Lorain Co. Comm. College

One of the best things about having a dream and pursuing it is watching seedlings planted previously coming to fruition -- right before your very eyes. As I finish up year #15, I ponder all of the truly amazing opportunities that I've had and those hovering on the horizon ahead. What I LOVE doing is getting to return to sites where we have had fun & games in the past, where I know the folks in charge & what they are capable of pulling together.

Here we are on the campus of Lorain County Community College. A special grant was written to create this evening of fun on behalf of families from across the county. The evening is an evening of parent education and I am one piece of the puzzle. We get underway with a brief sing-a-long with families all together. Then once everyone is comfortable, the parents depart for two workshops on topics of their choosing. That leaves the children with me in the lovely conference room, under the direction of college students from LCCC and visiting college students from Ashland University, a tad down the road.

We have enough college students in preparation to pair up with the children one-on-one. Take a look over our shoulders at the fun prior to the parents return.

Road Bloggin'

Right this minute, I am fascinated by technology. Even more, I am fascinated by what I have learned on the technology-to-my-real-life continum. At this minute we are in the car, driving thru downtown Indianapolis on their interstate. More accurately, Allen is driving my car and I am sitting in the passenger seat. I have my laptop in my lap, hooked up to the web, thru a series of gizzmos & gadgets that all are ultimately connected to his phone. Voila. Road bloggin'. So I can sit here whizzing by the Keystone exit and simultaneously be reflecting back to last evening and the smiles and personalities that inspired me.

I kept them moving. Plenty of up & down. Lots of energy. Laughter. How I wish I could bottle the laughter and energy. There is a market for laughter & energy. People ask me where I get all of my energy. This world of ours is in need of laughter, that's for certain. Good to capture some of that laughter. ***Thanks Allen for doing all the driving, schlepping and hauling -- so that I can share my brand of happy.

Laughter & Learning

First of all let me state the obvious. I get paid to be a happy person. I get paid to show up on the happy channel. I get paid to elicit laughter. I am sought out because I am learning how to be funnier in my old age. I work diligently at keeping things light-hearted & giggle friendly. I was just sharing with a brand new friend, that one of my all time favorite tidbits of feedback, was when a participant shared after one of my workshops that she thought I was the "Carol Burnett of Early Childhood." I took her comment with the relish that she offered it. Wow. That's who I want to be when I grow up -- a much funnier me!

I don't recall being a funny child & I was certainly NEVER the class clown. Never, ever, never the class clown. ***Mom & dad put your fingers in your ears. Read no further today. Warning. Warning. Warning.

In fact I think I was 'sincerely-serious' as a youngun. I'm sure I got teacher brownie points, cuz I would certainly never create a guffaw and I could always be trusted to walk the lunch money to the principal's office. After some reflection I think it safe to say that my family-of-origin was a pretty serious unit. So it absolutely surprises me to realize that I can make people laugh. Yes. Make people laugh. I listen & observe very closely when people laugh at my antics. I study their reactions & I sculpt laughter into the day's recipe -- whether they are 3 years old or college undergrads or professional peers in the field.

How can you possibly look at these pictures and not smile? How could I possibly be in their midst and not use their laughter as a springboard to more fun? Laughter is their first language. I wonder what cumulative effect a career of making young children laugh has had on my immune system? It makes me smile just considering that question. I'm willing to learn a lot more about laughter.... and the role it plays in learning. I have heard several PhDs citing studies of how laughter and happy endorphins anchor learning, opening us up to our own best mechanisms for retention. Let's all laugh together. Have you had your inoculation of laughter this season? Today? Things to scratch your head over and just go hmmmmmmm.