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<TITLE>New THOUGHT PROVOKER #151- The Braille Princess</TITLE>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Deafblind</FONT></B></P>
<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">RE: The Braille Princess</FONT></B></P>
<P><B><FONT FACE="Arial">The new THOUGHT PROVOKER has a very young girl, starting kindergarten and we see how the teacher is introducing her to the other students. and If you have not read the PROVOKER, it follows. Recall that I collect responses and post them upon my web site for all the WWW to read and learn from and that URL is- </FONT></B><A HREF="http://thoughtprovoker.info/"><B><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">Http://thoughtprovoker.info</FONT></U></B></A><B><FONT FACE="Arial"> If you wish to receive THOUGHT PROVOKERS sent directly to you, just write me and ask, at- newmanrl@cox.net </FONT></B></P>
<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">THOUGHT PROVOKER 151</FONT></B></P>
<P ALIGN=CENTER><B><FONT FACE="Arial">The Braille Princess</FONT></B></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"> “This is our first day of kindergarten.” The faces of the small children grouped around the teacher all looked up with energy filled expectation. “I want us to talk about one very, very important skill all teachers want their students to learn. It is reading. First, to make sure we understand new words --- what is a skill?” Teacher and students shared back and forth, clarifying several key words.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">The teacher asked, “How many of you can read?” Nearly all hands shot up. “Oh my, what a smart class.” Testing prior to the beginning of school had shown the teacher each student’s skill level. Nearly all of them could read, most only a few words and a very few could actually read beginning children’s books.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Why do you think being able to read is important?” Many voices and hands answered her question. </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Pointing to a small girl bouncing on her knees, hand pumping, the teacher chose, “Breanna.”</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial"> “To read to your mommy and daddy.”</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Good answer. Reading to your parents is an excellent reason. Thank you.” </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">After taking several more answers the teacher moved into the next phase of the day’s plan. “It is also important for you children to learn from one another. Today, I have asked two students to bring one of their favorite books and read it to the class. And by the end of this school year, I expect that you all will have your turn.” Indicating the kid-size chair at her side, “Michael, you are first.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Seated, the small boy nervously fingered his brightly colored book, holding its cover forward to show it to his audience. “My favorite book is ‘Ruffles, The Big Red Dog.” Positioning it on his lap, he began reading.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Thank you Michael. And now, Kendra. Please come up to our reading chair.” Tapping the chair, the teacher watched the small girl with her arching cane home in on the sound guide.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Students, remember, earlier today, we learned about why Kendra uses a white cane when she moves around the school.” </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">A young voice from the audience said, “She blind.” </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Yes, she is blind.” Carrying on, the teacher said, “And so now we are going to learn about Braille, which is how Kendra can read.” </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">The small girl seated, cane at her feet, the teacher asked, “Kendra, first please show and tell us the name of your book. Then tell the class a little about Braille.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">Composure intact, Kendra answered, “I learned to read when I was three. You read print because you can see it. I read Braille, because I am blind and blind people read Braille with their fingers. Braille is raised dots. I can read as good as anybody.” She raised the book up for all to see its cover. “My favorite book is the ‘Princess and the Pea.’ My daddy calls me his Princess.” </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Hey,” exclaimed a student! “No picture! No letters!”</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">After the stories were read, the teacher again addressed her class. “Miss Young, my assistant has arranged the chairs in a circle. Each of you have your own chair, your name is on it. So to find your chair, you must read the name-tag.” The classroom noise level fell, then swelled; expressions on faces ranged from blank wonderment, to knowing intelligence. “Reading is important. I know some of you cannot read yet. However, soon I expect that you will. So for help now, ask your neighbor or Miss Young or me to assist you.” The noisy reading and sorting began.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“She’s sitting in my chair!” The outcry of the small red-haired boy was all but lost in the overall noise level.</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Kendra --- Tommy, we need to check the label,” intervened the frazzled Para. Lightly touching the petite blind girl sitting quietly on the chair in question, “Honey, did you feel for the Braille label on the back of the seat?” Leaning forward to look herself as she spoke. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"> “A problem here?” The teacher walked up. </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Oh my,” Miss Young looked at her boss, “the name-tag is missing.” </FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Tommy knocked it off and it fell on the seat,” said the boy from the next chair over.</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">“Yes, I’m sitting on my name,” said Kendra. “And Tommy, you need to learn to read Braille.”</FONT>
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<P><FONT FACE="Arial">The eyes of the two adults met, both smiled, the teacher said, “Kendra, we are going to call you, our Braille Princess.”</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Robert Leslie Newman </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Email- newmanrl@cox.net</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">THOUGHT PROVOKER Website- </FONT>
<BR><A HREF="Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info</FONT></U></A>
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