Welcome

Dear Readers,

I’ve been blogging for about two years now. Impressed? Don't be! I’ve only been “blogging” in my head – I cannot tell you how many times I’ve “written” a story, post, or comment in my head. Usually something in the world inspires me to comment on and I think of an entire blog to write. The problem is, none of those thoughts actually transferred from my head to paper (or to the computer for that matter). Occasionally I would scribble something down – random thoughts and ponderings, sometimes a question, perhaps an opinion or two. But those scribbles never made if from the paper to the computer. Don’t be alarmed…you read correctly…I still actually write stuff down on paper and…get this…I actually use a pen. I just finished graduate school and every single paper I wrote (whether it was 2 pages or 20) started out with a paper, legal pad, and a pen. Old fashioned? A waste of time? Just plain old weird? Who knows…but writing the old fashioned way provides a kind of organization and creativity that I find hard to get by randomly typing on the PC.

But I digress…so, yes, I’ve finally decided to make the jump and transfer some of those thoughts (the ones that have been swirling around in my head) to the blogosphere. So…I set up the blog, decided what I wanted to write about and then I thought, “Wait, I should introuduce myself to the folks first, right?” I am sure that only two people might visit my blog…and chances are those two people might already know who I am (thanks for reading my blog Mom and Dad). But, what about when I hit in BIG on the web and a whole 10 people actually read my blog? Shouldn’t I introduce myself to the eight people who don’t know me? So I started out by writing the typical autobiographical information. Then I realized that you might not really care what town I grew up in, my pet’s name, or my astrological sign. So I threw that draft (ok, there were three drafts) in the garbage and thought about what you might really like to know about me. So here it is. My deep dark secret: I. Am. A. Plant. Killer. There (*sigh*) I said it. I have a couple of college degrees, I effectively supervise a staff of 25, I’ve even kept my dog alive for the past 12 years. Here she is, living proof:

But put anything in soil within 10 feet of me and it instantly turns brown, crunches to a crisp, or withers away. And yet, I keep buying plants with the hope that this one will survive. Here’s a picture of my latest victim-to-be:

So, wish me luck with this one. It's been alive for a whole seven days. I'll keep you posted on my progress as I learn to be a Blogger and a Plant Owner!

So, now that you know at least one of my deep dark secrets and we are now friends, I can comfortably begin the blog that I’ve been writing in my head for the past two years. What will I blog about? What are my interests? Well, I am passionate about developmentally appropriate early childhood education and the value of literacy. The first topic that I will tackle later this week will be about something I’ve been seeing on television over the last few months. Have you seen these commercials for “teach your baby to read" type of programs? I have a definite and very strong opinion on these programs…and it might not be the popular opinion. So, come visit me later in the week to read what I have to say! Other topics I will address in future blogs will be:

• Book of the Day Activities for Preschool Teachers and Parents


• My Favorite Children's Books (if you want me to list your favorite children's books along with your Twitter name, send me a tweet @literacycounts)


• Must Have Resource Books for Early Childhood Educators


• Technology's Role in Enhancing Early Childhood Literacy


• Bilingual Children in Child Care Settings: How Teachers and Parents Can Boost Language
  

I have an extensive list of Blog topics (yes, the list is written on paper) that I hope to cover in this Blog so come along with me for the ride. I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

New Blogger, Twitterer, and Plant Owner!