Six students, ages 9 to 18, spent a week at our summer constructivist conference writing, illustrating, and designing a CALENDAR of original poems. The students were facilitated by ELA teacher Beth Konkoski-Bates, of Maryland, and Linda Konkoski of Syracuse University and the Everson Museum.

Please consider purchasing a 2003 illustrated calendar, with student poems. It will be practical for you and will mean so much in terms of reinforcement for the students who worked hard to create this calendar. Each month is on an 8 ½ sheet of paper, followed by a poem and an artistic rendering by one of the students.

For your color copy (of pictures and poetry), as part of a calendar, please send a check for $8 to:

Institute for Learning Centered Education, c/o Don Mesibov, 414 Bagdad Road, Potsdam, NY 13676.

The $8 covers part of our cost for the calendar. We'll cover the postage. The Institute makes no profit; in fact, we absorb the extra costs. Please purchase a calendar for the same reason the Institute subsidizes it - to reinforce quality student work.

Student contributors include Tyler Belleau, Ben Crenshaw, Emily Crenshaw, Cassandra Jones, Debbie LaBrake, and Erika Wolf. We're proud of these students. You will be, too, when you see their work.

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If
you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a
message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2002, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

Here is my favorite poem (reprinted from a year ago). I have told my children that I could have no finer legacy than to believe that I have influenced them to adopt the philosophy of life implicit in this poem about “Cliff Klingenhagen”:

CLIFF KLINGENHAGEN

by Edward Arlington Robinson

Cliff Klingenhagen had me in to dine

With him one day; and after soup and meat,

And all the other things there were to eat,

Cliff took two glasses and filled one with wine

And one with wormwood. Then, without a sign

For me to choose at all, he took the draught

Of bitterness himself, and lightly quaffed

It off, and said the other was mine.

And when I asked him what the deuce he meant

By doing that, he only looked at me

And grinned, and said it was a way of his.

And though I know the fellow, I have spent

Long time a wondering when I shall be

As happy as Cliff Klingenhagen is.

I wish you all greetings of the season. In the spirit of whatever holiday you celebrate, it is my hope that by practicing the selflessness of Cliff Klingenhagen we can all model behaviors we wish to pass along to children and, in so doing, bring happiness to our own lives.

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If
you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a
message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2002, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

Mark Twain once told us:

“It is better to shoot for the moon and wind up on the fence post than to shoot for the fence post and wind up on the ground.”

Because our children are so important, it is often hard to be satisfied winding up on the fence post and falling short of the moon as we strive to improve our schools.

As a dedicated parent or professional educator (or both), you have a vision of what our schools could be like, and it differs from how schools are currently functioning, at least in some ways. The nature of the work we do is such that we endure many frustrations: schools simply do not change as rapidly as we would like.

· We see children failing to meet standards and we know they should receive more support.

· We know of successful programs in some schools and we are frustrated because they don’t spread rapidly enough to benefit students in other schools.

At this Holiday Season, a time of reflection and resolution, I urge you to reflect on all that you have accomplished. Reflect on all the children who are achieving a higher standard than they might without your efforts, even if it is not as high a standard as you feel could be accomplished.

Avoid the temptation (and frustration) of reflecting on how far we are from the “Ideal” for which we strive; instead reflect on how far we have come because of all of our efforts combined.

Because of the high quality person you are, I know you have resolved to continue the journey toward your vision for our schools. Please also take the time to REFLECT on how far we’ve already come on this journey.

I see teachers, and parents, daily, who are using strategies and addressing standards in a way that few of the teachers who taught me (a hundred years ago) were capable of implementing. It gives me hope.

Today, the fence post, tomorrow the moon – for the sake of our children. Be satisfied with progress even if it is less than we would like. I feel privileged to engage in dialogue and hard work with people like those of you who are reading this newsletter, because I know how much of yourself you are contributing in order to improve the future for all children.

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!!!

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If
you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a
message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2002, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.