 2015
Bonding Through Book Clubs By Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D.
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eading and talking about books with your child, whether formally in a book club or informally at home, is a great way to strengthen the bond between a parent and child and open the door to discussions about all manner of interesting topics. My friend Jan Neece, a psychologist in Knoxville, knows first-hand the power of sharing books as a way to forge a special bond with one’s child. When Jan’s daughter Faith was in third grade, Jan formed a mother-daughter book club. The club was composed of eight mother-daughter pairs who met monthly from the time the girls were in third grade until the end of eighth grade. Each month a different mother-daughter dyad hosted the club in their home, selected the book, and prepared questions to use as the basis for discussion. Food was served at the meetings and, where possible, the type of food reflected some aspect of the story. After eating the girls would play for a while, the mothers would chat, and then everyone would gather together to talk about the book. The book club ended years ago—Faith is now a college sophomore— but Jan vividly recalls the experience as a highlight in the relationship with her daughter during the elementary and middle school years. When I asked Jan for her perception of the benefits of the book club, she observed that in addition to fostering close, lasting friendships for the mothers and daughters alike, the book club was a great vehicle for her and Faith to talk about a variety of topics and issues that otherwise might not have come up for discussion. Jan also really enjoyed learning more about Faith’s and her friends’ perspectives on various issues. Often Faith surprised Jan with more mature reflections on an issue than Jan would have thought possible for someone so young. When I spoke with Jan recently, she happened to be visiting with her daughter and was able to ask Faith about her recollections of the book club. Both Jan and Faith recalled Katherine Patterson’s 1981 Newbery Medal award book “Jacob I Have Loved” as one of the best books they read for the club during its middle school phase. This story is about twin sisters, one plain and ordinary and the other beautiful and talented. The book skillfully addresses sibling rivalry and feelings of jealousy in ways that led to deep, insightful reflections and lively conversations both between Jan, Faith, and also among the book club members. As a parent, I was inspired by Jan’s book club story, especially in terms of the benefits that sharing books together brought to her relationship with her daughter. This summer, I suggested to my younger son that we read and talk about a book, and he chose “Night Hoops” by Carl Deuker, a novel about two male high school basketball players. We had one copy of the book which we passed back and forth, each reading a few chapters a day. Sometimes my son scolded me for “reading ahead.” Chagrined, I confessed to him that I been caught up in the story and kept reading further than planned. After my son and I finished the book, we talked about it. Because he is a basketball player, he was able to explain things to me about the basketball game scenes in the story that I did not understand. I, in turn, asked him questions about the two main characters, Nick and Trent. What was it like for Nick when his parents divorced? Why did Trent struggle so often with
“The experience of reading with my son was such a success that we are now onto another book.” strong feelings of anger? What did he think about the relationships between Nick and his father and between Trent and his mother? I was interested in my son’s observations about the characters and their motivations, and I was touched by his capacity for empathy towards Nick and Trent. The experience of reading with my son was such a success that we are now onto another book. When I asked him what he liked about reading together, he said that “it brings us closer.” Okay—I’m sold! Mother-son book club, anyone? 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 • September 2015
What To Do If Your Pet Is Lost
By Monica Brown, Director of Shelter Operations, Young-Williams Animal Center
M
ost families with pets will at some point experience the anguish of a missing pet. When the unthinkable happens, parents need to remain calm as they map out a plan for finding the pet. Ideally, every person in the family should be recruited to help. When emotions are running high, questions such as who saw the pet last or who left the gate open may sound like an inquisition. While you do need to gather as much information as you can about when and how the pet went missing, keep the conversations constructive and do not allow siblings to blame one another. A missing pet can be very traumatic for a child. Tread carefully to avoid adding any additional anxiety to an already stressful situation, especially when the pet’s outcome is unknown. Contact your local shelter If you have lost a dog or cat in Knox County, you should come to Young-Williams Animal Center to look for your pet. As the official animal shelter for Knox County and the City of Knoxville, we provide sheltering services for dog and cats brought to us by city and county animal control agencies as well as good Samaritans. If someone finds your pet, there is a good chance it will end up at our shelter. If your dog or cat does come into the shelter, it will be put on hold for a minimum of three days in hopes that you will come looking for them. After that it can be put up for adoption. That’s why we recommend that you visit the shelter no less than every other day to look for your pet. Bring in a recent photo to help us identify it. Keep checking back
“Research shows that most pets are within a mile or two of their home (or last location seen) for the first 24 hours after disappearing.” for a period of two weeks to a month, and don’t give up! Pets can easily show up at the shelter long after their owners stop looking Our Lost and Found Department is located at our main facility, 3201 Division Street, Knoxville, TN 37919. We are open seven days a week from 12pm-6pm. Spread the word and start looking right away Research shows that most pets are within a mile or two of their home (or last location seen) for the first 24 hours after disappearing. With the help of friends, canvas that area as quickly as you can. Go door to door to neighbors asking if they have seen your lost animal. Bring a photo along to show to help them recognize the pet. Other action steps include: • • • • •
Educate Your Kids on the Truth About Drugs. Youth need factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug free. Learn more, order free educational materials or request a speaker for your group or event at drugfreesouth.org. Drug-Free South is a chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. The logo above is its trademark.
Put up flyers in the area where the pet is missing from Call surrounding county shelters and try to see if someone brought your pet there Check the local newspapers and Craigslist and place a listing Call local vets and call the UT vet school to see if any injured animals have been brought there Leave food and water out on a porch along with a belonging that has a familiar scent
Take precautions to prevent pet loss To increase your pet’s chances of being found if lost, make sure it has proper identification. This includes an ID tag on the collar and a microchip, making sure your microchip registration information is current. In the case they do get spooked and bolt for an open door or gate, an ID tag and microchip will be imperative to getting them home safely. Next to spay and neuter, microchipping is the most effective means for preventing pet homelessness. As a parent and grandparent, I know how difficult it is to comfort a child whose pet is missing. While the age of the child can make a difference, the standard advice is to tell your children the truth and answer all their questions. This can be tougher when a pet has simply vanished and you don’t have the answers. Cats and dogs have been known to show up weeks and months later. But as parents, we don’t want to plant false hope. Most experts in the field advise giving your family ample time not only to search for the lost pet, but to mourn the loss. If after two or three months, the pet has not been found, the family should find a way to get closure. Hold a memorial service in the back yard or create a scrapbook. You could also make a donation to your local shelter or other animal welfare agency in memory of the pet’s name. The pain of losing a beloved pet is unfortunately one of the lessons of life. Working through the loss and grief together as a family will help children cope and impact how they deal with it in the future. Monica Brown is director of shelter operations for Young-Williams Animal Center, the official shelter of Knox County. Young-Williams is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that cares for more than 12,000 animals annually. The main facility is located at 3201 Division Street and Young-Williams Animal Village is at 6400 Kingston Pike. For more information call 865-215-6599 or visit www.young-williams.org
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
Getting The Most Out Of Practice Chapter 3: Part 4 (Reading Rhythms)
A
by Jeff Comas
“The best way to learn new rhythmic challenges is to express them verbally.”
s I mentioned previously, I believe all people should learn to read music. I have witnessed how learning to read music helps children (and adults) develop their cognitive abilities, improve their understanding of concepts such as time & space, pitch, volume, conservation, division & multiplication, and increase their attention span. It also helps students improve coordination (motor skills). First lets review that reading 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 written language of music is quite compact. This means that much information is delivered with minimal symbols. A note’s placement on the staff tells us the pitch, as discussed in Ch. 3, Part 3 of this series. Here we’ll discuss rhythm and reading rhythmic notation. Rhythm can be defined as a pattern of notes (may include rests) with regular or irregular time values played over a regularly occurring pulse known as the beat. When we read rhythms, the appearance of the note itself tells the time value of a note. The time values are measured as a function of the beat. Note values are either a multiple of one beat or a fraction of a beat (this is starting to sound like a math class). Written music is almost always measured in beats. The most common measurement is four beats/measure; this is called four/four time, AKA common time. Music is also measured in groups of 2, 3, 6, 9 beats/measure and sometimes irregular beat groups like 5 or 7. The whole note, which has just a hollow note head, takes four beats to complete and completely fills one measure of common time. A half note lasts 2 beats and fills half the measure. A quarter note lasts one beat and it takes four to fill a measure. An eight note lasts 1/2 of one beat and takes 8 to fill a measure and so on. Rhythms can vary greatly in complexity. Reading a series of repeating note values is pretty simple but when a variety of rhythmic values are introduced, the challenge increases. The best way to learn new rhythmic challenges is to express them verbally. Essentially, there are three ways to verbalize rhythms: value, syllabic, and metered. Value represents the time that a note is counted. A whole note would be counted 1-2-3-4, while four quarter notes would be counted 1-1-1-1. Eight notes are counted 1-+ (one-and), sixteenth notes 1-e-+-a (one-e-and –ah). Syllabic counting can be a bit more fun. Here, words or syllables are said in a rhythmic fashion. A one-syllable word like peach could represent a quarter note. A two-syllable word like app-le could represent two eighth notes. Any words or syllables can be used. Metered counting involves counting the beats per measure as you go. It is a little trickier than value or syllabic counting at least at first but has the added value of helping the musician keep their place when reading music. Here are examples a four beat rhythm of 4-eighth notes followed by 2-quarter notes for each method. Value 1 +, 1 +, 1, 1 Syllabic
App-le, app-le, peach, peach Metered 1 +, 2 +, 3, 4 Rhythm Words Good news! As we see more and more rhythmic patterns in notation, we start to recognize the more familiar rhythmic groupings, and in the same way we recognize groupings of letters as words. But when you see something unfamiliar you may have to “sound it out.” As always go slow and work on little bits when learning new material. Next time we’ll talk dynamics. Until then, let it be easy. 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 • September 2015
Dear Knox County Schools’ Families
W
elcome back to school! My favorite time of the year is the start of school, when students are back in the classrooms and teachers are engaging young minds to grow and learn. While I visit our schools throughout the year, during the first few weeks of each year I make it a point to visit as many classrooms as possible. Each year, I witness our teachers using incredible creativity, energy, and skill in leading their students. I’m not at all surprised to witness this. I know our educators are professionals who work diligently every day to reach our students, personalize their learning, and help them succeed. In just one day during my visits to our schools, I experienced both a unique use of classroom technology and an engaging use of a simple box of crayons as an instructional tool. I heard our students singing beautifully, and I witnessed drama students attempting to act as trees. Some students were reading complex informational text or compelling works of fiction, and others were donning safety goggles while carrying out a science experiment. I saw teachers challenging students to think and plan before they spend money by asking students to solve multistep problems, and I witnessed several teachers working one-on-one with students who were struggling with a concept. What happens in our classrooms every day is public education at its best. I salute our teachers, our students, our staff, and our entire community for all their hard work in supporting academic excellence. We are seeing the fruits of their labor in terms of increased student learning and success! Just recently, ACT results were released and the composite score for Knox County Schools students improved from 20.4 in 2014 to 20.7 in 2015. Additionally, our school system was recently recognized by the State of Tennessee as an Exemplary School District,
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“What happens in our classrooms every day is public education at its best.” the first large urban school district to ever earn this honor. We have more work to do, but we are also making significant improvements in closing achievement gaps that are defined by race, income, language, and disability. Indeed, we owe a lot to our teachers for the incredible work they do in our classrooms every day. Our community has the chance to recognize our teachers in the Knox County Schools by celebrating Thank A Teacher Week, which is September 28-October 2, 2015. Sponsored by the Great Schools Partnership, Knox County Schools, and other fine organizations, this week gives us all a chance to focus on recognizing those who make such an enduring impact on the future of our community: Our teachers. I invite you to visit greatschoolspartnership. com for details. The community also has an opportunity to support every classroom in our district through the Knox County Schools Coupon Book campaign. The Knox County Schools Coupon Book is in its 27th year and has raised more than $30 million for our schools. The coupon book campaign is under way and officially ends Sept. 21. You can purchase books at the main office of any of our schools or from your favorite student. For more information, please visit knoxschools.org. Our students already are deeply engaged in their academic pursuits, and our teachers are expertly leading their classes. Parents can also engage in their students’ educational process through the online parent portal. The Knox County Schools’ website, knoxschools.org, offers an online portal for parents to access real-time student grades, attendance, schedules, classroom information, and more. I encourage you to visit knoxschools.org and click on “Popular Links” to get started, and if you have questions, please contact the Knox County Schools at 594-1830 or helpdesk@knoxschools.org. The school year is off to a fantastic start, and we already have much to celebrate. I invite you to join me in sustaining the successes we experience throughout the year as we work together toward our goal of Excellence for Every Child. Sincerely,
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
Creative Parenting Solutions By Tracey Matthews Wynter, Supervisor of the Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Department
T
his month’s theme is “Creativity.” I can tell that I am ready to assume my impending role as a full time parent of three boys as my first instinct for this month’s article was to write about how to parent children creatively! Let us know what you think about some of the parenting ideas below that are not only creative, but also almost guaranteed to be very effective as well!
excluded from the “black hole.”
When Our Children are Hooked on the “3T’s” (Television, Tablets, and Telephones) “The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called televisionbut then, again, television at its best, is magnificent.” –Steve Jobs
P.S. Did you notice how parents can earn money with many of the ideas above? Well, they did say to be “creative!”
These three wonderful devices oftentimes take the place of meaningful family time, reading time, learning/study time, or other higher quality activities. But instead of trying to continuously monitor the use of these devices (one more thing to do), allow your children to earn timed “3T’s tickets” to watch television, play games on their tablets or other devices, or talk to their friends on the telephone. They could earn timed tickets based on the amount of time they spend in more meaningful activities* or you could simply give them the tickets as a part of their allowance. You should still reserve the right to veto certain programs, games, etc. and even limit the days of the week when television, for example, can even be watched. Each ticket might be worth 30 minutes and, depending on your child’s age, you could limit them to 3-5 hours of 3T activities per week. Here’s the best part - any tickets remaining at the end of the week could be “cashed in” for something of greater value to your child (e.g., cash, a number of minutes involved in a different activity, etc.)! Variation: After establishing a limited amount of time per day (e.g., one hour) for the use of these devices, your child could “buy” extended time with earned tickets. Also, think about using dollars instead of tickets, and place a “time value” on each dollar. It’s harder to give up actual money for “time” but as the old adage suggests, “Time is money!” This method could even be used in place of an allowance if desired. When Our Children Won’t Clean Up After Themselves… ”Cleanliness is very important. If you let kids make a total mess in the kitchen and then leave, you’re really not teaching them anything.” –Emeril Lagasse All you need is a closet or cabinet with a lock or simply a place that is out of reach for your child - the “black hole!” When something (e.g., toys, a favorite pair of sneakers, etc.) is left out that should have been put away, place it in the black hole for 24 hours. 1 Be sure to establish rules regarding when to put things away or everything will end up in the black hole! Homework, schoolbooks, etc. should probably be
Variation: You might simply charge a “fine” (to be taken from allowance, birthday money, etc.) for “maid service” when you have to move the excluded items or any item out of the way. The key is to be so consistent that it becomes a reflex for your children to make sure NOT to leave their things hanging around. Then watch your children jump up and get the items every time they see you walking towards something that belongs to them!
*Meaningful Ways to Earn Tickets: Reading, learning new things, and teaching someone something new (exercising their minds); playing outside (exercising their bodies); doing things for others in the family, neighbors, or in the community (exercising their hearts). 1http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/44-proven-ideas-parentscan-use-to-help-their-children-do-better-in-school.html 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: Metropolitan Drug Commission The Metropolitan Drug Commission (MDC) provides substance abuse prevention resources for families, teachers, businesses, faith leaders and physicians in Knoxville. The MDC is the only local non-profit solely dedicated to evidence-based drug prevention. To support their mission, on September 20, the MDC will host the Race Against Destructive Decisions (RADD) 5k race. The RADD 5K will include fun family activities, performances by a live band and numerous information booths. Race proceeds will support local Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapters. For more information on the Metropolitan Drug Commission or the RADD 5K, please visit the MDC website at metrodrug.org. For additional local resources, contact Mrs. Tamekia Jackson, Knox County Schools Family Resource Center Director, tamekia.jackson@ knoxschools.org, 865-594-1192. We hope your school year is off to a great start!
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
Reading Knoxville: Under The Same Blue Sky Book by Pamela Schoenewaldt, Reviewed by Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
H
azel Renner’s mother foresaw great things for her daughter: “…I’ve known from the first that you were destined to be extraordinary… an extraordinary teacher. I’ve seen signs.” Hazel, however, had different plans: “In my future dreams, the ‘extraordinary’ meant travel, sketching, painting, meeting great artists, and passing golden hours in a storied café, funding these adventures through teaching and tutoring.” Under the Same Blue Sky traces Hazel Renner’s struggles to achieve these early dreams. Hazel, the daughter of German-Americans who run a hardware store in Pittsburgh, begins her search for an “honorable profession” by accepting a teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse in a small Pennsylvania town. However, the time is 1914 and World War I has just started. AntiGerman hysteria is starting to spread. For instance, Hazel describes her family taking their daily walk, “So [my father] was reading the headlines. Then two hoodlum boys shoved them, ripped the Volksblatt from his hands and threw it in the gutter. They said real Americans read American newspapers.” Her parents thought that Hazel might escape this stereotyping: “Yes, I was my parents’ ‘real American,’ while they’d be forever branded as foreigners the instant they opened their mouths…Because I had no accent, shopkeepers didn’t speak loudly and slowly to me as if I were deaf or dull-witted.” Hazel, however, cannot escape the fact that she is the daughter of immigrants. Her teaching job starts well, but as Hazel develops a miraculous “healing touch”, the residents develop suspicions that she is the source of many of
“In Under the Same Blue Sky, Pamela Schoenewaldt has not only written a gripping tale of the early 20th immigrant experience, but also a story that should resonate with many immigrants today.” the town’s mysteries and miseries. Hazel leaves and finds herself in New Jersey, working as an assistant to a German Baron who appraises and sells valuable artwork. The baron agonizes over the war, “We’re losing the Balkans. Germany our mother, America our wife. What happens when the wife is strangling the mother?” At the Baron’s castle Hazel falls in love with Tom, the gardener. Tom later volunteers to fight in the war; Hazel has to wait nervously for months to see if he survived. “Where does one go when dreams turn sour and promises become pain?” Hazel becomes a model for the immigrant’s experience in America as she attempts to answer her question. Thrust into a new country by immigrant parents, Hazel is torn between sympathies shared by her parents and longings she has nurtured in America. She wants her own career; a career that reflects her incipient talents. However, she is tossed by storms of anti-German sentiment even as she tries to find her place in different communities. She falls in love, but her prospective partner is also thrown into the wartime conflict. In Under the Same Blue Sky, Pamela Schoenewaldt has not only written a gripping tale of the early 20th immigrant experience, but also a story that should resonate with many immigrants today. Furthermore, Hazel Renner also symbolizes the progress of women in America as they strive to develop an occupation in addition to a family. Under the Same Blue Sky is an enriching read for young adults and their parents. 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 • September 2015
THEY’RE SMART. LET’S MAKE THEM EVEN SMARTER.
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STEMSCOUTS.ORG 865-243-8057
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015
Conversing With Pamela Schoenewaldt By Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
“E
ach novel is about one person’s journey,” Pamela Schoenewaldt told me as we lunched at Viet Taste on a nice fall afternoon. Pamela is the best-selling author of three novels tracing the experience of female immigrants in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th century. As we talked about her research for these novels, she also described her own journey. Pamela grew up in New Jersey and attended high school in Watchung, a city that actually had a castle like the one described in her book Under the Same Blue Sky. She was an undergraduate English major at Oberlin College and Hiram College before finishing a Masters in English at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1990 to 2000 she lived with her husband, Maurizio Conti, outside Naples, Italy. Her husband taught physics at the University of Naples. She was writing and publishing short stories during this period. She also began to think about the experience of a young woman as she might have left Italy to journey to America to start a new life. This inspiration became the focus of her first novel, When We Were Strangers. After Pamela left Italy, she and her husband moved to Knoxville with her husband working at Siemens. She began more intense research on this novel with the help of Math Help
Math Enrichment
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“Pamela said that Knoxville is a great place to be a writer. She is easily able to find experts on various subjects that she can talk to as she researches her novels.” the University of Tennessee Library. Irma Vitale is the protagonist of When We Were Strangers. After leaving Italy, she journeys to Cleveland, then to Chicago, and finally to San Francisco during the 1880s. Irma becomes a talented needle worker and dressmaker before she is drawn into helping with a medical clinic for immigrants. The research for this novel was extensive, Pamela said, since she had to discover 19th century sewing and fashion details, appropriate wages, and the types of medical services available, among other things. Her second novel, Swimming in the Moon, features fourteen-year-old Lucia and her mother, Teresa, as they journey from Naples to Cleveland in the early 1990s. Lucia struggles to make a living as a garment worker, and then she finishes high school and starts college. Lucia deals with her mother’s deepening mental illness, becomes involved in the ladies’ garment worker’s union, and helps organize the 1911 Cleveland Garment Workers’ Strike. Her most recent novel, Under the Same Blue Sky (see review in this issue), tells the story of Hazel Renner, the daughter of German-American immigrants, as anti-German sentiment builds during World War I. Pamela said that Knoxville is a great place to be a writer. She is easily able to find experts on various subjects that she can talk to as she researches her novels. She is currently working on a novel set in Knoxville during the 1919 Race Riots. During this infamous period nationally known as Red Summer, an African-American man, Maurice Mays, was accused of killing a white woman in the middle of the night. While he was held for trial in Chattanooga, riots broke out in Knoxville forcing the National Guard to be called in. Mays was convicted on circumstantial evidence and later executed. Pamela said that her novel would focus on a trio of protagonists as they confront these racial tensions. “I’ve liked the process of writing since I was a kid,” Pamela said. Currently, she strives to be a role model of someone who enjoys writing and makes a living practicing her craft. She teaches workshops on the writing process and is a board member of the Knoxville Writer’s Guild. She gives frequent presentations at book clubs about her latest book. As we finished lunch, I thanked her for an engaging discussion about the world of books, and I eagerly await her Knoxville novel. 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 • September 2015
10 Terrific Books: Let’s Get Creative! Compiled by Erin Nguyen
Children’s Department, Knox County Public Library
Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light PreK-2nd Louise loves creating art almost as much as she loves her little brother Art, who shows her that she’s not the only artist in the family.
I Know a Wee Piggy by Kim Norman PreK-2nd A pig on the loose at the county fair becomes a work of art by taking a messy tour through all the colors to be found around the fairgrounds.
Origami Bugs by Catherine Ard 2nd-5th Part of the Amazing Origami series, this title provides stepby-step instructions for a creating a variety of bugs out of paper.
Howtoons: Tools of Mass Construction by Saul Griffith 3rd-6th Siblings Celine and Tucker find creative uses for household objects in this fun, graphic-novel style how-to guide.
Ashley Bryan’s Puppets: Making Something from Everything by Ashley Bryan 3rd-7th Ashley Bryan combines his talents for writing and creating art by highlighting his collection of puppets made from objects he found on the shoreline near his Maine home with poems about each puppet.
Darien and the Lost Paints of Telinoria by Jeanna Kunce 4th-6th While using special paints found in her neighbor’s attic, ten-yearold Darien is transported to a magical kingdom filled with dragons and other mysterious creatures.
Drawing Awesome Cartoon Characters by Damien Toll 4th-7th Budding cartoonists can follow the step-by-step instructions for drawing a variety of characters in this title from the Drawing Is Awesome! series.
For library information in your area visit: www.knoxlib.org/
Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine 5th-8th In this writing guide, bestselling author Levine provides helpful tips and practical advice for aspiring writers in need of inspiration.
The Truth Commission by Susan Juby 8th-12th For a school project, junior Normandy and her friends and fellow art-school students, Dusk and Neil, set out to find the “truth,” but she finds that uncovering her family’s own truth may be too difficult.
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin 9th-12th This novel investigates the brief life of a talented young artist and her mysterious death in New York using a combination of interviews, newspaper and magazine articles, and artwork.
Keep Your Teeth Healthy For A Lifetime! (865) 693-6933
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Knoxville Parent • September 2015