Dear Pop, My mother recently passed away. My little boy was very close to her. How does one explain to a four-year-old about death? Grieving Mom Dear Grieving Mom, Here’s what I suggest you do. Be honest with your toddler and encourage questions. This is a learning experience for him which he’ll never forget. Children’s…
In 1954, while still in elementary school, best friends Lee Esner, Jimmy Wiggins, and Johnny Roth create a game: “Whoever gets there [top of the merry-go-round] first is the real King of the Mountain. Whoever wins is Champ for life. For the rest of his life he’s on Easy Street!” Lee was the handsome one,…
On November 9, 2019 Valley Beth Shalom, in Encino, California hosted a program in commemoration of the 81stAnniversary of Kristallnacht entitled “Rescuing History: Kristallnacht and ‘The Holocaust Through the Eyes of Deaf Jews’.” (Kristallnacht was two nights of violence perpetrated against the Jewish communities of Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938.) It was a…
In the United States, we observe Thanksgiving the last Thursday in November. It’s a cornucopia-filled holiday with traditions unique to America. It is celebrated to give thanks for the fall harvest with historical references to native Indians and Pilgrim settlers. Americans are not the only country that ritualizes a feast of thanks. Many other countries…
The Sons of Neptune by Rod Little (click on link for reviews of that series) is a four book series about the Earth’s invasion by alien humans from a moon of Neptune. After the war, Earth is in need of new resources, so three of the characters, Sam, Bohai, and Teak, take the Starship…
The REAL ID Act, enacted by Congress on May 11, 2005, was a response to the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The purpose of the ID is for accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and boarding commercial aircraft. There…
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously stated in the case of Brown vs the Board of Education, Topeka, that facilities segregating white and black children were unequal and therefore violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The justices also ordered the states to integrate. How did…
Dear Pop, A deaf or hard of hearing child will be mainstreaming into my class next semester. What can I expect? How do I make my lessons understandable? How can I ease her transition into my class with her peers? Signed, Nervous Dear Nervous, Teaching a deaf or hard of hearing (hoh) student is similar…
Historically, deaf people have been pretty much ignored by the hearing community. The general feeling has been, “They’re just too difficult to communicate with, so why bother?” However, throughout history, many deaf people have made a name for themselves, and in spite of their hearing impairment, they have stood out and contributed their skills for…
On September 24, 2019 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (16) delivered a fiery speech at the United Nations climate summit. She said, “We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” While she was speaking thousands of fires…