https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/language-how-humans-think-together-getting-young-work-knox-ph-d

Language is how humans think together. A recent article from Babbel, published in the Business Insider, notes that "knowing more than one language could give you an edge in your career" and highlights six top business leaders who are bilingual. "Researchers have uncovered that people who speak more than one language are better at something called inhibitory control, which involves being able to filter out irrelevant stimuli and to develop more measured responses to events.
In addition to an increased attention span, learning a new language can benefit your work in other ways, including being able to connect with a greater number of people, and gaining a new perspective on the world." Learning language begins with learning about how languages work, and getting motivated to put that learning into purposeful action. 
For many people, who started wanting to learn a language but then quit, learning a language became nothing more than a tedious memorization process. The book, LANGUAGE SOUP: A TASTE OF HOW DIVERSE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD COMMUNICATE, was written and just recently expanded and revised with the purpose of engaging young people and families in seeing that languages are intriguing and diverse communication systems, and that and language information (like unique writing systems, odd spelling rules, unusual vocabulary, and decoding sentence structure) can be fun to learn about. When you find something fun, you get engaged and want to learn and do more with that new learning.  
This world of ours increasingly needs people who have inhibitory control, and who want to communicate with and understand, nuances of conversation with other friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, around the world. Within the easy-to-read chapters of this book, young people and their families will find all sorts of intriguing nuggets and will find that at least one of the chapters (English, Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Yoruba, Finnish, Navajo, Arapaho, constructed languages, and lots of other general language information) will snag their attention. When you have attention, you have a starting point for building that bridge of shared thinking and conversation.
Ref: http://www.businessinsider.com/6-top-business-leaders-that-speak-more-than-one-language-2017-8/#mark-zuckerberg-co-founder-and-ceo-of-facebook-1

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“Studies have clearly shown us that being a grandparent and having a grandparent affords us many life benefits. For example, children who have ongoing and consistent contact with a grandparent experience less emotional and behavioral problems.” (Huffington Post 9/10/2013, blog “Celebrating Grandparents and the Value of Generational Love, L. S. Rust.)
 
In “Why Grandparents Matter More than Ever,” a blog by Jeff Anderson in Senior Living News (Oct 23, 2013) , agrees.  A recent study by Boston College identified “an emotionally close relationship between grandparent and grandchildren is associated with fewer symptoms of depression for both generations.” Also, “More than half of grandparents see their grandchildren in person at least once a week, while 92% of grandparents report having changed a grandchild’s diaper. . .  Today there are about 80 million American grandparents, which is more than a third of the adult population.”   Intergenerational living is on the rise.  Let’s support and celebrate the bonds between grandpas and grandsons. 
 
Picture books can be a good way to begin the conversation.  In the new BOP AND GROP picture book series, two grandpas are actively involved with adventures and learning with their two young grandsons, building a treehouse, cooking, shopping, even building a time travel machine and visiting dinosaurs.  Share the book to extend some joy!
 

She was late.  Again.  He missed a planned event. Again. She didn’t call you back. Again.  “Sorry!” 

Sorry is not the end of the story for you or the other.  How trustworthy are you with your friends, family, and colleagues?  Answer yes or no if others would say about you that you

1.      DO what you say you will do

2.      ARE on time

3.      HOLD a mental attitude of gratitude and attention

Being habitually late or missing something planned says to the other, “My time is more important than your time.”

Habitually making excuses says to the other, “I can’t control my life. I’m just a victim to events.”

Habitually being distracted gives the message, “I’m not trustworthy in paying attention to this friendship.”

For next steps, check out the Three-Part Apology and Five Step Conflict Management in the ebook A TEEN’S GUIDE TO THE CONVERSATION GAME.  It’s for everyone to practice.

Is Character Education becoming Gri-Grow-Sess?

A recent article on KUNC http://www.kunc.org/post/non-academic-skills-are-key-success-what-should-we-call-them  suggested that all nonacademic learning needed another encompassing name and suggested relatively meaningless acronyms like Gri-Grow-Sess or N-COG might be options in the future.  Referencing part of this article: There's a lot of different terms floating around but also a lack of agreement on what really is most important to students.

As Noah Webster, the great American lexicographer and educator, put it back in 1788, "The virtues of men are of more consequence to society than their abilities; and for this reason, the heart should be cultivated with more assiduity than the head."

 Character education has a long history in the U.S., with a major vogue in the 1930s and a revival in the 1980s and 1990s. Beginning a few years ago, the KIPP charter schools in New York City started to emphasize a curriculum of seven "character strengths": grit, zest, optimism, self-control, gratitude, social intelligence and curiosity. "We're not religious, we're not talking about ethics, we're not going to give any kind of doctrine about what is right from wrong," says Leyla Bravo-Willey of KIPP Infinity in Harlem. "But there are some fundamental things that make people really great citizens, which usually include being kind." West argues that the use of "character" is inappropriate in research and policymaking because of its moral and religious connotations.”  West notes that there is a tension with the notion of character, which often “implies something being good in and of itself—which often includes some notion of self-sacrifice.”

The word character comes from the Greek kharakter, meaning an "engraved mark" which is extended by metaphor to mean a defining quality or sum of qualities of a person. (Ref. http:etymonline.com). Character seems like a good word to define a person's expression of honesty, kindness, respect, responsibility, perseverance, integrity--which are all critical bits of trustworthiness in life. These qualities are necessary in our communities, relationships, and world. Some notion of sacrifice of self-interest, selfishness, and self-focus does build room to be conscious and concerned and act for others. Without such things defined and taught and appreciated through shared stories for example, we are leaving a critical gap.

Other skills like being able to converse, write a letter, organize time, commit to growth, being creative, using media well, are distinct from deep defining character. Complicated acronyms might obscure rather than clarify. The terms character and skills make sense for attention and driving improvement.

Our newly published children's book on termites is published on Itunes and Amazon! Filled with pages of local children's art work, we are excited to hear your thoughts! Have your views on termites changed? What is something new you learned about termites that you didn't know before? We'd love to hear from you!

Read more about endocasting, or taking a mold of the termite nest underground, here: http://www.esf.edu/efb/turner/termitePages/termiteEndocasting.html