She Thinks She Can

Issue #351

I recently had the joy of visiting with Gloria and her daughter Katie, who is in the final throes of her residency as a physician. I relished the precious time out of her crazy schedule to sit and talk to this young, amazingly bright, and passionate doctor. Imagine my surprise when she said, in no uncertain terms, “I’m really not all that smart.” I couldn’t believe my ears, and said as much to her. 

With a lilt in her voice that indicated she did not feel bad, nor was she the least bit concerned about the declaration, Katie went on to say that of the three siblings in her family, she was the least academically talented, but that she just worked really hard. As we continued to talk, Katie shared memories of her challenges in the many things she has done, from school to swimming, and how her can-do attitude and work ethic always led to success. When queried further, she shared, “In life, there are plenty of obstacles, but there are always ways around them.” 

The statement, coming from this vivacious young woman, affected me so much that I paused our conversation to write it down on the front page of my journal. I wondered out loud how someone so young had developed this deep-rooted attitude. Her mother confirmed that Katie had had that outlook since she was a very young girl.

When prodded, Katie said she felt as though a children’s book had clearly paved the way for this outlook on her life. The book? The Little Engine That Could. Her mother laughed out loud as she reminisced about Katie’s passion for this book: she knew it by heart at age two, and was keenly aware if a sneaky adult ever tried to skip a page or repetitive paragraph, which was never allowed.  

I continue to reminisce about the conversation whenever I look at Katie's quote in my journal. Each time I do, I cannot help but think about the power of reading aloud to young children—yes, over and over and over and over—and the effect we can have in their lives and in the lives of all the people they touch. Lucky for us, Katie had this experience as a young child, and she will have an amazing effect on many lives in her future, greeting each ailment, illness, and disease with I think I can.     

 

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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Can I get the Pensieve calendars for 2015–2016 yet?

Absolutely! For all our friends who like to plan ahead, here you go! 

 

 

 

 

Creating the CAFE Menu Strategy Cards

Watch Beth invite students to participate in this integral part of the CAFE system.

 

 

 

 

 

Fraction Order Fun*

Playing with dice makes it more fun to make and learn about fractions

 

 

 

 

 

"I Can" Bookmarks*

Help students remember the key factors of these accuracy strategies with easily reproduced bookmarks.

1  Adjust and Apply Different Reading Rates to Match Text*
2  Practice Common Sight Words and High-Frequency Words*
 

 
 

 

Stenhouse—Streaming Service

Stenhouse Publishers is offering a free trial and subscription discounts to their new streaming service, which includes Up and Running with the Daily 5 and other K–12 videos.

 
 

 

*Available to members

 

 

b-Resilient A Hug From Afar Carol reminds us of the power of written words.

Conferring with CCPensieve Add Students to Class This quick tutorial will show you how to add students easily.

 

Professional Development Opportunities

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2015 Live Workshops We are excited about our 2015 workshops. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two is a new CAFE Intensive.  Location Dates Chicago, IL (FULL) Westin North Shore April 18, 19 Charlotte, NC Westin Charlotte June 6, 7 Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano June 25, 26 Orange County, CA Hyatt Regency Orange County August 3, 4 Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America August 29, 30 Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth September 19, 20 Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas November 14, 15

2015 Online Seminars Prefer short bursts of information combined with independent learning? Each session offers separate seminars on Daily 5, CAFE and Math Daily 3. May 3–May 30 (Full) May 31–June 27 July 7–August 1 August 2–29 Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses.