Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Did you hear about the man who stutters that tried out for American Idol? I know we are way behind on posting about this, but just in case you missed be sure to check out the video below. I even shared it with some of my students who stutter just to encourage them!

It is a very sweet story about Lazaro Arbos, who has struggled with stuttering most of his life. The judges look very skeptical about this contestant when he first speaks to them. But I love to watch their reaction when he sings!

Did you share this with your students? If so, what did they think?

Be sure to check out the links below to read more about this story!

MSNBC – Why Idol Contestant’s Stutter Goes Away When He Sings

The Stuttering Foundation - He is Already a Winner

2 Myths and a Truth

I created 2 Myths and a Truth from the old game 2 truths and a lie. Have you ever played? I just switched it up! GIVEAWAY at the end!

 It is really simple! In my version a player picks a card and reads 3 facts. Each card has 2 myths and 1 truth about stuttering. The player who picks the card must decide which fact is true! If they choose correctly they get to keep the card. If not, they must put the card in the bottom of the stack. But watch out! An owl might eat your snail and you will have to put all of your cards back in the pile. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

 

 

I created this game specifically for one of my 5^th graders who stutters. Last year was his first experience with speech therapy. We worked very hard on all of the ‘tools’ he could use to produce smooth speech and he really started catching on! However, when the new school year started I realized I had neglected to teach any facts about stuttering.

For whatever reason, it had not occurred to me to remind of known facts such as ‘more males than females stutter’ and ‘there is no known cause for stuttering’. (To learn more about stuttering be sure to visit stutteringhelp.org) I realized that was a major FAIL on my part when I overheard a conversation between him and another speech student. It went something like this:

Student A: "Why do you come to speech?"

Student B: "Because I stutter."

Student A: "Oh. How come you stutter?"

Student B: "Because my grandmother locked me in a room and made me watch a scary movie when I was little."

YIKES! RED FLAG! I might have taught fluency techniques, but I had failed to teach about stuttering in general.

And please let me add that I spoke with Student B one on one later that day and he confessed that his grandmother did not lock him in a room. He just didn’t know what to say when people ask why he stutters. Since then I have done a lot of educating on facts and spent more time on how he feels about his stuttering.

To get this game go to my TPT store.

One lucky winner will get a copy of 2 Myths and a Truth! To enter leave a comment with you e-mail and what has helped you teach your students about stuttering!

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

I have a confession. I am an entertainment news junkie. I know, it’s embarrassing, but true. There is a very good chance that if you were to walk into my house E! News would be on. But you need to know that in order to understand my excitement when I ran across the Stuttering Foundation’s brochure of Famous People Who Stutter. How cool is that? Here are entertainers that so many admire and they wanted the world to know that they stutter, but it has not inhibited them. They have gone on to accomplish great things and that is a message I want all my fluency students to hear loud and clear! I frequently remind my students of famous people who stutter and often times they are pleasantly surprised and I hope encouraged. I recently visited the American Stuttering Foundation’s website and realized their list of the rich and famous who stutter had been updated. So I wanted to share some of the famous faces on the list with all of you!

Image form toplessrobot.com

James Earl Jones — Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television, and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. He is also the voice of CNN. Jones is featured in the SFA's Famous People Who Stutter brochure. He received the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for his "long and quiet devotion to advancing literacy, the arts and humanities on a national and local scale," said SAG President Alan Rosenberg.

Image from People.com

Nicole Kidman — This award-winning actress is known for her performances in Dead Calm, The Hours, To Die For, Batman Forever, and Rabbit Hole. She is married to Keith Urban and pulls of the "fair skin look" better than anyone else (insert jealousy here).

Image from backseatcuddler.com

Emily Blunt — This Golden Globe Award-winning actress is probably best known for her work in My Summer of Love and The Devil Wears Prada. And she is married to Jim from The Office. Awesome!

Image from tponews.in

Bruce Willis — Having starred in more than 60 movies, he became popular in the late 1980s with the Die Hard series. Other popular films include Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, and The Sixth Sense. Formerly married to Demi Moore.

Image from nndb.com

Jimmy Stewart — He is considered one of the finest actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Stewart earned Lifetime Achievement awards from nearly every major film organization. In addition to acting, he had a military career in which he advanced to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He is the guy in It's a Wonderful Life. I seriously believe it is criminal not to watch this movie during the Christmas  Holidays!

Image from lifewithoutbaby.wordpress.com

Marilyn Monroe — This actress and singer is one of the most popular movie stars of the 1950s and early 1960s. She is known for her comedic skills and screen presence. Monroe is pictured in the SFA's Famous People Who Stutter Brochure. Happy birthday Mr. President!

Image from timgunn.net

Tim Gunn — Host of the popular fashion reality TV show Project Runway. I have a feeling that somewhere along the way a speech therapist told him to "make it work Tim."

(All bios are from the American Stuttering Foundation Website and my own entertainment knoweldge.)