In addition to my (soon to be) published works, I have a host of picture books that are in the “Pre-Published” phase.
These books are not yet represented by a literary agent or publisher.
Author: drpaulsem
Principal Sam
PRINCIPAL SAM AND THE CALENDAR CONFUSION and
PRINCIPAL SAM GETS FIT
PRINCIPAL SAM AND THE THREE BEARS
ARE NOW AVAILABLE
ON AMAZON and at other Book Sellers!
Please see the book trailers here:
Principal Sam and the Calendar Confusion
Principal Sam is the main character in a new series of picture books for children in the early elementary grades.
Principal Sam works at Sunnyside School. An excellent school leader, Principal Sam works hard to make his school one that is a positive and enjoyable place of learning for children. As such, he is loved and respected by all. There’s only one problem, Principal Sam is forgetful and he often confuses simple things. When this happens, the children and the teachers in the school often come to Principal’s Sam’s assistance.
Children will delight in reading about Principal Sam’s exploits and in figuring out his mistakes before he does. The Principal Sam books are happy, positive, and very engaging.
The first Principal Sam book, Principal Sam and the Calendar Confusion, was published on February 14, 2017. This story is earning many positive reviews including the highly coveted Five-Star rating by Readers’ Favorites.
The New York City Marathon 2016
This blog post will be a little different than the others. It might not end up as a coherent passage with one main theme. More, it’s a stream-of-conscious recollection of my experiences at this year’s New York City Marathon.
As I am writing this passage a week after I ran, I’m sure some of the most poignant and special things that I wanted to remember have been lost among the crowds, thrills, and emotions of this wonderful and inspiring annual event.
Impossible is an Illusion
The first published collection of my motivational writings is titled Impossible is an Illusion. This work contains more than 40 of my best essays.
The title for the book comes from the following essay which is featured in the text. Enjoy this preview of Impossible is an Illusion!
***
Impossible is an Illusion
I’m an optimist. I always believe that good will prevail. I look to the bright side. The glass is half full – even when it is half-empty. I believe in miracles. Hope springs eternal.
I believe I can do anything. I believe we all can.
Missing?
Some readers of this blog have wondered where I have gone. It seems I’ve gone missing…but, in actuality, I’m right here.
When one is a writer, he writes. And I have been writing a lot, just not on this blog. It’s a temporary absence because of some great writing news.
Life is Simple…
I’m not a philosopher. (It would be tough to call anyone who often quotes Rocky Balboa as someone who philosophizes…). Still, I do try to share some deep thoughts on these pages. As I have aged, and collected a lifetime’s worth of knowledge, I have been drawn to some great thinkers. For example, I have grown very fond of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I recently purchased a text (“Self-Reliance and Other Essays”) penned by Emerson that I greatly look forward to reading.
Confucius is one of the great minds of history. His philosophies, written 2600 years ago still resonate today. I figured that I’d take some time to examine just a few of the many statements left to us from Confucius to see how they relate to our lives as educators and teachers of children. We’ll begin each section with a quote from Confucius and follow that up with my own thoughts and reflections.
“Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated.”
June 11, 1995
This is one of those stories that, at once, is hard to believe, but is the absolute truth. This is one of those stories that remind us all that failure is part of success. This is true even for people who are considered the greatest of all time, for, you see, they weren’t always considered as such.
This seems like a story about baseball, but it’s not. It’s a story about failure. And success. Great success.
Great success that came only after dismal failure.
The N.Y. Yankees and the NFL
(The following passage comes from a draft of my original manuscript The Least Among Them which provides a unique history of the New York Yankees franchise.)
As football season is now upon us, I determined that it is worth sharing this passage that highlights the connections between the New York Yankees and professional football. These connections go back to the early days of both sports. While some of the players’ names in this passage will be familiar to sports enthusiasts, this essay includes the story of one of the least remembered New York sports legends of all time.
A Bolt…
I will begin this post by stating an obvious point:
Usain Bolt is an amazing sprinter.
As a runner who (more and more) plods through training runs and marathons, I am in awe of Usain Bolt’s speed, grace, and magnificence.
A Special Teacher! – Conclusion
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I shared direct feedback, in the actual words of students, regarding the characteristics that compelled them to nominate individual teachers for a Teacher of the Week program that I experimented with about ten years ago.
It is my contention that we can learn the most about what matters in the classroom by taking the time to listen to students – and by valuing their feedback. Students live in the world of today. Their time is now. What takes place in the classroom on a daily basis impacts them directly. Students know what good teachers look like. We just have to take the time to listen.
Dr. Sem's Blog 