Thanksgiving contest

I feel very thankful for my book sales, for every one of them. So thank you, all my customers!

As a token of appreciation, I thought I'd host a little contest along these lines. I'll call it Math Mammoth Thanksgiving contest. Participate, and you may win some of my books!

Now, I will make you work a little for it, because this is a writing contest. You enter the contest by answering the question below.

There are two "categories": one for those folks who have already used Math Mammoth books, and another for those who haven't. Either way you can participate.

The writing prompts are as follows.

1. You have bought and used Math Mammoth books before:
   
   Tell me your experience with the books, good or bad. Mention which book or books this is about, explain how you used them, the kids/students age or grade, their past "math experience", and how did the teaching and learning go.



2. You have never used a Math Mammoth book:
   
   Explain WHICH book or product interests you most (see the website). Then explain in several sentences the reasons and factors that keep you from buying it at this time. In other words, give your "excuses" for not buying. You can explain how much you perhaps love your current math curriculum, cite economics, and so on. Just let your fingers fly on the keyboard!

I will choose the winners based on the BEST RESPONSES on the day after Thanksgiving, and then email the winners. Some of the winning entries will also be posted online on this blog.

Since these are downloadable products, I won't limit the winners to one. Instead, there will be TEN winners in each category. That'll give you a good chance to win, I hope!

Each winner will get to choose Math Mammoth books for free, worth the specified amount below.

• Two winners - choose books worth $50.


• Three winners - choose books worth $20.


• Five winners - choose books worth $10.

Please use my contact form to enter the contest. Remember, the deadline is the Thanksgiving day, or November 27.

Voting begins for Homeschool Blog Awards

The polls are up and ready for the 2008 Homeschool Blog Awards. There are 24 categories. My blog has been nominated for the "Best Curriculum or Business Blog" category.

You can go vote following this link.

Honestly, for me the biggest value in this is not actually the idea of competing for the awards, but the fact that I can donate prizes. (That has marketing value... more people find out about my books.)

But anyhow, it's a fun contest and gives us all lots of good blogs to check out!

A story of a teacher and a boy

You may have read this story before, but I got it today in an email from a friend. It's a good one to pass along! (And sorry, it's not math related... just a real good story. It's fiction, but could be true - and is well worth reading.)

The 5th Grade Teacher

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she Told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and Said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... He is a joy to be around...'

His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'

His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class...'

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's' laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets.'

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer, the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you
Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'

(For those of you who don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

******
Warm someone's heart today. Pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it.

Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? Tomorrow? Just 'do it'.
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!