Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #52 – May 29, 2010
Many people have asked me the question, “Why on earth would you want to be a teacher?” I smile, and my immediate response is, “Why on earth would anyone not want to be a teacher?” Have you ever taken a moment to consider the enormity a teacher’s role encompasses? To be able to touch a child’s life in so many important ways is truly an honor and a gift. It is a calling from deep within that, for me, was simply unstoppable. Here’s why I teach.
It's a Calling
First of all, I rejoice in being equipped with the ability and the desire to serve others; but especially to serve children. What could be more rewarding than to be the person that lifts a child’s spirit, and lets them know, I know they can accomplish anything they set their mind to? How uplifting is it for me to let them know, no matter what anyone else has told them, I believe in them and will never give up on them? I yearn to enable the beauty, the power and the courage inside each one of them, to be revealed, so they can see themselves the way I see them.
It's A Safe Haven of Creativity
Another reason I teach is, I can create a classroom where questioning and discovery are the norm, not a fluke. My classroom is a safe, nurturing home, from which children will leave with more self-confidence, curiosity, compassion, and enthusiasm for life and learning than when they entered.
It's Passing It Forward
I want my students to exude a spirit of “being the best they can be,” in every aspect of their lives now and forever. They will not only be successful but will help others to achieve success. They will reach out and share love and joy with others because of the love and joy they have experienced in my classroom and grown within themselves.
For me, teaching is an extremely challenging and difficult job. However, the outcomes are more profound, far reaching and exhilarating than anything else I know. So I ask again,
“Why on earth would anyone not want to be a teacher?
Note: I will be overseas on vacation through June 18 and will resume blogging upon my return. In the meantime, I think you would enjoy my book. It’s full of inspirational and true stories:
http://www.publishamerica.net/product89724.html
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Treat Teachers The Way You Want Them To Treat Students
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #51 – May 22, 2010
Want a simple way to show your teachers you care on their very first day of school? Try the easy and fun technique of putting a Teacher’s Survival Kit in each teacher’s mailbox. You can put the ingredients in a fancy colorful small bag, or in a simple brown paper bag. After all, “it’s what’s inside that counts!”
There are many versions of this available on the Internet. I chose this one; because of its similarity to the one I received as a new teacher. As principal, you are the instructional leader of your school. This is a great way to model the type of care you would like to see from your teachers toward their students.I still remember the great feeling it gave me and the smile it put on my face; all the armor I needed to begin the first day of what was to become a lifetime career.
Want a simple way to show your teachers you care on their very first day of school? Try the easy and fun technique of putting a Teacher’s Survival Kit in each teacher’s mailbox. You can put the ingredients in a fancy colorful small bag, or in a simple brown paper bag. After all, “it’s what’s inside that counts!”
There are many versions of this available on the Internet. I chose this one; because of its similarity to the one I received as a new teacher. As principal, you are the instructional leader of your school. This is a great way to model the type of care you would like to see from your teachers toward their students.I still remember the great feeling it gave me and the smile it put on my face; all the armor I needed to begin the first day of what was to become a lifetime career.
Teacher's Survival Kit
Contents: to help you survive teaching
Toothpick - to help you "pick" out the good qualities in others and yourself
Crayon - to color your day bright and cheerful
Hugs and Kisses - for when you need either
Candle – for when you're up late grading papers
Eraser - to remind you everyone makes mistakes
Rubberband - to remind you to be flexible and try to work on "win-win" situations
String - to tie things together when everything falls apart
Pencil - to "write your wrongs"
Marbles - to replace the ones you've lost (we enclosed extra, you'll need them later)
Lifesaver candy - you are a lifesaver to so many of your students
Paperclip - to hold it all together
Jewel - because you are as valuable as any precious stone
and a Prayer for you to say at the start of each day
Contents: to help you survive teaching
Toothpick - to help you "pick" out the good qualities in others and yourself
Crayon - to color your day bright and cheerful
Hugs and Kisses - for when you need either
Candle – for when you're up late grading papers
Eraser - to remind you everyone makes mistakes
Rubberband - to remind you to be flexible and try to work on "win-win" situations
String - to tie things together when everything falls apart
Pencil - to "write your wrongs"
Marbles - to replace the ones you've lost (we enclosed extra, you'll need them later)
Lifesaver candy - you are a lifesaver to so many of your students
Paperclip - to hold it all together
Jewel - because you are as valuable as any precious stone
and a Prayer for you to say at the start of each day
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams
For more inspirational stories, I invite you to purchase my book:
Unleashing The Student's "I Can!" http://www.publishamerica.net/product89724.html
Saturday, May 15, 2010
HOW TO IMPROVE TEACHER RETENTION
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #50 – May 15, 2010
Each year in California, over 18,000 teachers quit the profession. This poses a serious threat to the quality of education.provided for our children. A survey by The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) revealed, one of the main reasons for teachers not quitting was, in spite of all the difficulties, they had the support of the administration.
Many college graduates enter the teaching profession with hopes of being challenged and making a difference in the lives of children. However, somewhere during their first year, they face reality. They consistently feel defeated and systemically undervalued and under-appreciated. How can principals inspire teachers to want to stay in the profession?
Even new teachers enjoy intrinsic rewards from the job, but all teachers yearn for some extrinsic reassurance they are doing a good job. Principals should make it a priority to recognize teachers’ efforts by offering positive feedback, both publicly and privately. Memos, e-mails and staff meetings are all great forums for recognizing special contributions teachers are making.
Here are a few suggestions to keep your teachers encouraged and motivated:
Principal Observation
Principals should make a point of observing every teacher at least twice a month. These should preferably be unscheduled visits. The principal should make at least one or two positive comments, write them on a post it, and leave it on the teacher’s desk on the way out. If there is a specific problem noticed, the principal can set up a meeting to discuss that at a separate time.
Professional Development
Good principals should encourage their teachers to attend professional development and workshops. Principals should work with other principals to arrange collaboration and professional learning communities among their schools. Principals should be the Instructional Leaders of their schools. They should be willing to roll up their sleeves and show their teachers how it’s done. Encouraging professional development contributes to teachers’ sense of self-actualization and is extremely rewarding.
The Mission Statement
Work with your staff to create a mission statement for your school. Make sure it is meaningful, genuine and something the entire group believes in. Then, as teachers contribute to progress toward the mission, you can specifically praise individual teachers or the entire team as they complete targets and goals toward achieving the mission statement.
Provide Positive Feedback
People are far better motivated by the use of positive feedback. Rather than focusing on weaknesses, focus on strengths and praise them whenever praise is deserved. School leaders who identify the specific reasons for success when they present positive results at staff meetings, and who are able to temper success with the recognition that there will always be challenges ahead, can inspire the faculty to continue working to improve their practice. When mistakes or poor performance happen, harsh criticism may result in an inhibition of motivation and growth. Instead, use constructive criticism, and modeling with the intent of helping the teacher to improve. Let teachers know you are confident in their ability to improve and let them know they are valued. Principals must offer support, tangible help and guidance for their teachers.
The simple act of recognition by a principal is often just enough to keep a teacher motivated to continue and not become a NCES statistic. There are several ideas listed above but please continue to come up with your own. For example, school leaders can also demonstrate care by giving recognition for a job well done in a card or an announcement in the weekly bulletin. It also won’t “break the bank” to provide a nice breakfast each quarter for your teachers, just to show how much you care.
Author Pearl Buck said it well:
Only the Brave Should Teach
Pearl Buck
Only the brave should teach.
Only those who love the young should teach.
Teaching is a vocation.
It is as sacred as the priesthood;
as innate a desire,
as inescapable as the genius which compels a great artist.
If he has not the concern for humanity,
The love of living creatures,
The vision of the priest and the artist,
He must not teach.
Each year in California, over 18,000 teachers quit the profession. This poses a serious threat to the quality of education.provided for our children. A survey by The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) revealed, one of the main reasons for teachers not quitting was, in spite of all the difficulties, they had the support of the administration.
Many college graduates enter the teaching profession with hopes of being challenged and making a difference in the lives of children. However, somewhere during their first year, they face reality. They consistently feel defeated and systemically undervalued and under-appreciated. How can principals inspire teachers to want to stay in the profession?
Even new teachers enjoy intrinsic rewards from the job, but all teachers yearn for some extrinsic reassurance they are doing a good job. Principals should make it a priority to recognize teachers’ efforts by offering positive feedback, both publicly and privately. Memos, e-mails and staff meetings are all great forums for recognizing special contributions teachers are making.
Here are a few suggestions to keep your teachers encouraged and motivated:
Principal Observation
Principals should make a point of observing every teacher at least twice a month. These should preferably be unscheduled visits. The principal should make at least one or two positive comments, write them on a post it, and leave it on the teacher’s desk on the way out. If there is a specific problem noticed, the principal can set up a meeting to discuss that at a separate time.
Professional Development
Good principals should encourage their teachers to attend professional development and workshops. Principals should work with other principals to arrange collaboration and professional learning communities among their schools. Principals should be the Instructional Leaders of their schools. They should be willing to roll up their sleeves and show their teachers how it’s done. Encouraging professional development contributes to teachers’ sense of self-actualization and is extremely rewarding.
The Mission Statement
Work with your staff to create a mission statement for your school. Make sure it is meaningful, genuine and something the entire group believes in. Then, as teachers contribute to progress toward the mission, you can specifically praise individual teachers or the entire team as they complete targets and goals toward achieving the mission statement.
Provide Positive Feedback
People are far better motivated by the use of positive feedback. Rather than focusing on weaknesses, focus on strengths and praise them whenever praise is deserved. School leaders who identify the specific reasons for success when they present positive results at staff meetings, and who are able to temper success with the recognition that there will always be challenges ahead, can inspire the faculty to continue working to improve their practice. When mistakes or poor performance happen, harsh criticism may result in an inhibition of motivation and growth. Instead, use constructive criticism, and modeling with the intent of helping the teacher to improve. Let teachers know you are confident in their ability to improve and let them know they are valued. Principals must offer support, tangible help and guidance for their teachers.
The simple act of recognition by a principal is often just enough to keep a teacher motivated to continue and not become a NCES statistic. There are several ideas listed above but please continue to come up with your own. For example, school leaders can also demonstrate care by giving recognition for a job well done in a card or an announcement in the weekly bulletin. It also won’t “break the bank” to provide a nice breakfast each quarter for your teachers, just to show how much you care.
Author Pearl Buck said it well:
Only the Brave Should Teach
Pearl Buck
Only the brave should teach.
Only those who love the young should teach.
Teaching is a vocation.
It is as sacred as the priesthood;
as innate a desire,
as inescapable as the genius which compels a great artist.
If he has not the concern for humanity,
The love of living creatures,
The vision of the priest and the artist,
He must not teach.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Exciting News!
Dear Friends,
I’m very excited to announce the release of my first published book just released Monday, April 26. It’s a non-fiction compilation of true stories of some really cool adventures I’ve had with students at various schools where I taught. The title is: Unleashing The Student’s “I Can!” It is meant as an inspirational book with the message: Never give up on a child. There’s always a way. You just have to find each child’s gift or talent waiting to be “unleashed.” The book can be purchased through the publisher at:
http://www.publishamerica.net/product89724.html
Best wishes always!
Wendy-- Wendy Ghiora, Ed.D
I’m very excited to announce the release of my first published book just released Monday, April 26. It’s a non-fiction compilation of true stories of some really cool adventures I’ve had with students at various schools where I taught. The title is: Unleashing The Student’s “I Can!” It is meant as an inspirational book with the message: Never give up on a child. There’s always a way. You just have to find each child’s gift or talent waiting to be “unleashed.” The book can be purchased through the publisher at:
http://www.publishamerica.net/product89724.html
Best wishes always!
Wendy-- Wendy Ghiora, Ed.D
IS MUSIC THAT IMPORTANT?
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #49 – May 8, 2010
Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if music simply did not exist? From the time we are born many of us are lucky enough to be lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of our mom singing. As we grow up, we learn so many delightful childhood rhymes and games set to animated music. What would it be like to watch a movie with no music to set the mood or introduce a melody one will remember always? What glorious sound would accompany those precision parade participants, students striding proudly into their graduation ceremony or a bride as she gracefully walks down the aisle? What could possibly replace Handel’s Messiah, Mancini’s The Pink Panther or Queen’s We Will Rock You? There are so many events and occasions, or even just for one’s own pleasure, where a musical tune is simply irreplaceable.
In a good music class, students learn about the historical events that were taking place when the music they play was written. They learn what the music was typically used for (was it sung? was it an opera? dancing music? for royal families or poorer ones?). So much of our culture is absorbed in music and has been for centuries.
Studying music also helps students with math and science. Students learn to count, keep a steady rhythm, and how to multiply and divide (to figure out how long each note is). Students also use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't. As they learn, they use prior knowledge to figure out what else might sound good together, which can lead to composing. Students also need science to understand something called the "overtone series," which Pythagoras came up with back around Medieval times. This theory is how music is produced by vibration and why.
Good music teachers also make sure their students learn a lot about languages. Many choral songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones. Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about. Some songs are famous literary poems or short works set to music; so students are exposed to that. Also, the markings in music (how fast, how loud, what style) are typically written in Italian. Students learn to understand a little bit of Italian in order to interpret the markings in their music.
Students learn an incredible amount of coordination through music -- it isn't unlike being an athlete. Students must use fine and gross motor skills in order to play an instrument. Singers and wind players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play.
Music education also brings higher thinking to our children. It allows them to think about complex patterns (where does my part fit into the whole? How can I make my part sound better? What are some tiny adjustments I can make to adjust tone or intonation? How does this music and these different parts fit together?). Students have to be absolutely aware of what every other musician does at all times. In that way, it fosters cooperation, as well. Music students learn teamwork and cooperation. No musician is independent of the whole, and yet each musician is a part of that whole, with a unique part and sound that leads to the brilliant sound of the entire ensemble.
As one can see, music is very important in our lives. It is frequently underestimated and thought of as "easy" or "play time;" not true.. Students frequently appear to be having fun while they are making music because music IS fun (though not easy). Music can portray any mood, and it takes a special, interested person in order to make it good. Music can lift one's spirits or calm one after a stressful day. These are just a few reasons why music is very important.
For those of you craving some research-based evidence, here are some facts and figures:
1. Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
2. Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in math than students in deficient music programs.
3. Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 19% higher in English than students in schools without a music program.
4. Students in top quality instrumental programs scored 17% higher in Math than children in schools without a music program.
5. Students at schools with excellent music programs had higher English and Math test scores across the country than students in schools with low-quality music programs.
6. Students in all regions with lower-quality instrumental programs scored higher in English and Math than students who had no music at all.
MENC (Music Educators National Conference) Journal of Research in Music Education, Winter 2006, vol. 54, No. 4, pgs. 293- 307; “Examination of Relationship between Participation in School Music Programs of Differing Quality and Standardized Test Results” Christopher M. Johnson and Jenny E. Memmott, University of Kansas
So, what do you think? Should we continue to allow school districts to simply cut all music programs? Or is music that important?
Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if music simply did not exist? From the time we are born many of us are lucky enough to be lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of our mom singing. As we grow up, we learn so many delightful childhood rhymes and games set to animated music. What would it be like to watch a movie with no music to set the mood or introduce a melody one will remember always? What glorious sound would accompany those precision parade participants, students striding proudly into their graduation ceremony or a bride as she gracefully walks down the aisle? What could possibly replace Handel’s Messiah, Mancini’s The Pink Panther or Queen’s We Will Rock You? There are so many events and occasions, or even just for one’s own pleasure, where a musical tune is simply irreplaceable.
In a good music class, students learn about the historical events that were taking place when the music they play was written. They learn what the music was typically used for (was it sung? was it an opera? dancing music? for royal families or poorer ones?). So much of our culture is absorbed in music and has been for centuries.
Studying music also helps students with math and science. Students learn to count, keep a steady rhythm, and how to multiply and divide (to figure out how long each note is). Students also use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't. As they learn, they use prior knowledge to figure out what else might sound good together, which can lead to composing. Students also need science to understand something called the "overtone series," which Pythagoras came up with back around Medieval times. This theory is how music is produced by vibration and why.
Good music teachers also make sure their students learn a lot about languages. Many choral songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones. Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about. Some songs are famous literary poems or short works set to music; so students are exposed to that. Also, the markings in music (how fast, how loud, what style) are typically written in Italian. Students learn to understand a little bit of Italian in order to interpret the markings in their music.
Students learn an incredible amount of coordination through music -- it isn't unlike being an athlete. Students must use fine and gross motor skills in order to play an instrument. Singers and wind players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play.
Music education also brings higher thinking to our children. It allows them to think about complex patterns (where does my part fit into the whole? How can I make my part sound better? What are some tiny adjustments I can make to adjust tone or intonation? How does this music and these different parts fit together?). Students have to be absolutely aware of what every other musician does at all times. In that way, it fosters cooperation, as well. Music students learn teamwork and cooperation. No musician is independent of the whole, and yet each musician is a part of that whole, with a unique part and sound that leads to the brilliant sound of the entire ensemble.
As one can see, music is very important in our lives. It is frequently underestimated and thought of as "easy" or "play time;" not true.. Students frequently appear to be having fun while they are making music because music IS fun (though not easy). Music can portray any mood, and it takes a special, interested person in order to make it good. Music can lift one's spirits or calm one after a stressful day. These are just a few reasons why music is very important.
For those of you craving some research-based evidence, here are some facts and figures:
1. Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
2. Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in math than students in deficient music programs.
3. Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 19% higher in English than students in schools without a music program.
4. Students in top quality instrumental programs scored 17% higher in Math than children in schools without a music program.
5. Students at schools with excellent music programs had higher English and Math test scores across the country than students in schools with low-quality music programs.
6. Students in all regions with lower-quality instrumental programs scored higher in English and Math than students who had no music at all.
MENC (Music Educators National Conference) Journal of Research in Music Education, Winter 2006, vol. 54, No. 4, pgs. 293- 307; “Examination of Relationship between Participation in School Music Programs of Differing Quality and Standardized Test Results” Christopher M. Johnson and Jenny E. Memmott, University of Kansas
So, what do you think? Should we continue to allow school districts to simply cut all music programs? Or is music that important?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
WHO SAID HISTORY AND ENGLISH ARE BORING?
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #48 – May 1, 2010
Have you ever wondered where many of the “sayings” in English come from? There are some that just don’t seem to make any sense. Try asking your students if they know where a saying like: “It’s raining cats and dogs,” came from. If they don’t know, I’m sure they will invent some very creative answers. As they say, “truth is stranger than fiction.”
Present the following information to your students, and then challenge them to get the real scoop on other famous sayings and nuances. It could even be fun to see which group finds the most unusual, gross or entertaining tidbits. The kids will really plow into this one.
Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children - last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof.When it rained it became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (the straw left over after threshing grain) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more and more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. To prevent this, a piece of wood was placed in the entrance way - hence a "thresh hold."They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite awhile, -- hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach on to the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers (a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl). Often trenchers were made from stale bread that was so old and hard that they could use them for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, one would get "trench mouth." Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, "the upper crust. "Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up hence, the custom of holding a "wake." England is old and small and they started out running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell. Thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered "a dead ringer." And that's the truth.
Who said History and English are Boring?
Have you ever wondered where many of the “sayings” in English come from? There are some that just don’t seem to make any sense. Try asking your students if they know where a saying like: “It’s raining cats and dogs,” came from. If they don’t know, I’m sure they will invent some very creative answers. As they say, “truth is stranger than fiction.”
Present the following information to your students, and then challenge them to get the real scoop on other famous sayings and nuances. It could even be fun to see which group finds the most unusual, gross or entertaining tidbits. The kids will really plow into this one.
Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children - last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof.When it rained it became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (the straw left over after threshing grain) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more and more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. To prevent this, a piece of wood was placed in the entrance way - hence a "thresh hold."They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite awhile, -- hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach on to the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers (a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl). Often trenchers were made from stale bread that was so old and hard that they could use them for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, one would get "trench mouth." Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, "the upper crust. "Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up hence, the custom of holding a "wake." England is old and small and they started out running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell. Thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered "a dead ringer." And that's the truth.
Who said History and English are Boring?
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