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THE TEA TIMES NEWSLETTER: Father's Day 2004
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The Tea Party Company
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Jun 13, 2004 09:23 PDT
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IN THIS ISSUE:
REFLECTING ON MORAL MEN AND FATHERHOOD
UPCOMING EVENTS IN METRO DETROIT
WHAT’S NEW AT MANNERSFORKIDS.COM!
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"You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out
all of one color or just grabs a handful."
---Ronald Reagan (explaining why he liked to have a jar of jelly beans
on hand for important meetings)
“The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls
of our own homes.”
–Harold B. Lee
“When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame.
And a female angel nearby said, “What kind of father is that? If you’re
going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers
up so high? He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a
child into bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of
stooping.”
And God smiled and said, “Yes, but if I make him smaller, who would
children have to look up to?”
—Erma Bombeck
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RFLECTING ON MORAL MEN AND FATHERHOOD
Like most Americans, I’ve spent the past week watching the country mourn
the loss of former President Ronald Reagan. Many of the friends that
watched it along with me, particularly fellow teachers, are staunch
Democrats who had little good to say about the ‘Reagan years’. But as
the nation watched people who knew him come forward and share their own
personal stories about his life, it became clear to even the harshest
critic that he was many things to many different people, but to everyone
he was a moral man.
I have come to the belief that the truest gift that a father can pass
down to his children is a strong sense of morality and doing what is
right. In fact, when I think of people whose work I admire, most all of
them share a common thread of morality, usually handed down to them by
their fathers.
One of these people is a Cindy Cupp. I met Dr. Cupp as a new teacher in
Newton County Georgia and some of the things that I learned from her are
still the foundation of what I believe good teaching to be all these
years later. My respect for her tremendous gift for teaching children
to read cannot be overstated and I have recommend her work to many
teachers, families, and schools (http://www.cindycupp.com/). As a big
fan of her newsletters, I was particularly touched by one which
memorialized her father and spoke of his incredible life story. Dr.
Cupp has clearly built both her personal life and her profession as an
educator on the strong moral foundation laid by her Dad. You can read
his life story at http://www.cindycupp.com/waltercupp.htm.
Another individual whose work I greatly admire is Michael Josephson. He
is the founder and president of the Josephson Institute, which he named
in honor of his parents. Through the Institute, Mr. Josephson founded
‘Character Counts!’, the nation’s leading character education system. It
now reaches five million youngsters through the ‘Character Counts!’
Coalition, a widespread partnership of schools and youth-serving
organizations. His most recent work focuses on the promotion of
academic integrity. There is a tremendous document available for free
download at his website which offers real-world solutions for ending the
problem of cheating in school
(http://www.charactercounts.org/pdf/Promoting_Integrity.pdf) .
As Father’s Day approaches, you may be interested in a unique way to
honor your own father or another significant moral man in your life.
Please consider learning more about the Josephson Institute and donating
to this worthy organization. Tax-deductible gifts of $25 of more will
receive a signed color print of Mr. Josephson’s poem “What Will Matter”.
Learn more at http://www.charactercounts.org/
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UPCOMING EVENTS IN METRO DETROIT
Grosse Pointe Historical Society’s Summer at the Ribbon Farm: Day Camps
for Children ages 7-13. While the camp offers a different lesson each
session, our etiquette program will be the theme of an afternoon tea
party on Wednesday, July 21, 2004. The camps run throughout most of July
at the Provencal-Weir House in Grosse Pointe Farms. Call 586-246-3123
for more information.
July 13-15 9:00am - 12:00 noon: A Little Grace and Charm Summertime Fun
Camp, Birmingham, Michigan. Visit www.communityed.net for more
information.
In July: Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit Teddy Bear Teas and Etiquette
Dinners. Call Adrian Burns at 313-972-4475 or visit www.gsomd.org for
more details.
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NEW AT WWW.MANNERSFORKIDS.COM!
AUGUST 1ST: Release of Homeschooling Curriculum Materials...PRE-ORDER
NOW FOR SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS!
Downloadable Resources: Share our brochure with your school or
community center!
TEA SOCIETY WEBPAGE: COMING SOON....A Members-Only area for both the
Adult tea society and the Parent/Child Organization!
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