Why is it important to address bullying?

Whenever I get asked this question I usually answer from different perspectives. I am a former teacher, an author, and a god mother. From the perspective of being a former teacher, I don’t understand how bullying can be allowed to occur in schools. This is something that I addressed year round in my classroom. I had a strict ‘no violence’ policy and I enforced that policy everyday. It may sound harsh. However, I truly believe that every child has the right the come to school and learn in safe environment. As an author, I address the issue because I travel all over the country and bullying is a problem in almost every school. I wrote my book about bullying in order to give students a way to address these issues with their parents, teachers, and peers. As a god mother, I have addressed the issue of bullying with my god daughter. I want to make sure that she understands ways to deal with bullies and ensure that she can go to school and feel safe. I look forward to touring this book and holding discussions with schools about this important issue.

Tiffany A. Flowers

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How long should my child read?

This is a question that I get often from parents. I always tell parents the same things. You should not think of reading in terms of length. Otherwise kids will read for whatever time you ask and then put the book down. You should get your child to think of reading in terms of reading books, magazines, etc. that they enjoy. The one thing that we all can agree on is that children that are avid readers tend to read for enjoyment. They read without being told to pick up a book, read for fun, read as a hobby, read for hours on end, and read book after book after book. Let me know if you want resources to aid your child in their reading journey.

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RE: How can I get my two year old interested in learning?

I received this question via facebook from a curious parent. My answer is that:

Babies are naturally curious about the world. So, you do not have to get your baby to learn in tradional ways. You can do some non-traditional activities with your baby to pique or enhance their ability to explore. There are a number of ways to help children learn concepts early. So, I will list a few:

1) Have you ever seen the way small children react to bright colors in paint? You should purchase some non-toxic, washable paint, and hold your baby while they finger paint. When you're child is done allow the picture to dry and put it in a frame as your babies first artwork. Hang the picture in a visable place. This is some of their first exposure to colors.

2) You can follow up this lesson by taking a nature walk, and teaching them colors by saying grass is green or a tree is brown. This will help the kids to relate to concepts in a nontraditional way.

3) You should purchase and read board books to your baby. Board books are designed for the wear and tear that young children place on books. This will allow the children to flip through the pages, and explore books when you are not around.

4) You can build your child's vocabulary by taking them in the grocery store with you when you go shopping. You can point to labels when loading food in the grocery cart. This will help your children learn to read labels of their favorite foods.

5) You should get your child writing materials to use at home. This will help them to begin to learn to handle a pen, pencil, marker, and crayon. These are essential skills for school. (Please monitor your child when using these materials.) We wouldn't want young children to mistake the wall for a canvas.

Looking forward to more questions and feedback!

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Book Give-away winners

Hello everyone,

I know that you are anxious to know who the winners of the book give-away are for my newest book release "For those who stare at the moon". I used a random generator to select the names. I really wanted to be fair. So, the winners are (drum roll please):

Jodina Clayton
Carole
Linda Chavis

Please e-mail me your mailing address at tflowers@goldenbutterflypublishing.com. I will place your book in the mail asap. Thank you and please tell your friends. I am planning to do another book give-away for my third book release that is featured above next month.

Thanks again!

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Tiffany A. Flowers Blog Tour Stop October 21, 2010

Getting to Know the Author Tiffany A. Flowers

If you could co-author a book with an author, who would it be and why?

I would write a young adult book with Sharon Flake. Her work really speaks to my experience as a teenager.

What is the hardest part of writing?

The hardest part of writing is the editing, proofreading, and making corrections.

Do you ever suffer from writers block?

It hasn't happened to me yet.

Tell us about your next book release. When is your next book release scheduled?

My next book release is entitled "Patterns are everywhere: An upside down pattern book", and it is scheduled to be released in November 2010.

If you would like to learn more about Tiffany, you can log on to http://www.goldenbutterflypublishing.com/.

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RE: Book give-away

Hello everyone,

I am having a book give-away contest between October 11th-October 22nd.

For all those who join this blog during the designated dates, I will randomly give away three copies of my second book release "For those who stare at the moon". So, please register and join today.

Tiffany A. Flowers

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