The Grammar Shop and More

TGSAM Tuesday Tune-Up Sitting here on a Tuesday morning in May, June gloom hanging low in the sky, the threat of rain looming beyond the gloom, and my mind wanders to big ideas and small details. The random mix of the big ideas with the smaller details that make them reality looks like a closeup of some pointillism portrait, or one of those collages made of images of faces or dogs or something. I find myself a bit lost between the small details and the big ideas these days.... I develop lessons of small details to develop the big ideas. I promote prompts of big ideas that require the smaller details to become something. There is space between the dots, some wider than others, but that space in between is really what defines the big ideas, what illuminates the small details, and those gaps, spaces, and narrows, well, those allow the rest to breathe and grow and move and connect and battle and combine and reject and everything else that helps an idea grow and develop from a dream into a reality. Look at the small details. Envision the big ideas. Celebrate the spaces in between and more than anything else, keep dreaming, keep working, and keep doing your best for those around you who need you. Love and luck, -bg The Grammar Shop and More 1238 Seventh Street Santa Monica, California 90401 424.247.6091 www.lagrammarshop.com

TGSAM Tuesday Tune UP Middle of May and the gloom hangs over the beach while the anticipation for summer break stirs the spirits and souls of everyone in education, yes, teachers are excited for summer as well, so as we bring this school year to an end here are a few small precepts to keep in mind: 1. Finish strong: Students, visit with your teachers, figure out what might be missing or what can be improved, or what can be earned with extra credit so that your grade truly re...flects the best of your year. 2. Study for finals actively: it is easy to get to the end of the year and imagine that you have it all together, so take some time and test it out: write out notes, write out practice questions, write out charts, graphs, diagrams, whatever it takes, make the end your best. 3. Summer is not all about vacation: sure, you deserve a break, but try not to let all of the gains that you have made this year dissipate over summer. Make a plan to read, to do some math, to keep a journal or do some other creative writing. Treat your brain like a muscle, and keep it toned this summer. 4. Look ahead: look to your next school year, now, try not to wait until August. If you are transitioning schools, this is even more important. Get a handle on curriculum, on culture, on expectations, and opportunities. Make plans. 5. Balance: summer is a great time to rest, recharge, reflect, review, and renew. Be in balance with it all, find that Golden Mean and keep yourself even keeled. 6. Have fun! Love and luck, -bg The Grammar Shop and More 1238 Seventh Street Santa Monica, California 90401 424.247.6091 www.lagrammarshop.com

The Grammar Shop and More Tuesday Tune-Up As we bid adieu to April, my mind is marvelous full of ideas and inspirations to share with you. I’m feeling generous, so please take each nugget of advice with a grain of salt, an open mind, and a moment of self-reflection. Dear students, there is still plenty of time to bring up a grade, and try not to rest of past success, because one slip up at the finish can cost you more than you might imagine. Heed this advice, gear up, be pr...epared, and finish with your best. Dear parents, your students are feeling the fatigue from the year. They are slowing down and taking their eyes off the prize at the end of the year and starting to imagine summer break, like a mirage down the road, it leads them astray. How about a pep talk? A chance to reimagine goals and objectives, a vote of confidence. Let them know that you care. Dear teachers, so the year seems longer and harder than you imagined. Construction paper on the walls has faded, and you too, are angling towards the finish and some well-deserved time off, but do not mail in the last weeks. Finish strong. Create some curriculum that challenges the students, that builds on the accomplishments of the year, that looks to the adventures next fall, and that supports the class coming together. Unity emotion is a part of the spring, so build on it. Dear friends, look for the best in others. Appreciate, tolerate, empathize, sympathize, be kind. The world is full of conflict, judgement, intolerance, jealousy, envy, and anger. Rise above it. Give the world a good push in a positive direction with your spirit, energy, and love. Happy Tuesday, -bg The Grammar Shop and More 1238 Seventh Street Santa Monica, California 90401 424.247.6091 www.lagrammarshop.com

TGSAM Tuesday Tune-Up Last weekend was filled with celebrations and remembrances, some very happy, like Passover and Easter, some not so happy like Columbine, and several other mass shootings, not to mention the bombings in Sri Lanka. At Passover we are reminded to take the bitter with the sweet, and that a sense of balance is essential, however, the world seems so out of balance right now. Yesterday was Earth Day, a chance to check back in with our planet and think about n...ature, the cycles of water and rocks, and air and the seasons. The earth is hotter every year. We pollute more and more. We try and do something about it, but end up banning straws and plastic bags, more than anything really big and important. Spring really has sprung all around us, so we complain about allergies or drive to the wild flowers and trample them as we capture our own pictures of nature’s art. Someone was speaking about rugged individualism and American Exceptionalism the other morning on some political show. The guests were debating the importance of self versus the importance of community. Their lack of the ability to truly listen to each other actually made both their arguments moot. Get outside, not just of the building, but of yourself. Reach out and create some community, some connection, some of that spark of static electricity when we stop being static and start engaging with others. It only takes a moment to smile and make someone else smile too. Try it. Love and luck, -bg The Grammar Shop and More 1238 Seventh Street Santa Monica, California 90401 424.247.6091 www.lagrammarshop.com

TGSAM Tuesday Tune-Up Yesterday my friends, was Jackie Robinson Day, the anniversary of Jackie breaking the color barrier and playing in his first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It stands as a monumental day in the history of America, not for sports, but for civil rights, for our culture, economy, democracy, and the lives of every American then and since. Jackie endured so many insults, threats, catcalls, abuse, and more, but his mission was sacred, his... objectives essential, his motives pure, and his character, as strong as stone and steel to stand up to all of it. Last night at the Dodger game and across all of Major League Baseball every player, coach, manager, and umpire wore the number 42 in his honor. Always an exceptional site, we also were treated to 42 Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars, each of whom shared a word that wove the fabric of Jackie’s character. It was amazing. One word from it stuck with me: patience. Like the Dodgers playing with patience and pulling out a win in the bottom of the ninth, and Jackie enduring the slings and arrows of being the first with patience. Think about your own life: are you patient? Are you willing to take the time for something great? Can you extend the rewards and payouts to let something special mature and build? Find some patience. Be like Jackie. Love and luck, -bg The Grammar Shop and More 1238 Seventh Street Santa Monica, California 90401 424.247.6091 www.lagrammarshop.com