Did you know that I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was 18?

When I have conversations with students about things that are difficult to do or things that a person could still be working on, I always bring up riding a bike.

I often jokingly ask them, "Do you know how many trees Ms. Joaquin has crashed into?"

The answer is 5. I have crashed into 5 trees over the past 30-something years of life.

For many kids, learning to ride a bike is a kind of milestone - depicted in movies and TV shows as the protagonist dramatically taking off the training wheels to ride off into symbolic maturity and independence. I wasn't very interested in that rite of passage because I was content with walking or talking public transportation (and I didn't even get my license either until I was in my early twenties, but that's a different story for another time).

I vividly remember the day I learned to ride a bike. It was July 4, 2011 and I thought I was going to get to sleep-in because it was a holiday, but I was abruptly awakened by my father yanking the covers off my bed.

"Today is the day, Ate ("ah-teh," which is what most Filipino parents call their oldest daughter). You're learning to ride a bike. You can vote, but you can't even pedal. That needs to change."

"Well, I wasn't exactly excited to spend the Fourth of July like this," I complained two hours later after falling a few times off my bike. I felt ridiculous having my father have to hold the seat of my bike and coaching me through the notions of balancing on two wheels.

"You and your brother need to learn this. It's an important life skill," he said as he also helped my 14-year-old brother balance on the bike. Miguel had reluctantly gotten up for the lesson as well, but he was getting the hang of it much faster than I was.

"Fine," I bemoaned, getting on the bike one more time, getting back on that metaphorical horse to give it another try.

I learned how to ride a bike that day after falling many more times and almost rolling into a playground slide. I felt pretty accomplished when I started to bike on my own and got to celebrate with some ice cream while watching the fireworks with my family.

"Happy Independence (Riding a Bike) Day" to me indeed.

Celebrating milestones help us remember that the journey from age to age and stage to stage can be wrought with challenges. Sometimes, you fall off the bike... a lot. However, it's all part of the journey of getting older, being more independent, and marking your milestones.

Black History Month Teaching Resources from the National Education Association

Resources from the Smithsonian Institution

One of the most famous jazz artists of all time, Ella Fitzgerald has won 13 Grammy Awards. She's known for her collaborations with other famous jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Our nook features a beautiful Ella surrounded by flowers that are emblematic of Black History Month.

We are still in need of volunteers and ideas! Let a GGCP member know if you are interested!

Last year we learned about how to sing "happy birthday" in different languages from around the world. This year, the birthday song is placed with visuals from core vocabulary images, which are used by students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Follow along as the birthday song is played!

One of the most famous fairytales from European folklore and Disney princess fandom, Sleeping Beauty's story revolves around birthdays and presents - from the gifts bestowed on her by fairies at her birth to the curse that was prophesied to take place before her 16th birthday. Her story has been retold all over the world, some in humorous ways and others with a lens of a different culture, background, or motive. Find a fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty's story at the library!

How do you celebrate milestones?

The GGCP acknowledges the land upon which Glen Grove School stands on and in being part of this community, we want to share resources to further our students' and families' knowledge of the land and respect communities of past and present.

Special thank you to Dr. Ellison for also donating on behalf of the GGCP as part of the land acknowledgement at the most recent Remembering Loved Ones Event on October 25, 2024.

• Katherine Ellison, Glen Grove Principal
• Aurora Joaquin, Glen Grove Speech-Language Pathologist
• Katelyn Kelleher, Glen Grove Psychologist
• Hedy Helfand, Glen Grove English Language Learning Teacher
• Lisa Funke, Glen Grove Learning Resource Center Director
• Nicole Bright, Glen Grove 4th Grade ClassroomTeacher
• Marie Chang-Pisano, Glen Grove Reading Intervention Associate
• Sylvia Gorski Duarte, District Title III Family Resource Teacher
• Lindsey Lurie, District Multilingual Instructional Coach

Email: GGCommunityProject@gmail.com

Instagram: @ggcommunityproject