Who Reads?

An article that I found did a test on which cities read the most and the least. Here are the winners and losers:

The most literate U.S. cities:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Cincinnati, Ohio
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. Portland, Oregon
10. San Francisco, California

The least literate U.S. cities:

70. Garland, Texas
71. Fresno, California
72. Arlington, Texas
73. Long Beach, California
74. Anaheim, California
75. San Antonio, Texas
76. Santa Ana, California
77. Corpus Christi, Texas
78. Hialeah, Florida
79. El Paso, Texas

I figured I would see New York City in the top ten. I guess I was wrong. The best one is #78: Hialeah, Florida!! I love this one. Guess where I work? This explains a lot. Now I know why most of the students in the school cannot write a sentence. If the parents aren't reading, neither are the children. In all fairness, they probably didn't count Spanish newspapers when the survey was done. I have to say that California and Texas aren't doing well at all (except for San Francisco). The bottom ten are all Texas and California except of course for Hialeah, Fl. I still can't fathom why people don't read. I understand if you're working tons of hours a week. You kind of don't have time for any leisure activities. I'm sure this is a factor in the bottom ten. I love reading and can't get enough of it. The good thing is that my students do love reading. Almost every afternoon (unless we're behind on work), the children sit down and read their books. They even read it to each other. And those that don't read well get help from the kids that do read well. There is hope!! I developed the love for reading because my mom read a lot when I was a kid. I would sit next to her and read while she was reading. Kids learn by example. If the grown ups aren't reading, chances are the kids aren't reading. Something to keep in mind.

Quite Busy

Besides getting sick again this weekend and trying to become clutter free, I've been keeping myself busy. I'm crocheting a baby blanket for my new nephew, who will be born in June. It's actually a big project because it will end up being three feet by three. I'm enjoying making it. I'll have to take a picture of it and post it. Other than that, I've been fine. I haven't been up to date on news or anything that's going on. I'm trying to stay away from negativity. I need a break to center myself. I'm doing good with keeping positive except at school. Well, it's kind of hard when a third grader throws a fit and tries to choke you. Yeah that's what happened to me yesterday. I was actually trying to get the kid away from his teacher of whom he was trying to hit. In his fit, he grabbed me by the neck and began choking me. This is while five teachers (including me) were trying to carry him down the stairs without hurting him. Anyway, the kid saw me today and growled at me. Whatever, I can't focus on that anymore. Maybe now that I wrote about it, I'll be able to relax. I'll keep you up to date.

On a Positive Note

Looking back at the past year, it seems to me that there's been a lot of negativity. This is true to me personally. A few of my relatives passed away last year, Miami wasn't doing well for me, being broke, and I could go on. I've decided that this new year, I'm going to look at the bright side of things. I've always been a firm believer of positive energy. I was in Borders the other day and I stumbled upon this book called "Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires" by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I figured I give it a try. The book focuses on surrounding yourself with positive energy. However you feel is what you attract. For example, if you feel that your life sucks, then it will continue sucking because that's the kind of energy you're surrounding yourself with. It made me think on my attitude towards living down here. There's a lot going in this book. I read it in three days and I love the message it sends. So, if you're one of those people that are always looking at how bad things are, pick this book up. You'll change your whole outlook about the way you think. It's great! I recommend it.

Disgusting

The thought of pedophilers attacking children that were left orphaned by the catastrophic tsunami is beyond my realm of thinking. This atrocity is already being reported. Not only that but there are dozens of children that are now missing that are feared to be taken for trafficking.

How could anybody bring themselves and further damage a child after these horrific events? Some people are really evil. I've been extremely upset about what occurred in South East Asia. All those deaths sicken me to no end. I guess I'm very naive about thinking that people would actually kidnap children who have lost their families and use them for their own pleasures. We have many sick people that live among us.

Happy Birthday Dan!

I just wanted to wish my dear husband Dan, a wonderful birthday. I hope all your wishes come true. My love for you grows deeper throughout the years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!