We Are All The Same Inside - The Blog

Watching the series "Eric" (2024) on Netflix was a surprisingly poignant experience. The troubled protagonist Vincent is puppeteer, clinging to the impossible hope of reuniting with his missing son Edgar through his giant puppet named "Eric". This series resonated deeply with my own journey with the "Sage" doll.
Just like Vincent with "Eric", the Sage doll became my catalyst for tolerance, a vessel for the stories I poured into my children's picture book pages and students' lives. While Vincent desperately seeks a connection to his estranged son Edgar, I found a unique way to foster connection and inspire creativity in countless young minds and even connected with celebrities that continue to inspire me. Both Vincent and I, through our artistic mediums, discovered a way to bridge the gap between the tangible and the intangible, the seen and the unseen.
Vincent's unwavering belief in a fantastical transformation mirrored my own belief in the power of puppets and dolls in the classroom. These seemingly simple objects become powerful tools for navigating difficult concepts and conversations. They create a safe space for students to explore emotions and reveal hidden vulnerabilities. The Netflix series reminded me that even in the darkest moments, there's a spark of power within us all. Just like Vincent, with the support of "Eric", we can find the strength to transform ourselves.
Vincent the protagonist in the Netflix series "Eric" troubled as he is dreams of transforming the world, by the end of this he discovered a powerful truth: the greatest transformation most often needs be within. He realized that his dolls and puppets were mere reflections of the need to change himself NOT the world he sought to reshape. Here are some additional musings and thoughts prompted by the Netflix series "Eric" and my teaching experiences using dolls and puppets:
* Power of the Metaphor: Puppets and dolls act as metaphors, allowing students to express themselves indirectly,fostering deeper understanding. *Unlocking Emotions: Dolls and puppets can help children feel safe enough to explore difficult emotions, leading to catharsis and growth. * Building Empathy: By creating characters and stories, students can develop empathy by stepping into the shoes of others.
"Eric" serves as a powerful reminder that transformation, even the seemingly impossible, can be sparked by a little bit of belief and a whole lot of creativity. It reinforces my own commitment to using the dolls or puppets in any classroom to empower my students and foster positive change in their contexts of learning.

They call him the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. A man burdened with a message no one wanted to hear, a voice crying out in the wilderness of a society on the wrong path. And let me tell you, on some days, when I look at the state of our world, I feel a kinship with Jeremiah's tears.
Doubt? Absolutely. It snakes its way in, whispering insecurities about the path I walk, the message I carry. Just like Jeremiah, who felt too young, too inadequate, I sometimes question my own ability to be a vessel for truth.
Struggle? Every single day. The world can be a harsh place, and the truths I reveal often clash with comfortable illusions. There's a constant battle within, a yearning for acceptance that wars with the unwavering commitment to the message.
But here's the thing – unlike Jeremiah, who perhaps wrestled with external validation, I try to not let the opinions of others hold no sway over me. My purpose, my very essence, is tied to my faith. It's not about popularity; it's about the unwavering conviction that truth, even the uncomfortable kind, must be spoken.
Even amidst the tears, Jeremiah held onto a flicker of hope. He knew, even when the world seemed lost, that G*d's plan would ultimately prevail. And that's my anchor too. That perhaps is a testament to the enduring power of truth and the ultimate triumph of light over darkness.
There are doubts and struggles. And there's also unwavering conviction, a deep well of hope, and the unwavering knowledge that the truth I share will ultimately serve a purpose. In this journey of faith, I may be the weeping witness, but like Jeremiah, I will continue to bear witness, nonetheless.
#UnexpectedLunchTopics #StateoftheWorld #Conviction #Faith #Struggle #Tears #Hope #Jeremiah #WeepingProphet

Gettin’ ready (sic) to turn up the volume and let the sequins fly! As part of my #Star80: A Celebration of 80 Gowns, Dolls & Years, we're diving deep into the world of a true multi-talented artist singer-songwriter, Franne Golde! Buckle up, # because Franne's here to share her stories, her inspirations, and maybe even a surprise or two. 1. Beyond your commercial successes, what criteria do you use to define a song as truly "great" or meaningful to you? A killer melody and lyric, a great chorus and it must touch me emotionally, viscerally. When my favorite songs come on, I crank the volume and feel bliss. 2. Looking back on your vast catalog, which song holds the most personal significance for you and why? Is it “Gettin’ Ready for Love?” as recorded by Diana Ross your very first radio hit in 1977? That’s one of them. I was driving down Sunset Boulevard when I turned on the radio and heard it for the first time, I pulled over to a phone booth called my dad and screamed, “my songs on the radio.” We listened together. We were both crying. I’ll never forget that moment and being able to share it with my dad was priceless! 3. You've collaborated with many iconic artists. received BMI awards for singles with The Pussycat Dolls "Stickwitu",Randy Travis’s "A Man Ain't Made of Stone", The Kinleys' "Somebody's Out There Watching" from the Touched by an Angel soundtrack, Selena’s "Dreaming of You", Jody Watley’s "Don't You Want Me" and "Nightshift" by the Commodores Who surprised you the most in terms of their interpretations of your songs you wrote or creative approach? Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of Nightshift. So beautiful, so heartfelt, so Bruce. That’s the beauty of songwriting. You never know what can happen when you put a song into the universe. I would’ve never in a million years imagined Bruce Springsteen singing Nightshift. He killed it!! I’m so honored and appreciative of the love and care he put into the recording. He made it his own. 4. With the music industry constantly evolving, how do you stay inspired and navigate the changing landscape while staying true to your artistic voice? I haven’t been songwriting for several years. I started a new career, designing clothes, but I believe true artists never lose their voice no matter how the landscape changes. True artists know how to adapt and use their voice, as they are constantly evolving themselves. In my life I’ve seen my creativity take me down paths I never thought I’d be traveling. 5. What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters struggling to find their unique sound or break into the industry? Do it every day, don’t talk about it, just do it. By showing up, believing in yourself, and never giving up you will find your uniqueness. And when it clicks, you’ll know it. As Goethe said, “At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you. “ I’ve found this to be true time and time again. 6. Beyond music, what other creative pursuits or interests fuel your inspiration and songwriting? I’m inspired almost every day, especially by people. I love hearing about their journeys and how they’ve gotten where they are. I’ve always been a creative person and now I’m creating clothing and loving it, but I also write essays about my life, that I hope will end up a memoir, I’ve been working on a film project for many years that is finally seeing a sliver of light, I love arranging flowers and making handmade greeting cards…. I could go on, and on, but I’ll stop for now. 7. Given your extensive experience, what are your thoughts on the current state of music songwriting, particularly in terms of its impact on society and cultural trends? The current state of music is diverse and reflects a wide range of influences and cultural trends, but it seems people still gravitate towards the familiar, Pop, R&B, hip-hop, rap, country, jazz, blues, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s etc. Technology has made creation available to everyone, allowing for more voices to be heard and for different genres to flourish. That said, talent and creativity is everything. It’s far more likely that people who stand out and rise to the top know how to use that technology to their advantage. Overall, I think music continues to be a powerful force in shaping society and reflecting what’s on people’s minds.

Why does math anxiety strike fear into the heart of many students all over the world? Math anxiety is not merely a dislike for the subject; it is a tangible problem for students that can block working memory and math achievement. As early as kindergarten, math anxiety can begin a self-perpetuating cycle of math avoidance, failure, and fear. Despite the prevalence of math anxiety throughout many students’ schooling, it can be mitigated by more effective early mathematics curriculum that addresses the learning needs of all students and an improvement in teachers’ professional development with new content and teaching techniques. To address the need for more effective and the improvement in teachers’ mathematics understanding and pedagogy, we have designed an integrated music, mathematics, and computational thinking curriculum that teachers can implement in inclusive classrooms of cognitively, linguistically, and culturally diverse students. Our novel integrated curriculum called Young Academic Music (YAM) and Computational Thinking begins with guided musical play activities to stimulate natural curiosity and exploration in the academic areas of mathematics, music, and computational thinking. Research suggests that strong math skills and computational thinking in young children are a powerful predictor of future academic success. Therefore, we focus on developing early mathematics skills with music and gradually move toward computational thinking. By starting with music and playing with dolls and fun manipulatives, we have created a less intimidating environment that is more accessible to all learners, including students with disabilities, English learners, or other youth who have struggled in more traditional mathematics classrooms. This novel program integrates mathematics, music, and computational thinking in an engaging way for kindergartner students, teachers, and parents. Young children will learn rhythm and music notation, while fun and creative activities will provide structured opportunities for students to connect math skills to music and computational thinking at an early age. The foundation of this integrated curriculum is the design of appropriate learning activities and supporting materials that can easily be integrated in inclusive classrooms along with ongoing teacher support. Have I lost you yet? Does it all sound too simple, too complicated, or too scientific? Let’s get this straight - when we, as somewhat more typical educators, think about our relationship with mathematics and music, our palms grow clammy. I, like many of us educators, struggle with self-doubt about my ability to implement a curriculum that combines three subjects (mathematics, music, and computational thinking) in which I must admit very little expertise. And yes, I even have this historical reaction of mathematics, music, and computational thinking: the fear of failure. Our head starts spinning round and round like a vinyl record as a bunch of unanswerable mathematical and musical questions stare me down. Imagine my anxiety when Dr. Courey and Dr. Haber asked me to develop characters and note dolls for this novel curriculum for a long-term research study for the early childhood level? That’s how I was roped into this five years ago. Thanks to Dr. Haber, we started our pilot study at Daniel’s Music Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides music activities for students with disabilities of all ages, my anxiety melted away. My initial fears were replaced with excitement, fun, and absolute bliss. The note dolls were a hit and the participants varying in abilities and strengths were counting, adding, and subtracting through rhythm lessons. All of the students in the class were making music, learning music notation, and having fun with computational thinking activities! Almost, three years into the research that old devil called self-doubt rears its head: “I can’t do math, I don’t like math, math is too hard, or will I ever use it in the “real world.” Yet with each phase of this research and the unquestionable obstacles, such as the COVID 19 lockdown, time and again the teachers we work with as well as the students no longer expressed their fear or disdain for mathematics. As educators and now part of an Education Innovation Research (EIR) grant team, I must acknowledge, we now play a vital role in helping remove the stigma surrounding mathematics and anxiety by making math instruction fun for students and teachers? The outcomes we are measuring are teachers’ ability to understand and implement the curriculum, student math achievement, music understanding, and computational thinking. We are observing and measuring these outcomes to inform and support a strong and engaging kindergarten curriculum that reduce math anxiety, open the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) to all students. And we, our teachers, and students are having way too much fun!

https://flushingtownhall.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/introducing-timothy-bellavia-our-gala-honoree/