I pick up everything.   Ask anyone.

Seashells.  Painted rocks.  Pens.   A cross bone scarf.  Just whatever I find laying around during my walks.

Well, today I found something a little unique.   It was a composition notebook.   Green diamond cover.  College ruled — because college ruled is the way to go.  On the inside cover, there’s the usual list of web references like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution.

I was a bit disturbed to see a CNN entry.  If I had a child, I might take issue with that.   At the very least, I’d black it out with a sharpie.  Having students referring to something so biased as a legitimate source would bother me.   I think the Gallup entry would bother me too.

This notebook had multiple entries.   There are several entries of faces drawn with marker and a really notable crayon drawing of a girl in a rainbow dress.   –  Cute.  =)  There are letters made in dotted form traced with an unsteady hand.

On some pages, there are phrases like:

I will say kind words. 

Rules: 
Treat others with kindness.  
(No other rules were stated.) 

And something that looks like a to-do list: 

Monday
– Eat
-Momma
– Swim
– Logam (Logan?) 
– Home 
– Wash
– Writing.

Well, I can’t argue with that schedule.  The big-block handwriting indicates that everything was important.

On one page filled with pink and blue hearts, I found a name – Naomi.  I’m going to guess she’s the creative artist and primary owner of the notebook.

But, on another page, I found someone else’s handwriting.  This had to be an adult or young adult’s writing and it’s far more readable than my own.   This page provides instruction on how to handle a child who is upset or frightened by attempting to connect the left and right side of the brain with the upstairs and downstairs of the brain.

I know about the left and right brain, but upstairs and downstairs?  I guess I’m not as updated on this sort of thing as I used to be.

Apparently, the two pages of very neat handwriting are devoted to a ‘whole brain child.’
From my time in the public school system, as a sub and a student, I know that the theory of learning changes every four or five years.  Sometimes the change impacts schools.  Sometimes it doesn’t    The last wave that went through and stuck was the whole community service thing.  If anything, I think that theory has grown… and I’m glad I was done with high school before it became a thing.

Anyway… On one page it says:

Engaging both upstairs and downstairs is (a) vital part of emotional well being.

Right underneath it:

… using analytical or sophisticated reasoning will only cement the disconnect between upstairs and downstairs brains….  

Really?   Really really?
What type of upbringing is Naomi getting?
Holy moly.

I really don’t know where else to go with this line of thought, but dern….

What’s the next generation going to be like?