On September 19, 2009, the stars will be shining bright in the Silver Eagle Suite of the University of North Texas, as Health Services of North Texas presents “Elton John,” “The Beatles,” “Cher,” “Elvis,” and “Roy Orbison” at their annual Hearts and Heroes Gala. These award-winning celebrity impersonators will provide a high-energy rock and roll show which will—along with dinner and dancing—leave patrons with a song in their hearts and stars in their eyes!

But as much fun as Hearts and Heroes offers to participants each year, Agency Executive Director Dr. Ron Aldridge reminds us that there is a serious side to all of this revelry. He explains that the Gala serves as the primary fundraiser for Health Services of North Texas (HSNT), which offers medical care and support services for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in Denton, Collin, Hunt, Rockwall, and Kaufman Counties. In addition, HSNT offers guardianship care for those persons in Denton County who are unable to manage their medical and life affairs.

These critical care services lead Mandy McKInley, Gala Marketing Coordinator, to point out that you can feel confident about the direct help you are providing to your community through attending the party, offering sponsorship dollars, or donating a service or good to the auction.

The Hearts & Heroes Gala performs another vital role as well, that of honoring outstanding citizens and organizations for their leadership, philanthropy, and community service. This year’s honorees are Charlye Heggins, Pamela and Dale Kimble, Phil Wentworth, Christina and Rudy Andrea, and Star Children’s Charity. Exemplifying the best of giving back from our blessings, these persons and organization inspire the staff, board members, and agency supporters in reaching for higher goals themselves.

Speaking of goals, Fern Bugg shares with us her personal objectives for Hearts and Heroes 2009: to have the most thrilling entertainment ever performed at the gala, a knockout lineup of silent and live auction items, and getting you a ticket before they are sold out. For more information about attending or supporting the gala, please call Fern at 940-368-0655. See you there!

With many school environments back in full swing, I thought we might provide some encouragement and inspiration for everyone involved in the education of our children.

Jeff Foxworthy: “How do you know you are a teacher?”

• You want to slap the next person who says “Must be nice to work 8-3 and have summers off.”
• You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
• You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents.

Crista McAuliffe, the teacher astronaut who perished in the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986 summed up her profession in these words: “I touch the future – I teach.”

What an awesome privilege we have in shaping the future through the impact we have on students.

King Solomon said that a farmer does not withhold seed because of what he cannot control, but does what he can and trusts God for the rest (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6). We do not want to focus on the obstacles before us and miss the opportunity to sow seeds. Keep casting your bread upon the water, you are making a difference.

Martina McBride would say: “Teach them anyway.”

Moses made it clear that providing a spiritual foundation for our children is the responsibility of parents (Deuteronomy 6). As parents we are to model and teach in every-day life the spiritual values we desire to see in our children.

A brief excerpt from the poem To Be Educated, by Carolyn Caines demonstrates the importance of a how education and faith are related:

If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein’s theory of relativity, but have never been instructed in the unchangeable laws of the One Who orders the universe, I have not been educated.

However, if one day I see the world as God sees it and come to know Him, Whom to know is life eternal, and glorify Him by fulfilling His purpose for me, then I have been educated.

Jesus Christ taught that the “one who is fully taught will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40) In addition to the formal, academic instruction students need, we do not want to forget what author John Ortberg calls the hidden curriculum. Whether you are in public, private, or home education, you are doing more than filling minds – you are forming lives to be like you. As a local church shepherd, I would not want to do what I do without divine assistance. For all of you involved in education, we petition God for the grace, strength, and wisdom you need. God bless you.

A few weeks ago, the Dallas Morning News ran a front-page story titled “Daddy’s New Job.” It explained that the number of stay-at-home dads is increasing due to the economic recession. Because of lay offs in construction, manufacturing, and other traditional male bastions, 80% of the people who lost jobs in the last year were men. Another article in the same paper reported that “Companies with female managers are more profitable.”

What does this mean for men? What does the future hold in store for the gender? The silver lining in our economic storm may be some positive changes for men.

Sweeping social change often follows a period of crisis. The very first government assistance program followed the devastation of the Civil War. During the Great Depression, when many families failed through no fault of their own, Social Security and other social programs were born. The modern fight for civil rights was in part triggered by WWII, when the military began the integration of troops. The same World War led to the unprecedented prosperity of the 50’s and 60’s via the GI Bill for the returning veterans. The economic gloom of the 1970’s may have been as responsible for the dramatic increase of women in the workplace as were no-fault divorces and the Women’s Rights movement.

Just last year, while most of us were struggling to put gas in our cars, some “experts” proclaimed that $5 gas would be good for America because it would lead to alternative energy sources, greater conservation, and less pollution. From crisis, positive social change often grows.

The current economic crisis may accelerate changes that will affect men. Quietly, over the last generation, women have made significant educational gains compared to men. There are more women than men attending and graduating from college now and girls outscore boys academically in public school. While men’s earning power is still significantly greater than women’s, income levels for women are rising. In realistic terms, women are gaining power in society.

It appears that as our society evolves and women come closer to educational and vocational parity with men, a re-evaluation of the male gender role is required. Does it make sense to hang on to beliefs that dictate that men must be the breadwinners of the family? The authoritarians? The disciplinarians? The sole decision makers?

Or, do these economic and social changes present opportunities for men to grow? To become more focused on family life? To enter into true partnerships with their life mates? To spend more time parenting? To realize that jobs and careers are not the only things that are important?

What do you think will be the lasting effects of this recession for men? Will it be positive or negative? How are you and other men weathering this tough economy? Drop me an e-mail and let me know what you think. We may revisit the topic in the near future.

Mark Sandel is an Associate Professor of Social Work in the College of Arts and Sciences at TWU. He welcomes comments or suggestions for future columns at msandel@twu.edu

Have you ever wished for more than 24 hours in a day or felt frustrated because you were not accomplishing what you wanted? In America, the greatest poverty we have is “time poverty.”

By managing your time effectively, you can gain up to two productive hours a day, have less stress, have more energy, and increase your income. Here is a tool to get you started. Remember change requires action.

The backward planning process is an excellent method for goal setting and time management. It is just a different way to achieve the results you want. It forces you to think from a completely new perspective and it helps you see things you might have missed with the traditional chronological process.

Basically, you start with your objective, the end result you desire, and work backwards from there. It is like telling a story going backwards. If I want to speak at a noon luncheon, I start there and plan backwards. If I want to be there at 11:30 a.m., I always plan on arriving fifteen minutes early. In order to be there at 11:15 a.m., with an hour’s drive, I have to leave by 10:15 a.m. One hour to get ready, so I start by 9:15 a.m. I want 45 minutes to eat, so breakfast needs to be on by 8:30 a.m. I need my quiet time in the morning, so I get up at 7:30 a.m. and I know I push snooze a couple of times, so I set the alarm for 7:00 a.m. I have made time for everything I want to accomplish and to get there on time.

This backward planning process has been life-changing for me. I encourage you to embrace it. Effective time management is a matter of choice. You can learn the skills and behaviors which will ultimately become habits that will last a lifetime.

Crossroads Montessori Academy is a small private preschool located a half mile north of Hwy 380 on FM 720 (Oak Grove Lane). A small country cottage setting surrounded by open pastures helps to create a nurturing and caring learning environment. Our small class sizes, intimate setting and blend of Montessori and traditional methods inspires the children to a high level of early development.

Crossroads Montessori Academy strives to motivate and educate each child at their own level. We believe an early start is key. The Montessori Method is used to help us instill self confidence, independence and building problem solving skills in our students. We achieve this through, play with a purpose, learning by experience, gardening to gain understanding, stories with a lesson, yoga for kids, computer lab and countless other ways.

Crossroads Montessori Academy is family owned and operated. We opened in November of 2008 and have had steady growth all year. Owner, director and teacher Michelle Place has a bachelors degree in Sociology from the University of North Texas. She is Montessori Certified and has 11 years teaching experience. This fall we are expanding our program to include full time extended care (7:00 am to 6:00 pm). Please see our website for further details. www.CrossroadsMA.com

Lisa M. Elliott, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist and Clinic Manager
Cook Children’s Medical Center

Development and use of gross motor skills in children and adolescents is good for their overall well-being and health. However most people do not realize these skills also play an important role in a child’s academic success, their brain development, self-esteem, ability to participate in group events and in social skills. Gross motor skills involve the bigger muscle groups like arms, legs, feet and torso whereas fine motor skills involve smaller muscles such as hands, fingers and toes. All motor skills, both gross and fine motor require a connection between the brain and the muscles in your body. Generally gross motor skills develop sequentially and they need to be mastered before fine motor skills are mastered. Unfortunately, once a child has mastered locomotion (i.e., walking) and other general gross motor milestones it is all too common that the emphasis shifts to the development of fine motor skills. Both gross and fine motor skills are important and should be optimally developed. The development and enhancement of gross motor skills plays a significant role in a child’s academic success, positive self-esteem and confidence.

Good gross motor development has been found to be beneficial for academic success. Research has shown good eye-hand and eye-foot coordination skills can enhance the vision aspect of reading skills (Dequiros, 1979). Proper upper body support is critical for handwriting.

Gross motor activities also help increase the flow of glucose which is the brain’s chief source of energy. This activity helps develop normal connections during their critical years of child and adolescent development (Gabbard, 1993).

Both children and adolescents continue to develop increasing coordination and motor ability with proper instruction and guidance. This allows a child to gain greater physical strength and endurance. In addition, continued gross motor instruction and development will help foster better distance judgment, motor planning and hand-eye coordination which are beneficial for play and sports participation. All of this promotes greater self-confidence, and a willingness to attempt new challenges. Social inclusion is another positive attribute to good gross motor coordination. A child who is more confident engaging in activities and who has the gross motor skills to do so is frequently invited to participate in many fun group activities.

Awareness and development of good gross motor skills begins during infancy and the toddler years, however it should continue to be a focus throughout childhood and adolescence. Overall good gross motor coordination helps contribute to a child’s positive self-esteem, a desire to be active and healthy, academic success and overall confidence.