Every Photograph is a Story

Dear Diary,

And how my little Kindergarten folks would love this one! It appears to be a silhouette of a tiny person on the leaf! Seeing this leaf made me recall my teaching days. Every September when I was teaching elementary school, I would do leaf printing with my Kindergarten. They were learning about leaves, all the different kinds and why they turn colors in the fall. I complimented their scientific learning with a little fable. It involved woodland elves, paint pots and a kindly Mother Autumn.

I used lots of story telling in by classes. Children have such wonderful imaginations and love make believe. We make our children grow up so quickly now. I was so lucky to have grown up during a time of no, or very little, television. We played outside until the sun went down every day. Growing up in the country, my playground was the acres of woods around our house and everywhere there was a story to create.

On my weekly trips to the town library, I would bring home book after book on fairy tales. Peter Pan being one of my favorites. I would go to sleep each night saying, "I do believe in fairies, I do believe in fairies." I still believe that loosing your sense of make believe must be an awful thing. I'm very glad I retained that curiosity and imagination as I grew up. I consider it the greatest gift of my childhood.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

- Albert Einstein