It was never my intention to become a keynote speaker in the field of early childhood education when I first started my company Boca Beth LLC in late 2002! (Click here for my titles and training topics!)
But now, look at me and BOCA our mascot character below in action, and I can’t imagine having missed this part of the journey!
Yet - it’s time to wean away from that part of the business plan (as it so sneakily snuck into the plan in the first place!) - and say adiós to my keynote engagements at the end of 2011!
I will be working on our TV show part of Boca Beth, our lines of distribution and new product development … all of which need 250% of my time which I am unable to give when I am on the road as a keynote. Here’s my calendar for 2010 as it is shaping up as a musical keynote and inspirational keynote on the topic of bridging together Spanish and English during the early years (birth - five).
Just as they are doing at the NAEYC Conferencethis week where Arne Duncanwas the keynote yesterday, we are all trying to make this world a better place one child at a time.
I Know the Days of the Week / Yo sé los días de la semana Download this FREE MP3 (link to the left) of our award-winning Boca Beth song that has even enjoyed the honor of being listed on the US Deparment of Education’s linked web site OELA (Office of English Language Acqusition). Want to see our listing? I keep hoping and praying that Arne Duncan will call me to discuss how to implement this fun and easy bilingual program of mine nation wide to meet President Obama’s request to ‘make certain your children know how to speak Spanish.’
YES! That’s right! Latino children learn English with our Boca Beth music & movement fun while Anglo children learn Spanish. This bilingual methodology WORKS better than immersion millions report because it allows the young child the ability to hear and read his native language while also hearing and reading their new language.
In fact The Boston Globe reported last fall that immersion classes were causing anxiety in young children along with sleeplessness and nausea. Read the article from The Boston Globe by clicking here that really supports this bilingual (or addition learning method, parallel learning method) that we use at The Boca Beth Program.
We are celebrating at our Boca Beth Offices with this recently delivered & autographed picture of our President’s wife, Michelle Obama. Her husband’s administration (with Arne Duncan at the helm) calls out loudly for early childhood development focus, and what a great reason to have a PARTY / FIESTA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mrs. Obama thanked me for sharing my passion for second language learning with her family, particularly Malia and Sasha.
All of us, as parents, as teachers, as US citizens must place our hope in the fact that there WILL BE a true turning of the tides in our educational system ~~~~ particularly when it comes to raising our children to be global citizens.
Happy Educating ! ¡ Sea feliz educando !
Beth Butler, President of Boca Beth LLC
P.S. (Below is the scanned image of the letter President Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, sent me! Way cool! ¡Qué bueno!)
Too cool when the postal carrier for our neighborhood walked to the front door this week with an unbendable, oversized envelope from The White House!!!
I have been in contact with Barack Obama, his daughters Malia and Sasha, his wife Michelle, and his new Education lead/go-to guy, Arne Duncan. I have shared with them our Boca Beth Backpack Setfull of fun and easy to use bilingual CDs, DVDs, language learning book, puppet BOCA and maracas.
I have informed them of how we here at the Boca Beth Program make it fun and easy to introduce Spanish right alongside English with music and movement for every monolingual and bilingual parent, teacher, caregiver.
My autographed picture of Michelle Obama - our First Lady of the United States of America
The letter she sent (okay! okay! I know she did not send it personally, but it’s the thought that counts!) is so nicely written and on official, embossed White House stationery….I am planning on having it framed!
Thank you First Lady Michelle Obama. You made my day! You made my week!
