Description and Care of the Monkey Puzzle Tree

Description and Care of the Monkey Puzzle Tree Monkey-Puzzle Tree is a wild, scary evergreen with open splaying and spiraling branches. The tree can grow to 70 feet tall and 30 feet wide and forms a loose, see-through, pyramidal shape with a straight trunk. The tree is so open you can actually look through it. The leaves are dark green, stiff, with sharp needles that cover the limbs like armor. Monkey-Puzzle tree makes an attractive, novelty specimen for large, open yards. It is seen in large numbers in California. Specifics Scientific name: Araucaria araucanaPronunciation: air-ah-KAIR-ee-uh air-ah-KAY-nuhCommon name(s): Monkey-Puzzle Tree or Puzzle TreeUSDA hardiness zones: 7b through 10Origin: Chile (national tree) and the Andes of South America.Uses: garden specimen; indoor tree specimenAvailability: somewhat available, may have to go out of the region to find the tree. Monkey Puzzles Range There are no native monkey puzzle trees in the United States. The natural monkey puzzle tree is now found in two small areas in the Andes and on the coastal mountain range. It is a highly fire-adapted species, occurring in an area where fires have long been caused by volcanic activity and, since the early Holocene, by humans. The tree can grow in North America along the coastal zone from coastal Virginia, down the Atlantic, west through Texas and up the Pacific coast to Washington. Description Dr. Mike Dirr in Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates says: The habit is pyramidal-oval in youth, later with a slender bole and ascending branches near the top....cones are about twice the size of hand-grenades and hurt even worse. Tolerates extremes of soil, except permanently moist. Etymology The origin name Monkey-puzzle derives from its early cultivation in Britain in about 1850. The tree was very popular in Victorian England. Legend has it that an owner of a young tree specimen in Cornwall was showing it to a group of friends, and one made the remark, it would puzzle a monkey to climb that. The popular name became, first monkey-puzzler, then monkey-puzzle. Prior to 1850, it had been called Joseph Banks Pine or Chile Pine in Britain even though it is not a pine. Pruning The Monkey Puzzle needs to be isolated from other trees for the best display of its graceful and natural limb sweep. Maintain a central leader and do not top for best effect. Branches should be protected and only pruned if dead wood appears. Dead branches are hard to work on but will cause the tree to decline if not removed. Monkey Puzzle in Europe Monkey-puzzle was introduced to England by Archibald Menzies in 1795. Menzies was a plant collector and naval surgeon on Captain George Vancouvers circumnavigation of the globe. Menzies was served the seeds of the conifer as a dessert while dining with the governor of Chile and later sowed them in a frame on the ships quarterdeck. Five healthy plants made it back to Great Britain and were the first plants to be planted. Culture Monkey puzzle tree does best where the summers are cool and humid, and they are popular landscape oddities in England.Light: Full sun to partial shade.Moisture: Likes a moist, but well-drained soil and regular watering.Propagation: By seeds or by tip cuttings from vertical shoots. Cuttings from lateral-growing shoots will develop into sprawling shrubs. In-Depth Description Monkey-puzzle prefers well-drained, slightly acidic, volcanic soil but will tolerate almost any soil type provided drainage is good. It prefers temperate climates with abundant rainfall, tolerating temperatures down to about −20 Â °C. It is far and away the hardiest member of its genus and the only one that will grow in mainland Britain, or in the United States away from the extreme south. In Canada, Vancouver and Victoria have many fine specimens; it also grows on the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is tolerant of salt spray but does not like exposure to pollution. It is a popular garden tree, planted for its unusual effect of the thick, reptilian branches with a very symmetrical appearance. The seeds are edible, similar to large pine nuts, and are extensively harvested in Chile. A group of six female trees with one male for pollination could yield several thousand seeds per year. Since the cones drop, harvesting is easy. The tree, however, does not yield seeds until it is around 30-40 years old, which discourages investment in planting orchards.

How to Make Rock Salt

How to Make Rock Salt Rock salt is a natural, unrefined salt consisting of large crystals with mineral impurities. Sometimes the impurities color the salt. For example, natural salt occurs in white, pink, red, and black. The grain size, color, and flavor make rock salt popular for recipes, bath products, and crafts, but it can be expensive! You can make your own rock salt substitute from regular table salt. Rock Salt Materials Salt (NaCl) - You can use iodized salt, uniodized salt, or sea salt.WaterFood coloring (optional) Grow Rock Salt Crystals Heat the water to a rolling boil. Very hot tap water is not hot enough because salt solubility depends on temperature.Stir in salt until no more will dissolve.If desired, add a couple of drops of food coloring. Two drops of red and one of yellow will give you rock salt that resembles pink Himalayan rock salt.Pour the solution into a clean container. For the cleanest crystals, avoid getting undissolved salt into this new container. On the other hand, for the quickest results, leave the undissolved salt to help start crystal growth.Let the salt crystals grow. As the water evaporates, the liquid becomes more concentrated and the crystals will grow more quickly. When you are satisfied with the amount you have (or the crystals stop growing), pour off the remaining liquid and let the salt dry. You can break it into pieces and store it in a sealed bag or jar.

Art Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Art - Assignment Example Marilyn was an icon that won the hearts of many American G.I.s much to the dismay of Joe Di Maggio. Visually, half of the dyptich is expressed in bright colors while the other half is black and white to the point if being blurred. Many critics interpreted the dark diptych as the mortality of Marilyn Monroe. Also, the repetitive images represents the ability of technology to command attention or power. Contrastingly, the Mona Lisa is bereft of any technology. It is purely a work of art that depicts a woman who belonged to high-society. Her posture during the painting reflects a woman with breeding and gentle nature. Her face is given emphasis by the contrast of dark colors in the background. Her gaze silently communicates many messages to the viewer. Another comment by Farago ( 2009 ) interprets the placement of Lisa’s hands ( right resting on the left ) as Leonardo’s portrayal of Mona Lisa as woman of virtue and a loyal wife. Andy Warhol also created serigraph prints of Mona Lisa as a way of reducing her popularity and converting her to a popular icon such as Marilyn Monroe. Nevertheless, Mona Lisa cannot be reduced to a modern icon, her tasteful portrait and enigmatic smile has never failed to attract even the harshest critics. Besides, her true nature as Lisa del Giocondo, a wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant cannot be denied. However, no matter how differ ent the two artworks maybe, the appeal of the feminine is always used in expressing

Techniques to Generate Ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Techniques to Generate Ideas - Essay Example Fundamentally, concept development techniques enable an organization to nurture an idea into a business adventure that an entity can pursue profitably. However, prior to the realization of an idea, it is imperative to appraise it critically (Bluemner). Diverse concept development procedures exist nonetheless, the applicability of the techniques relies on the prevailing circumstances. Consequently, identifying a concept generation methodology for Chocoberry (CB) requires prior knowledge of the entity and its industry. Additionally, prior awareness of the entity’s aspirations is critical. Chocoberry operates in the cuisine industry, which changes rapidly depending on the market trends. Accordingly, research would be an appropriate technique for concept development. Research would enable the management to make a decision based on credible facts that have culminated from studies. Particularly, Chocoberry lacks a diversified product portfolio. Therefore, poor decision-making would terminate in catastrophic results. Research presents a credible procedure to develop concepts (Gorchels 72). Transforming ideas into concept would require research. This would establish the monetary repercussions of the ideas. Additionally, it would ensure the establishment of other facts pertaining to the ideas. The facts would facilitate transformation of the ideas into concepts. The conversion of ideas into concepts follows brainstorming. The management would undertake brainstorming since they bear relevant knowledge on how to expand Chocoberry’s ventures (Bluemner). Research requires expertise hence, individuals vested with the above task ought to bear proficiency in that field. For effective study, Chocoberry would need to outsource the above service. Outsourcing is a viable option since it allows the entity to hire experts that Chocoberry may lack. Additionally, outsourcing would ensure that objectivity in the undertaking of research. Conversely, if Chocoberry’s staff undertakes the research on the concepts it would culminate in skewed findings since the employees would manipulate the study to suit their departments or career objectives. Overall, the research would demand expertise due to technicality and objectivity of the procedure. Though scholars have availed methods to evaluate business opening, it is imperative to concede that the majority of the ideas appraise the financial aspect only. The detail below exemplifies an opposite criterion of evaluating business ideas. Initially, the evaluators should establish the relevance of an idea to Chocoberry’s objectives. Secondly, the evaluator would analyze the financial implication of an idea. Chocoberry aims at boosting its profitability. Subsequently, ideas with negative financial returns are infeasible. Evaluation of the financial implication would adopt methods such as Net present value (NPV). Visibly, managements fail to analyze the operation repercussions of an idea. This aspect would reveal modalities relating to the personnel requirements of implementing the proposed idea. Additionally, it would reveal an idea’s implications on the entity’s efficiency. The three criteria would provide a procedure that analyzes an idea in multifaceted manner. Essentially, this would facilitate grading of the proposals (Allen 32). It is vital to rank ideas since it helps the management to effect well thought out ideas.

Causes of Childcare Policies, Initiatives and Laws

Causes of Childcare Policies, Initiatives and Laws 1. Introduction Childhood, the ten memorable years that fall between infancy and the onset of adolescence probably constitutes the most exciting period of a normal human life. Most men and women have the fondest memories of their childhood years, replete with a million discoveries, of new smells, sights, sounds, touches, and other delightful experiences, of times of safety, comfort, and security. While this is possibly true of most children, in rich and poor societies alike, for many others the world is different; it is unfriendly, hostile, unwelcoming and extremely difficult. The worst affected are those who grow up in poverty and deprivation, or in environments of parental conflict, substance abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence. Very distressingly, childhood problems exist not only in underdeveloped and chronically poor societies, but also in ample measure in richer and advanced countries, like the UK, the USA, and other West European nations. Childhood is a time of phenomenal growth, in all areas of human development, physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. Growth and development of children involves the meeting of many diverse needs, in areas like nutrition, accommodation, regulated activity, health and medical care, cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation, as well as in areas that involve emotional, social and intellectual growth. Thousands of children in the UK grow up in environments and surroundings that are inadequate, in greater or lesser degree, for proper development; inadequacies that are caused by factors like broken homes, divorced parents, single parenting, poverty, deprivation, domestic violence, substance abuse and child abuse. British society has always been concerned about the proper upbringing of its children and its role in the building of national character. The centuries old saying about the battle of Waterloo being won on the playing fields of Eton is a reminder of the preoccupation of the British with proper upbringing of their young. Recent years have seen increasing concern about improving conditions for the development of children, and have led to a number of governmental initiatives that aim to change the scope and ambit of public services committed to helping and improving this area. This essay aims to examine the origin and status of these initiatives, as well as their likely impact, both positive and negative in meeting the developmental needs of children. 2. Commentary Recent times have been ones of intense social change. The period that commenced after the closing of the Second World War has seen widespread social restructuring, caused by a multitude of factors like the splintering of families, the practice of children moving out of parental homes at relatively early ages, increasing divorce rates, sharp boosts in the numbers of working women, the greater incidence of single parenting, and the absence of grandparents in normal family life. These various reasons have quite often led to parents being inadequately informed, or even otherwise, being unable to satisfy the developmental needs of children. While inadequacies like these are common in normal families, they become far more complicated and result in great inequities upon children in environments involving poverty, deprivation, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence and child abuse. Increased immigration and the quiet and gradual formation of a multicultural, multiethnic, and multir eligious society have also led to the development of a number of social segments with different levels of affluence, education and ability. All these factors contribute to the challenges faced by society and government in providing all children with a level playing field and in satisfying their developmental needs. The British social structure has possessed, for many years, public infrastructure responsible for providing financial, physical, medical and scholastic support to children, more so for children from disturbed and difficult backgrounds, living in their natural domestic backgrounds, as well as in places like foster homes and institutions. Various governmental agencies like the department of health, the NHS, and local authorities, work with the help of paid and voluntary social workers to ensure assessment of needs and appropriate action. While the level and efficacy of the support provided to children had always been a source of concern in the past for most citizens, disturbed by occasional media reports of the unsatisfactory state of affairs, matters came to a head with the occurrence of two deaths, 13 year old Aliyah Ismail, in 1989, and 8 year old Victoria Climbie in 2000. Both Aliyah and Victoria, children of immigrants met horrific deaths, despite the full knowledge and involvemen t of social workers in their cases. Aliyah, in and out of several foster homes and institutions, died of a methadone overdose in a decrepit building in Camden Town, whereas Victoria Climbie died after receiving severe physical injuries from her aunt, who was then her carer, and her male companion. At the time of death, her body bore marks of more than 120 separate injuries. The resultant media uproar and several inquiries, commissioned by local bodies and the government, and conducted by eminent and qualified experts, laid the blame for the episodes upon the inadequate working of the social care infrastructure. Aliyah moved more than 60 times, between relatives, homes, and institutions, in the few years she was in care. (Brindle, 1999) The Blackburn report, commissioned by the Harrow local council, focussed on her distressing life, under the country’s programme for children in care, and largely indicted the functioning of the social care system. Victoria Climbie’s death caused even greater anguish and led to a number of investigations by Lord Laming at the specific instance of the government. The investigations and the ensuing report, which laid bare the functioning of the agencies involved in Victoria’s care, revealed that social workers were fully aware of Victoria’s condition and ignored twelve separate occasions to give h er protection and relief, led to widespread anguish, a national resolve to take better care of the country’s young, and finally to a number of initiatives aimed to ensure better care and development of children living in the UK. The key message running through the report is that individual failings, poor standards and ineffective systems are the consequence of a failure in leadership. Senior managers in all agencies, and elected members, are responsible, and thus accountable for this failure. Lord Laming refers to the principle failure to protect Victoria was as a result of widespread organisational malaise. (The Victoria Climbie Enquiry, 2003) While Lord Laming’s report catalysed governmental and public action in the last three years, the issue of addressing children’s needs adequately had first engaged lawmakers nearly twenty years back, when deliberations on the issue led to the enactment of The Children Act, 1989. The legislation, which came into effect in 1993 aimed to radically change the existing approach to meet the needs of children by (a) making children’s welfare a priority, (b) recognising that children grow up best in their families, whenever possible, (c) ensuring the duty of local authorities to provide services for children and families in need, (d) promoting partnership between children, parents, and local authorities, improving the way courts deal with children, and (e) protecting the rights of children. (Children Act 1989) Various child support initiatives owe their origins to the 1989 legislation. A further flurry of activity occurred after the publication of the Kennedy Report in 1989, and the Laming Report in 2003, on the deficiencies that existed in areas of health, education, and social support for all children, especially for those who live in difficult circumstances, either in their domestic environments, or with others. The publication of these reports, discussions in the media and various public forums, and governmental initiatives led to the preparation and publication of the Green Paper â€Å"Every Child Matters† in 2003, which outlined a new approach to the well being of children from birth to 19 and aimed to achieve 5 desired outcomes, namely (a) be healthy, (b) stay safe, (c) enjoy and achieve, (d) make a positive contribution and (e) achieve economic well being. (Every child matters: change for children, 2007) The enactment of The Children Act 2004 and initiatives in various areas aim to transform children’s services by increasing opportunities and reducing risk, as far as possible. The department of health, the department of education, the NHS, and local authorities will work in tandem to achieve this objective. All local authorities now need to work with partners, especially schools, and the NHS, to locate the needs of children and take appropriate action. A number of successive documents detail the approach required by these authorities. Three important initiatives expected to play important roles in the furtherance of child welfare objectives are the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYP), the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and the National Services Framework (NSF) The NSF for children, published in September 2004, the first such effort in he world, determines standards for children’s health and social services for children, young people and pregnant women, as well as the coordination of these services with education. It is a key delivery mechanism of the â€Å"be healthy† outcome of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† programme and aims to bring about a fundamental change in these services by attempting ensure that their design and delivery focus on the ascertained needs of children and their families. The programme, scheduled to run for ten years, expects to achieve targeted standards for ensuring fair, high quality and integrated health and social care from pregnancy, right through to adulthood. (National Service Framework Documents, 2006) The standards are divided into three parts, part one focussing on services for children and young people, part two dealing with particular groups of children, and part three with maternity services. While full implementation could take upto ten years for implementation, the framework plans to increasingly assess the NHS and local authorities on the quality of their services and the progress achieved in meeting the standards. (National Service Framework Documents, 2006) Criticism of the National Service Framework has ranged from the use of exhaustive recording for surveillance purposes, to issues like over insitutionalisation and consequent dilution of medical care, and the impracticality of cooperative working on such large scales. The conceptualisation and implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF is one of the distinguishing elements of the overarching â€Å"Every Child Matters† initiative. Truly ambitious in its scope, the CAF aims to enable all people working with children, young people and their families, to evaluate distinct needs of different children and families. Once the CAF is fully in use, children’s centres or schools will arrange for most assessments, and will thereby help in identifying children with additional needs before they become serious concerns. Situations that could possibly need the use of CAF include poor nutrition or ill health, substance misuse, anxiety or depression, problematic housing, poor attendance or exclusion from school, overt parental conflict, lack of parental support, disruptive or anti social behaviour, and involvement, or the risk of involvement, in offences. The CAF will obviously not be suitable for the majority of children who make normal p rogress through the universally available services. However, it could really help in identifying the needs of many troubled children at stages where corrective action and appropriate support could change future outcomes very positively. (Common Assessment Framework, 2007) The Children and Young People programme aims to reduce underachievement and improve life chances of children through a set of measures that include taking measures for extended schools, extended early years, looked after children and vulnerable young adults, youth, child protection and children with special needs and disabilities. The programme plans to further educational development and improve health, well being and social inclusion through integrated delivery of support and services. The extended schools concept forms the core of the CYP package by providing activities that essentially look after children for greater hours and effectively reduce the load on parents. Extended Schools will provide activities based on their particular circumstances and needs, but taken from a ‘menu’ which will include breakfast clubs, after-school study support and after-school youth, sport and leisure activities; programmes for parents and community use of schools. The focus will be on supporting learning, creativity and healthy lifestyles, including tackling obesity in children. (Children and Young People Funding Package, 2006) The chief criticisms of the CYP programme focus on the excessive local planning and decision-making, as well as political initiatives that revolve around doing things to young people rather than giving them, and when they are too young, their parents â€Å"the freedom, responsibility and tools to do things for themselves.† (Warpole, 2004) The importance of engaging young people more effectively to participate in all activities is thought to be important by many researchers. 3. Conclusion The UK is going through an epochal change in the development of its young. The planned changes, if successfully implemented, could well result in the creation of a much more competent, tolerant and well adjusted society. The enactment of the Children Bill of 2004, and the slew of initiatives, which apart from the discussed issues, also include the formation of Children’s Trusts, and the Sure Start programme, aim to take the benefits of health, housing, education, social and emotional support, to every child in the nation. Delivered through cooperative inter agency working and focussed on the needs of children and their families, the initiatives include precautionary measures to locate children with problematic needs that need to be addressed early enough in life. While the advantages of the initiatives are enormous, and painstakingly designed to help millions of children, the aim of delivering all these services, through state and local agencies, raises concerns that could wel l turn out to be important. State agencies are notorious for evolving into bureaucratic, system driven, and uncaring, irrespective institutions, of country, society or work ethic of the people. The UK has had its own unhappy experiences with state controlled corporations, as well as with the NHS. The idea of the state, albeit with a certain extent of private participation, taking over a major portion of the responsibility of bringing up children could be fraught with dangers that may arise out of improper and inadequate implementation. It needs remembering that the Aliyah Ismail and Victoria Climbie incidents happened not because of the absence of state support, but despite it. Excessive state control also leads to unnecessary documentation, possibilities of surveillance, and the need for a control and audit mechanism, all of which work against the main objectives of programmes under implementation. Now that the programmes are under way, the challenge will come in their implementation, and in ensuring that they meet their objectives. Bibliography Brindle, D, 1999, Drug death girl shuttled among carers, the Guardian, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,201042,00.html Children Act, 1989, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/practitioners/Accommodation/LegislationandResponsibilities/ChildrenAct1989/ Children in Care: now and then, 2000, BBC News, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/642288.stm Child Development Chart book, 2004, The Commonwealth Fund, retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=237483 Children are unbeatable: alliance, 2007, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.childrenareunbeatable.org.uk/pdfs/actionsheetedm606jan07.pdf Children and young people funding package, 2006, Department of education, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.deni.gov.uk/index/21-pupils_parents-pg/children-and-young-people-funding-package.htm Common assessment Framework, 2007, Every child matters, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/caf/ Christensen, P. OBrien, M. (Eds.)., 2002, Children in the City: Home, Neighborhood, and Community. London: Routledge. Every child matters: Change for children, 2007, National literacy trust, retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.literacytrust.org.uk/socialinclusion/youngpeople/greenpaper.html Hallett, C. Prout, A. (Eds.). (2003). Hearing the Voices of Children: Social Policy for a New Century. New York: Routledge. Hocutt, A. M., Mckinney, J. D., Montague, M., 2002, The Impact of Managed Care on Efforts to Prevent Development of Serious Emotional Disburbance in Young Children. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 13(1), 51+. Jacobs, J. E. Klaczynski, P. A. (Eds.)., 2005, The Development of Judgment and Decision Making in Children and Adolescents. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services, 2007, Department for health, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGEsiteId=enssTargetNodeId=566ssDoc Reeves, R., 2003, The Battle for Childhood: We All Love Children; Even Politicians Do. Yet We Are in Danger of Taking from Them Everything That Is Most Precious Freedom, Health and Happiness. New Statesman, 132, 18+. The Victoria Climbie Enquiry, 2003, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk Warpole, K, 2005, play, participation and potential, groundwork, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.groundwork.org.uk/upload/publications/publication11.pdf

Learning & process Essay

Learning is a never ending process. When a person graduates from primary or tertiary education, he or she should never be contented with the knowledge that he or she has acquired. Instead, there should always be a sense of longing, thriving, and enthusiasm for more knowledge. An adult is just equally capable as a person in his prime years to learn and acquire knowledge. One should not consider his age as an obstacle to nurture and nourish his brain with more information that are yet to be acquired. A person should never be contented with whatever little knowledge he has. An adult who enters graduate school has more advantages than disadvantages. An adult would have more experiences in life and in living compared with others, and this would enable the former to connect his experiences with his education. In other words, there would be a more realistic approach to learning. Often, people who enter graduate school with little experience from their jobs would tend to be more idealistic with their views about the theories presented in class. The decision of an adult to enter into graduate school to obtain a master’s degree falls in between the life stages of Transcending and Life Calling. These stages talks about a person’s journey in life wherein he has already mastered his craft and already knows his strengths and weaknesses. As such, he would now use this knowledge to achieve his goal in life. Thereafter, this person may now realize his purpose and this is associated with his life calling. The reason for living of the person becomes clear, and he is now ready to make radical steps for the realization of his goal. The decision to enter into graduate school is not easy. But, a person who has a clear idea of what he wants in life would not think twice about making this decision. The person would view graduate school as a means, a tool to enable him to achieve his goal to make him successful. Resources: Manifest Your Potential. 2004-2005. The Eight Stages of Life. Retrieved from http://www. manifestyourpotential. com/en/lifeskills/lifestages/eight_stages. htm

Thank You, Mr. Falker By Patricia Placco - 830 Words

But Mr. Falker caught her arm and sank to his knees in front of her. â€Å"You poor baby,† he said. â€Å"You think you re dumb, don t you? How awful for you to be so lonely and afraid.† She sobbed. â€Å"But, little one, don t you understand, you don t see letters or numbers the way other people do. And you ve gotten through school all this time, and fooled many, many good teachers!† He smiled at her. â€Å"That took cunning, and smartness, and such, such bravery.† Then he stood up and finished washing the board. â€Å"We re going to change all that, girl. You re going to read-I promise you that† (Abadiano, 2001, p.41). This is an excerpt from the book Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Placco. This book is an autobiography about a girl with dyslexia. Everyone told her she was dumb and could not learn – except Mr. Falker. Only he took the time to teach her to read and she went on to become a children’s author. Dyslexia, a commo n name for reading disorders, is common among students, and unfortunately many have similar experiences to Ms. Placco. How many of these children could feel like they can learn and even learn to read if teachers were more aware of the issue and better equipped to help these children? (QUOTE FROM THANK YOU MR. FALKER) SOME STATISTIS ABOUT READING DISORDERS AND ITNRO TO DYSLEXIA. This raises the questions, what is dyslexia and how can we help students with dyslexia in the classroom? First, what is dyslexia? A common name for reading disorders, dyslexia is