I promised to announce another give away today on TommyMom…
and I’m not gonna lie.
I would really, really, really like to pretend…
that I never offered to be generous…
and keep it for myself!
I’m deep like that from time to time.
Today’s gift is offered by Christy Gandara of One Creative Bug.
Christy is also a veteran reader here on TommyMom…
but that isn’t why I love, love, love her.
She is one of the most generous…
joy-filled…
sincere…
individuals you will ever meet.
And…
she wrote this post for us…
so that the mystery…
of why Mother Theresa is not yet considered a saint…
could be cleared up once and for all!
I know that I personally slept better that night…
armed with her vital knowledge.
Christy has given us several goodies…
but what I’m giving away next Friday…
is a wall vinyl that says…
“That noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
I love it!
Several people…
have brought to the conversation table…
that they are, in fact…
slow readers.
For them…
as well as others…
this appears to pose a challenge in Leadership Education.
Since one of our Keys…
is “Classics, not Textbooks”…
one would assume that reading is paramount!
I know that while I am a fast reader…
my brother, Tim…
makes Evelyn Wood look like a slouch!
I have witnessed him reading…
at a rate that has made me sweat…
and wondered…
how in the HECK..
he is retaining anything!
He does.
So do many others that walk amongst us.
There is a great read entitled…
“How to Read a Book”…
by Mortimer Adler.
It gives lots of food for thought!
I highly recommend it.
It is also full of suggestions and techniques…
that help you to improve your ability to read…
process…
comprehend.
However…
earlier this week…
I read this article…
and was fascinated.
I value your opinions.
Hint: for those of you that perhaps don’t realize it…
if you click on the words “this article”…
you will be taken to it!
Just keepin’ it real…
and accessible.
After you read the article…
please leave your thoughts.
I have many…
but don’t wish to prejudice the audience!
Each comment left on TommyMom…
between now and next Thursday…
regarding any and all posts and topics…
will be counted as an entry.
All prizes are chosen through random.org.
I look forward to hearing from you!
I liken this article to a study that was/is being done regarding television. The amount of time between scene changes in TV shows, especially for kids, has shortened dramatically. There is a suspicion that some ADD/ADHD may be partly due to young brains being exposed to constant quick scene changes, and therefore when “real life” doesn’t change as rapidly, the brain gets frustrated, if you will.
Try this one thing for me. Pull out your copy of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the scene where Jimmy Stewart’s own mother doesn’t know him and he thinks he’s lost his mind, the camera does a slow zoom on him. When I was teaching my at-risk kids, and we were watching the movie before the holiday, one of my kids pointed out how UNcomfortably LONG it took to change scenes. That is what sparked my interest in this whole notion. (Thank you, Sharmel)
If you don’t have a copy of that movie, and don’t want to wait until December, just try watching MTV, or cartoons, or any other kid show and time how quickly scenes change.
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My “It’s a Wonderful Life” example was merely to show that scene changes USED to be a LOT slower! ;0)
Here is a link to the study I was mentioning:
http://www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story.asp?slug=ADHD%20Toddlers
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First of all, Teri is blowing me way out of proportion
, I’m just a normal Mom, like to share with people, and I’m all albout life long learning! Thanks Teri for the kind words… now onto the article:
1. IS Stupider a word? I thought it was more stupid, but perhapse the over use of wrong grammer is becomming accepted – I’ll need to look it up… Well aparently stupider shows up in the dictionary as an adjective. Guess I’m stupider today – I think I prefer More Stupid. so I’ll stick with that.
2. I should have NEVER clicked the link BEFORE getting my coffee – because I got throught the first paragraph and promptly STOPPED reading to go get the Joe!
3. Interesting read – if I am reading for entertainment, I simply read at my pace. I may look up a word or two, but generally as long as I have the gist of it – I just read along like there is no tomorrow. If I am reading to learn or grow as a person – I have learned to take notes, keep a dictionary on hand and turn Hannah Montanna episodes off.
4. For me, there is NOTHING like a physical book. Anthony and I are collecting books and creating a ‘library’ to leave our children and grandchildren as a legacy – we’ll see how it goes. The legacy of baseball cards from Anthony’s Dad and 33 Records from mine are pretty dull legacies… lol.
5. My pile of deep reading is quite large – I keep adding to it.
6. I took a speed reading class in college – I was NOT good at that – I could not understand a THING of what I read. I say if you have a talent for speed reading and you also comprehend – go for it. Leave the rest of us turtles behind, lol
HAve a great weekend everyone!!!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:17 pm
I don’t think I’ve blown you out of proportion at all! ;0) Thanks for the comments! XO. ;0)
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Ahhhhhh….. I miss reading like I used to. As a fast reader, I can get through a book in record time. Now, If I could just find that “record time” to sit down and enjoy a great read!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:17 pm
You’ll have to “make” the time…or it won’t ever come. E-V-E-R. XO, ;0)
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by the way….loved Christie’s article the first time around and laughed all over again watching the bugs create their trap! so darn cute!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:18 pm
It was, wasn’t it?! ;0)
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I loved this article Teri! I felt this way about reading for a long, long time. I first discovered the beauty of words when I was eight years old and the power of words when I was nine. My 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Rouse read us poetry one day. She chose “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost and I was instantly transported to a timeless place. My foot took one step out of a horse drawn carriage and crunched almost soundlessly on fresh snow, the horses turned to look at me, and I felt the exquisite pain and joy of longing for the unknown of the wood and the comfort of home. I have never been the same since. The next year Mrs. Gasik invited us all to write our own books and I created a world that existed in it’s entirety behind a rainbow shrouded waterfall in my mind. It was powerful. I became a connoisseur and a creator. I love to read slowly, to savor the shape and texture of the words the way a sculptor touches and feels the clay beneath his hands. There is such power in the placement of words, beautiful writing is not an accident it is an art form. I love to take my time with it. I have read books that sound like poetry because of the placement of the words, others that simply plod along in a hurry to get to where they are going. To take time with a book is to open yourself to the joy in the journey of it. How often as I read has my mind wandered to the line from Yeats’ poem “The Stolen Child”…”Weaving olden dances mingling hands and mingling glances”. That is what slow reading offers. It is letting the author take your hand and tell you his or her story, see the world from a different vantage point. We mingle our minds with their thoughts and words, our hands turn the pages that rustle and the sound is as soothing as the touch of a hand on a fevered brow. I have so little time it seems anymore, I look longingly at my books and wish for a few hours of peace with them, or a few hours with some blank pages. But it is rare to find it, I have to commit to it. Reading fast is a great way to get incredibly important information into your head, but to get it into your heart…that takes time. The best things in life should be savored.
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Vernie,
To quote Crush from that classic movie, “Finding Nemo”…”You so totally ROCK!” Really…you do! XO, ;0)
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Oliver De Mille said”How to read a book is good but the greek model” How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom is even better.He held a 2 day seminar and there is an article (How To Read a BooK)he wrote as well. EXCELLENT!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Thanks for the reminder, Symbria! The “How to Read a Book” article IS excellent…and I need to read Harold Bloom’s book. XO, ;0)
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Cool Study Tim – I agree with the statement in the article that having the TV on interfears with inner speach. It seems to deeply impact their creativity as well- too much TV and kids can’t think for themselves! We are not 100% TV free- but it is very minimal. Most days the 3 big boxes of tin cans, paper tubes and empty egg cartons see more action than the TV.
Vernie – I love how you said to get the book into your heart it takes time – so very true.
Have a great weekend everyone!!!
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Well I planned to comment on the article which I liked although I hate reading things online. Not my cup of tea. But after reading through everyone else’s comments I now feel the need to gush about Vernie DeMille’s beautifully articulated response. It makes me want to go curl up with my lovely copy of Little Women and keep reading. The article spoke to my mind with facts and data and Vernie’s comments spoke to my heart and touched on the beauty, inspiration and life altering effect books can have on our lives. It makes me think of the poem by Emily Dickinson…
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry-
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll-
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul
Ahh…Back to my book my frugal frigate.
Hope everyone enjoys a wonderful weekend filled with plenty of time to read:)
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Excellent poem and reminder, Heather! Thank you for the comments. Reading online isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, either…so keep that in mind when I have you do it. I try to choose really noteworthy things to gaze upon! XO. :0)
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Oh how lovely Heather, I’d forgotten that poem! Emily Dickinson, now there was a soul who knew the power of the written word and the joy of a book. Thanks for sharing that.
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This was a really neat article. I can totally relate to reading from a paper book instead of the electronic world. I have always found such a deep satisfaction in closing, holding and experiencing the book anew as I take a minute after completing it to mentally review what I just experienced. As I am typing this I realize that this usually only happens with classic books. Hmmm, more incentive for reading the classics sooner than later and sharing them with my children!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
They are definitely the books that stand out worth doing the work for, are they not? XO, ;0)
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I found the article to be frighteningly true and after hearing from a high school english teacher that they do not have time to read novels anymore I realize that the texting fad and incoherent slang I hear kids use is becoming less a generational thing and more a societal norm. I put together a gift album for a fellow coach and was shocked at what most of the girls wrote not because it was rude but because it lacked any real meaning. They seemed unable to put a complete sentence together or spell. Facebook, Twitter and texting have replaced not only reading but also the human connection of having a deep and meaningful conversation with someone. Technology is a blessing and a curse and we have to learn to manage it rather than letting it manage us. I guess as long as there are advocates for slow reading, communities like Tommy Mom where we can discuss/comment/reflect and those of us who relish the journey of settling in with a classic and letting the characters touch our hearts and the message challenge our minds then there is hope!
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Teri Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Heather,
Thanks for your comments. It’s all frighteningly true; but we CAN and WILL make a difference if we persevere in faith…”nothing wavering!” And TommyMom will be here…as long as you all are!
XO, ;0)
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