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Friday, April 29, 2011

Mallet Madness (Classroom Project at DonorsChoose.org)

Mallet Madness (Classroom Project at DonorsChoose.org)

My Students: Do you remember learning to play the recorder? Or getting so excited when it was finally your turn on the xylophone? My students have not yet discovered this joy because we lack in working xylophones and have no music for our recorders. Help me give my kids those experience that we all remember!

My students are such blessings! I teach music at a community school. Since we are in a high poverty area that is largely Hispanic, we strive to be a place of security for our families. A lot of my kids struggle with the language barriers as well as poverty. My kids are excited about music and I want to be able to share that joy with them! They want to learn how to play the recorders, they want to play the xylophones and I want to give that to them.

My Project: With the donation of these resources, my students will be able to start Mallet Madness on instruments that work! They will be able to take that recorder home and play what they learned for their parents. The other resources will be put into centers where the children can learn about the amazing composers from before their time. We will be able to build community and team work through the line dancing resources. All of these resources will help to encourage and bring joy to my kids. Thank you for giving my students the gift of music!

Thank you for donating these resources to my students. There is no greater gift then the gift of music! These resources will help to bridge the gap between music and the classroom. Help music come alive at our school!hide»

My students need music supplies, such as egg shakers, posters, and ribbons to learn rhythm through music.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The books and stories of Roger Dean kiser,... | Gather

The following is not an Adoptee but an orphan as many of us were.  He is a great writer.




The books and stories of Roger Dean kiser,... | Gather: "The books and stories of Roger Dean kiser, child advocate
April 21, 2011 12:51 PM EDT (Updated: April 21, 2011 12:53 PM EDT)
views: 13 | 2 people recommend this | comments: 1
The books and stories of Roger Dean Kiser, child advocate


It is only through the sale of my books that allow me to continue to help abused children and animals. Times are difficult on everyone but I sure could use some help to continue my work. I have just reopened my child advocate office after losing everything five months ago. The office counter top will go in this evening, thanks to my son and his boss (Jordan) who owns a cabinet shop. Now back to work and hopefully with your help we can help 'AMERICAN CHILDREN' who are being abused and forgotten.


Roger  Dean Kiser, author/child advocate office

303 Juliette Circle

Brunswick, GA 31525"


I've been spending some time on Gather.com lately and I shared the following post there.  I should have done it the other way around but that's me all over lol  I've got a few poems and pics over there but so much true to my life--I just don't really feel at home there.  Here's the post.


I'm a reunited adoptee who supports open records.  My records in Upstate were sealed and although there was mutual searching going on, there was no hope for mutual confirmation through any agency.  I was told "you have no right to that information" when I asked for my birth info.  My adoptive parents were supportive and curious of my birth facts as well.  I obtained my non identifying information, signed sealed and notarized by director of vital statistics in Albany.  It was bogus.  Every "fact" was total fiction.
So there I was,  no name to go on (including my own), no support of lawyers or adoption agencies and bad information of my relinquishment circumstances. When I began my search, I noticed there were a lot of Youngest of five siblings with a mother who died in their 30's from various complications of child birth.  Strange huh?  It seemed to be a generic lie.  Why weren't their other Older siblings searching then? hmmm
Many registries and thousands of entries, hours spent and brick walls later, the lady who was also in search and I started talking a little more.  It started of with us finding each other on boards, forums and registries.  We disregarded any thoughts of a match because, I was looking for older siblings and the grave of my mother---and she was looking for her baby.  We saved each other's email addresses only to write ---"maybe this is a match for you" or "look at this one"  We were helping one another.  Little things kept popping up though.  Too many little things.

She was searching for Angela Marie (which happened to be my adopted mother's name) kind of funny.  Finally one day, she emailed me and asked for my number,  she said there were some things bothering her that kept bringing me to the front burner (there had been a reason we had the whole back burner thing afterall) We each had kept back a card.  Something so no one could scam us.  Something that no one could fake.  There were so many "coincidences" already. We kept coming back to each other's entries and sometimes just staring, frightened to even think....What if?

We did the DNA testing.  She's my Mom.  I got medical info and history on my life before adoption.  I wasn't from another planet lol I understood where so many things came from.  She had kept in touch with Dad just for the sake of "the baby".  Their's was a love story- by the way.  Oh and she can write too I might add.  She is a writer and an artist.  She is awesome and so is he.  I got to meet both of them.  I have a baby half sister ( I love her) who told me that when she was a child, she too thought of me as "the baby" even though I was older.

I left out a lot--I spared you the many details ;-)  But this is what started me to helping other's in search.  This is what got me online for the first time in my life --learning from a lower than beginner level. I worked my 8 hours then stayed online both searching and learning the computer itself all night until I had those circled, crazed computer eyes.  I taught me pretty good with the help of google and lurking in tech forums I must say lol

started blogging about this on my blogger blog and also sharing helpful links and tactics.
I used it as a personal space to share my own journey as well -which was pretty comical.
When I was a child I'd always say what was acceptable of me.  I am not interested, I don't need to look etc.  I'd sort of feel out the waters I think.  It wasn't until I was mother myself that I began to sort of ache.  I'd sometimes look for my mother in the mirror.  I'd dream of a mountain and see an image of someone that left me wondering.  It helped me realize that yes, I wanted to know and yes, I cared.  Mostly yes, it is OK to want what others take for granted.  Heritage,history, birth right.  I was prepared for anything-the worst ---I got the best instead.  I could never have dreamed of better people to be my family.

I'm sharing this with quite a few groups (usually I limit my post sharing) but I felt that maybe this story could inspire someone or maybe the links could help birth family members in search of their loved ones separated by adoption. Perhaps a reminder that there is hope despite all the brick walls.




Monday, April 18, 2011

Update --Still around

I've been active lately at care2.com and other sites that understand our rights to open records.  Also with the Gather.com community although I haven't really got the hang of that yet ;-) Get in where you fit in they say---Maybe I should get out of where I stand out?  Something like that.  Some things never change :-)  
Good luck in all your searches.