Now that is an awesome dude announcing my visit!

Reading specialist Reva Lobatos and son, Reva responsible for EVERYTHING you see on this blog, see below for a link to the last school I went to that Reva organized.  CLONE HER!

I wanted to say THANK YOU to ALL of the wonderful hosts this VERY busy Spring 2012 School Visit season.  I have been welcomed graciously and the excitement for reading, writing and anti-bullying was increased this year due to you wonderful educators who provide your students with an extra boost!  

My last school visit of the spring was a spectacular display of preparation, anticipation and excitement for students, staff and yours truly. 

I have always loved calling attention to excellence and so this blog is my hat off to one very special educator who simply goes WAY beyond the call of duty!  First of all, in these tight economic times a grant had to be written to provide this author visit.  The grant was turned down, but that didn't stop this 'steamroller of excellence'.  She went back to the grant committee and asked what needed to be done to modify her proposal to get approval.  They told her.  SHE DID IT, THAT DAY.  It was approved!  AWESOME STICK-TO-IT-NESS!

The walls were lined with covers, announcements.  

Fun assemblies and a very well attended family night at Henderson Elementary in Cheyenne, WY was a great way to close out the spring of 2012! 

Example of what it takes to get the kids pumped for an author visit!

So, here is my HUGE shout out to Reva Lobatos!  This is the second school and second school visit Reva has put together with me and this wonderful lady should be put in charge of the NATIONAL HOW TO DO IT RIGHT FOR KIDS committee!  

Representative Ken A. Esquibel, myself, Senator Floyd A. Esquibel, now that is some representation 
of Gov't in a school!

In attendance during the day was the Superintendent of schools, the school's district representative at the Capitol and a State Senator!  The most amazing thing to me is that this is just seems to be "standard procedure" for this excellent educator.  

I watched this cool dad reading with his son and talked to him about his involvement in his son's lives as it relates to reading.  He reads with his boys every night and it shows.  Talking to those young men was a true pleasure and hearing them talk about reading was music to my ears, WAY TO GO MR. LOBATOS!.  
No wonder those boys love a good story AND love to read!

CHECK OUT this link to an earlier blog entry I did to showcase what Reva did to prepare for my last visit.  http://justinmatott-snickers.blogspot.com/2008/12/books-are-door-to-head-and-heart.html  (By the way, not only did she provide her school with something different, fun and educational, she went home between the school day and the evening event and brought her own boys back to experience a night of storytelling, so not only an awesome educator, but an awesome mom.) 

There was no way ANYONE didn't know we had something special coming!

Talk about making a guy feel welcome!  Reva asked what my favorite things are and then filled a basket with them!  That is really going beyond the call, but SO appreciated!


I can't wait to see what she does next time!  Oh, there will be an next time!

http://www.readtomelv.com/current-books/when-i-was-a-girl-i-dreamed/

This is very cool.  Rising pop star; Jordan Pruitt reads When I Was A Girl... I Dreamed!

THERE ARE SOME THINGS WHICH REQUIRE NO ADDITIONAL WORDS.

THERE ARE SOME THINGS WHICH REQUIRE NO ADDITIONAL WORDS.

Sometimes you just have to find the right place to write.  On a sunny beach. In a remote Colorado lake.  

Anywhere that inspires and doesn't get cell service!  Where's YOUR place?

Sometimes we just need a little HELP!

This picture reminds me of what kind of a kid I was.  It seems apt because my post is relating to some of the building blocks of my personality that were brought back to me because of a great book and movie called THE HELP which brought out many feelings and sorrows and joys for me.  My hope is this is a reflection of something important and a reminder to go back to those touch points in our life that made you who you are today!

Having grown up in the sixties/seventies with an uncle who was African American myself, it was a real treat to observe inbred prejudice in my own neighborhood (sarcasm intended). Most kids were just extremely curious (some in the white bread neighborhood I grew up in) had simply never been up close with a person with dark skin and someone so "different". But I got into my first real fist fight when one of the boys called my uncle the N word and related a comment his parents had passed on about us "letting him stay in our house", WHAT IGNORANCE! When I won that fight I felt in some ways as though I had lost. My uncle pulled me aside and told me he was both very proud and very ashamed of me. He was raised in Alabama and saw too much fighting over racial issues, thus moved to Europe to a more tolerant atmosphere. I never raised a fist against racial prejudice afterwards, but I NEVER remained silent when someone was subject to racial bullying and never will.

The next summer however I got into another fist fight when one of the kids made fun of my VERY overweight auntie who was visiting. She was JUST PROUD of me.

Having been raised with "dark features" myself and having been an adopted child with little heritage to draw from, I was called names because of my very easily tanned skin.

I was very, very fortunate to be raised by parents who "loved all" regardless of color, political bent or even sexual orientation. I say even because in those days there was VERY little tolerance for this, but it was my mother who invited those college students into my childhood home and I am richer for having known so many different people.

I LOVE SKEETER and pray that I am just a tad bit like her. The Hilly's of the world are always going to be there, but if we each raise our children to simply "LOVE ALL GOD'S PEOPLE" the world will be better for it AND THAT INCLUDES the accepted prejudice against Muslims that so many are now embracing.

COME ON FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS, let's just get rid of the scapegoats and start to find our own security so we don't have to subject others to the PUSH DOWN that makes some feel bigger... temporarily.