Tuesday, November 13, 2018
A Small Gang of Authors: The Magic in a Book
A Small Gang of Authors: The Magic in a Book: The Magic in a Book. By N. L. Osguthorpe I am blessed to have four distinct elements which define who I am. My family; nothing is m...
The Magic in a Book
The Magic in a Book.
I am blessed to have four distinct elements which define who I am. My family; nothing is more important to me than running our home, raising our children and caring for our animals these things are the heart of me, but they are not the whole. My teaching; since qualifying as a teacher in 1992 I have taught children from three years to eleven in a number of schools and for many of those years I led my own department. My writing; for many years this was nothing more than a hobby and only really became something I was able to give my attention to when I began to work part-time.
Perhaps the aspect of me that people find the most surprising is my connection to spirit. Several years ago I had a profound spiritual encounter which not only changed the direction of my life but completely turned inside out my perception of this world through which we travel on the journey of our lives, and the enormity of what lies beyond. So these are the four distinct elements of me and it is when these elements come together and overlap that the stories are made.
I want to share with you a series of experiences and observations which together have helped to forge the person I am today and which enable me to view my world from a slightly different perspective. Whether you agree with me is a matter for your personal consideration, but still, I invite you to see the world as I do for there is a warmth and reassurance in this space which I find more palatable to the cold harshness of the conventional reality which most choose to live in.
As a teacher of many years, I have been privy to watching hundreds of children learn to read and over and again as I watch with wonder the process these children undertake on their road to literacy I am struck by the same overwhelming realization. ‘Children learn to read by magic.’
I know, I know; I can hear the clamour of outcry from my fellow educationalists. ‘What about cognition?’ You cry, ‘Learning is the process of building up the links between the synapses in your brain. The more these networks are travelled the deeper the learning is embedded.’
Of course, I know there is science to learning but I’m not talking about the science, I’m talking about my observation’s and the wonder unfolding before my eyes and to me this process is magical.
When those three-year-olds begin school many have little experience with books. I’ve seen children rip them, bend them, throw them and even eat them; for what else is there to do with a pile of coloured sheets of paper. That is where the magic begins; as gently we tell them, ‘No’. Then we read to them the story and unlock the wonder hidden within the pages which they hold. They look at us with surprise and we share the pictures and tell them they can read this for themselves just by looking at the pictures, and then they do.
After a while they notice the squiggly things at the bottom of the page and we tell them they are called letters and words and ask if they want to learn how to read them and they say ‘yes’ so we show them the phonics and how we blend the sounds and we tell them they can make words and read words for themselves; and then they do.
Next, we provide them with simple books with lots of words which they know, full of repetition and laden with rhythm and rhyming and they use their memories to learn these books and we tell them they are reading and they are.
Now we sprinkle this with fun and we read to them each day; a diet of fairy tales, breathtaking adventure, amazing wonders and side-splitting laughs which carry their imaginations to their limits and beyond and we tell them they can read too; ‘they can read too.’
Slowly we give them more difficult books to read for themselves with more complex words, less repeating and less rhyme and they look at us with apprehension glinting in their eyes; but then with a smile, for there is magic in these words, we tell them ‘you can read this;’ and they do.
Every day we tell them for the magic to work well; YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU’RE A READER! WOW, YOU’RE DOING REALLY WELL!
And finally, the magic is complete as you sit back and watch that book thrower, page bender, spine eater, flap ripper. Go to select a tasty morsel from the bookshelf and carry it with reverence to the cushion by the window and open it with excitement and they read it for themselves.
How I know it’s magic? Well, you may all disagree but without the magic words of praise, and the wonder in the books our tiny paper munches will continue eating books!
Many times student teachers have asked me how children learn to read; where do we start with such a huge and complex task and I always tell them the same thing. “Ah it’s magic; let me show you the spell.”
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Monday, November 12, 2018
A Small Gang of Authors: Women in Science Fiction – Zenna Chlarson Henderso...
A Small Gang of Authors: Women in Science Fiction – Zenna Chlarson Henderso...: Ruth de Jauregui The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (December 1951) As one of the known 203 women science fiction writ...
Women in Science Fiction – Zenna Chlarson Henderson
Ruth de Jauregui
As one of the known 203 women science fiction writers published in American science fiction magazines between 1926 and 1960, Zenna Henderson was among those who never used a male pen name. Born in 1917, she was an early fan of science fiction, citing Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein as some of her favorite authors.
Her stories were often set in the American Southwest, where she was born and raised. She was an elementary school teacher and taught at the Sacaton, Arizona Japanese internment camp during World War II. She also taught in Connecticut for a year and in France for two years. She was briefly married to Richard Harry Henderson in the 1940s, but the marriage ended in divorce. Henderson's first story "Come On, Wagon!" was published in December 1951 in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Perhaps best known for her stories of the People, who fled their planet when it was going to be destroyed, Henderson incorporated concepts shared by the Jewish and Christian faiths. The People's invocation of "Presence, the Name and the Power,” speaks to Christians, while the disbursement of the People fleeing the destruction of their world and the continuing theme of dreams of returning home from their exile evokes the Jewish experience. Her first story of the People "Ararat" appeared The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (October 1952). All of Henderson's People stories were collected in Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson (1995).
She also wrote a number of science fiction stories that focused on young children and women, and their anger and angst. Her years of teaching allowed her to portray the emotions and actions of children set in a variety of sci-fi scenarios. These tales also include mental issues, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and agoraphobia. These stories are included in two collections, The Anything Box (1965) and Holding Wonder (1971).
While Henderson was criticized by some feminists for her use of stereotypical women's themes, her stories included young children, middle-aged and older women, women's relationships, and gender equality. She didn't just write those stereotypical roles, she used them to emphasize communication among human and alien women and how sharing their womanly roles could facilitate the peacemaking process. Today, her work is considered "pre-feminist."
Henderson's novelette "Captivity" was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1959. Ingathering garnered second place as Best Collection in the 1996 Locus Awards.
One of Henderson's People stories, "Pottage," was made into an ABC TV movie starring William Shatner, Kim Darby, and Diane Varsi. The People (1972) is available in VHS and DVD formats. In addition, her story "Hush" was adapted as an episode in Season Four of the TV series Tales from the Darkside (1988).
Sadly, Henderson's career was cut short by cancer in 1983. Her work remains an influence on modern science fiction writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis and Kathy Tyers.
Amazon: Zenna Henderson
Amazon: The People DVD
Amazon: Tales from the Darkside: Complete Series Pack
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Her stories were often set in the American Southwest, where she was born and raised. She was an elementary school teacher and taught at the Sacaton, Arizona Japanese internment camp during World War II. She also taught in Connecticut for a year and in France for two years. She was briefly married to Richard Harry Henderson in the 1940s, but the marriage ended in divorce. Henderson's first story "Come On, Wagon!" was published in December 1951 in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
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| Ingathering (1995) Cover art by Elizabeth Finney |
She also wrote a number of science fiction stories that focused on young children and women, and their anger and angst. Her years of teaching allowed her to portray the emotions and actions of children set in a variety of sci-fi scenarios. These tales also include mental issues, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and agoraphobia. These stories are included in two collections, The Anything Box (1965) and Holding Wonder (1971).
While Henderson was criticized by some feminists for her use of stereotypical women's themes, her stories included young children, middle-aged and older women, women's relationships, and gender equality. She didn't just write those stereotypical roles, she used them to emphasize communication among human and alien women and how sharing their womanly roles could facilitate the peacemaking process. Today, her work is considered "pre-feminist."
 |
| The Anything Box (1977) |
One of Henderson's People stories, "Pottage," was made into an ABC TV movie starring William Shatner, Kim Darby, and Diane Varsi. The People (1972) is available in VHS and DVD formats. In addition, her story "Hush" was adapted as an episode in Season Four of the TV series Tales from the Darkside (1988).
Sadly, Henderson's career was cut short by cancer in 1983. Her work remains an influence on modern science fiction writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis and Kathy Tyers.
Amazon: Zenna Henderson
Amazon: The People DVD
Amazon: Tales from the Darkside: Complete Series Pack
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