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0:01
hello everyone Karen Glasser here and
0:04
welcome to the super boomer lifestyle
0:06
show brought to you by the super boomer
0:08
lifestyle comm it's your one-stop-shop
0:10
for brands that we know you will love
0:13
today we welcome award-winning
0:16
children's author
0:18
Elvis Oaks to the show today's topic is
0:20
it takes a village if you are here on
0:24
replay terrific right replay right below
0:27
hashtag replay and we will make sure to
0:29
come in if you're here live that's
0:31
terrific to make sure you put your name
0:33
down there and that you're here live
0:34
because we'll put your comments right up
0:36
on the screen and of course we would
0:39
love for you to share share share share
0:40
share because because we would love for
0:43
you to share so go ahead and push that
0:45
share button and get the message out
0:47
there today we have a great show as we
0:51
always do my special guest is Alva sacks
0:56
she's a former elementary school teacher
0:58
of 16 years she holds a master's of
1:00
Education degree she's wit written five
1:03
award-winning children's picture books
1:05
along with her illustrator patricia
1:07
krebs as a board member of angels of the
1:10
arts Alva helps title one schools to
1:12
participate in live theater performances
1:15
music and art appreciation and lastly
1:17
but most importantly she has been
1:19
associated with Reading Is Fundamental
1:21
of Southern California for over ten
1:24
years
1:24
and she's been the president for the
1:26
past five years to help build home
1:28
libraries which I love we'll talk about
1:30
that for title one schools underserved
1:32
areas and preschools in Los Angeles and
1:35
Orange County and so without further ado
1:38
we welcome out the sexes to the show
1:40
come on in and join us how are you doing
1:44
there
1:45
it's great I'm happy to be here with
1:47
everybody a big hello to everybody out
1:49
there
1:50
well I am absolutely delighted that
1:52
you're here today
1:54
we are going to be talking about it
1:56
takes a village and it's such a great
1:58
topic when we first started talking
1:59
about this it was kind of just like okay
2:01
that's what we're going to talk about
2:02
because because it is so important in
2:05
the fact that it's about children and
2:07
it's about making sure that there is a
2:09
future for our children
2:12
before we jump into that I always like
2:14
to ask the question how do you describe
2:16
a super bloomer now I'm gonna describe
2:18
it how I like to describe it and then
2:20
I'm gonna turn it over to you out okay
2:21
so I say that a super boomer is not
2:25
defined by age it's how they show up in
2:28
life and it's sort of like a fearless
2:32
thing a fearless attitude with a just
2:35
watch me
2:37
that's me I'm a super boomer how about
2:40
you well that certainly does describe
2:42
you I actually have a different vantage
2:47
point only because I have been
2:50
transplanted many times in my life and I
2:54
also done many different things in my
2:56
life and so I consider myself a bloomer
3:00
instead of just a boomer I could be a
3:02
bloomin boomer actually and I think it's
3:08
important to realize just as a garden
3:11
grows and new blooms come out all the
3:14
time with the seasonal changes and I
3:17
think that's just like your timeline in
3:19
your life you really never know what's
3:21
going to happen where you're gonna be or
3:25
white what types of things that you'll
3:27
be experiencing as you go through life
3:29
and I think that's the most critical
3:33
thing just learning how to bloom over
3:36
and over again I love it when when you
3:39
first sent me all your information and
3:40
you said a super boomer is a super
3:42
bloomer I love that and I love the
3:44
analogy of growth and growing losing
3:48
jacob says she loves this topic I do too
3:52
Susan thank you for joining us we are
3:54
delighted that you're here Alva is
3:56
pretty special she's done a lot of great
3:58
things so we're just gonna jump in right
4:02
we're just going to right jump right
4:03
into the topic and talk about it takes a
4:06
village you know what does that mean
4:08
when we say that it takes a village I
4:11
know what I mean what do you mean when
4:12
you say it takes a village I think the
4:14
most important thing is to realize
4:16
you're not in anything in life alone
4:18
there's no if you think about Venn
4:20
diagrams which I did a lot when I was
4:22
going to my masters and teaching in
4:24
school that
4:25
you have until the center and you have
4:28
all these other things that interact
4:30
with you and they they interconnect so
4:35
that maybe one time you're
4:37
interconnecting with your children or
4:39
your in-laws or your parents or the
4:42
people you work with or your friends for
4:45
instance that there's there's a coming
4:47
dueling and and nobody can do something
4:51
all alone I know we try and you know I
4:53
know we trying we think we can and and
4:57
we have to let people know that it's
4:58
okay to have a village around you right
5:02
a support system if you will never
5:05
knowing you know when you might need
5:07
that support system I certainly have had
5:09
to need it many times in my life and
5:12
yeah and in this day and age where that
5:16
the family unit has has changed in so
5:19
many different ways you know our
5:21
children have come back to live with us
5:22
our parents have we live with our kids
5:25
all of these things are our schools our
5:27
community it does take a village Susan
5:29
Jacobs says it's her absolute favorite
5:31
African proverb I did not know that that
5:34
was an African proverb oh yeah I learn
5:37
something every day thank you I did not
5:38
know that well I really like that so
5:43
first of all let's just congratulate us
5:44
you are an award-winning children's
5:47
author you have five award-winning
5:50
children's books wow wow wow wow wow wow
5:53
I'm gonna actually bring one right up
5:56
into the show right now this is one of
6:00
your books it's called I'm five oh my
6:03
gosh I just love it I love the
6:05
illustration Patricia is amazing she
6:06
does a beautiful job
6:08
the story is amazing tell us a little
6:10
bit about what this story is well thank
6:13
you for mentioning Patricia I would have
6:14
no book without her and she's in Buenos
6:18
Aires right now and so we're kind of
6:20
like a symphony together when we work
6:22
you can't like separate anything from
6:23
the other thing yeah this book literally
6:27
I was in a writing conference with the
6:30
SC BWI program out here I was taking
6:33
notes and all of a sudden I wrote down
6:35
the words I'm five okay it came out of
6:38
nowhere
6:39
and I still have the notebook with me
6:40
and I started writing Wow and I said it
6:45
and because I am an award-winning author
6:47
I can I use my kids in my first three
6:51
books ah Julie's the star and I'm five
6:54
and a lot of it at night parallel her
6:58
life because she was a preemie and she
7:00
was born early and she couldn't her
7:02
birthday was the end of August and she
7:04
had a way to start school and all that
7:06
and so this is a fun story about Julie
7:09
who has her five birthday party all her
7:12
friends are there her mom and dad and
7:14
they're singing and she looks up at her
7:16
mom and she says I'm ready to go to
7:18
school tomorrow and her mom is like okay
7:21
how do I tell Julie that she can't go to
7:23
school she also schools not ready for
7:25
you
7:25
how could school not be ready for me you
7:28
know so so what is this is this for five
7:33
year olds or is this for I mean you'll
7:35
need to do three three three to five or
7:38
and I've even done it in second grade I
7:39
look at the kids when I'm there and I go
7:41
do you remember when you start a
7:42
kindergarten
7:44
remember your teacher your friends and
7:47
how excited you were so so guys I'll
7:50
make sure to put a link in the comments
7:52
so that you can go check this out and
7:54
the other four books that are
7:56
award-winning you just told me before
7:58
the show you're working on a new book
7:59
very exciting I'm not we're not gonna
8:02
tell anybody what it is other than
8:04
you're working on a new book they need
8:06
to keep an eye out on it because
8:07
hopefully by the end of this year you
8:08
said it's gonna be out right well the
8:10
other things being a teacher if I can
8:12
interject is on my website I've got
8:14
activities for parents or teachers or
8:16
whatnot to extend the reading experience
8:18
with vocabulary and thinking and that
8:21
type of stuff and that's a good thing to
8:23
realize that it gives parents who maybe
8:25
not know what to do after they finished
8:27
reading a book with their child word
8:30
searches crossword puzzles coloring
8:31
sheets write your own ending and I love
8:34
that I love that so we put all this
8:36
website up here so you can go check it
8:38
out Alba Sachs come so that you can
8:42
check out all this great great work that
8:45
you're doing okay so we talked about
8:48
group building home libraries first of
8:50
all what's a home library is it exactly
8:52
what it sounds like where you send books
8:53
to the house or what's a home library
8:56
reading it's fundamental of Southern
8:58
California has been around for over 60
9:02
years it started out in Washington DC we
9:06
have mostly title one schools but there
9:08
are more opportunities for schools to
9:10
participate with a program fee and what
9:13
it is is we get books donated brand new
9:16
books we have an amazing warehouse here
9:19
in Southern California that serves Los
9:21
Angeles and Orange County as well as
9:23
preschools and headstart schools and the
9:27
books are donated they're brand new and
9:29
they're all shelved by category and
9:31
school districts have school sites that
9:34
decide whether they want to enter or not
9:35
because you know we lost all of our
9:38
grant funding over the years yeah for
9:40
books and schools and Head Start and all
9:43
that right so we could get brand new
9:46
book donations and then there's school
9:48
site coordinators and they do a book
9:52
distribution day and there's a table for
9:54
first grade second grade third grade you
9:56
know for reading letter levels and stuff
9:58
like that how wonderful and I have it
10:01
turns out to be like a special
10:03
celebration you know the kids get to
10:06
pick their books and so on and so forth
10:07
we've had many sponsors over the years
10:09
as well and there were book plates in
10:12
there the LA Kings was a sponsor we've
10:15
had some other sports organizations and
10:18
sponsors we do a book mark contest these
10:21
bookmarks what the kids do about reading
10:24
they just blow you away you would think
10:25
they were like 20 years old you're
10:27
you're clearly passionate about this I
10:29
mean you know you're an educator for
10:31
many many many years you you have gotten
10:34
involved in in so many organizations
10:36
that helps to promote literacy and
10:40
reading and all sorts of things like
10:43
this we need you we need we need Alba
10:47
facts to do this you might just say that
10:49
the children are the eyes of the future
10:52
let's discuss that because I believe at
10:56
the end of the day everything that we're
10:57
doing is for for the children that are
10:59
going to be coming after us
11:01
and our world is going to be there
11:04
hopefully our world is going to be there
11:07
for our children so when you say the
11:09
children are the eyes to the future
11:12
what are you meaning by that I was at a
11:14
conference when I looked back in
11:16
Overland Park Kansas and we had amazing
11:17
people come to speak to teachers on our
11:19
in-service days and I remember like
11:21
yesterday this one woman was talking to
11:24
us and she said our children are
11:27
messengers to a time in place in our
11:30
future that we will never see Tryon
11:34
gives me goosebumps to say I just got
11:36
goosebumps it's true and you think about
11:38
it you know we hope to live a long time
11:39
we hope to be there but we hope to be
11:43
able to instill in our children those
11:45
types of values that are compassionate
11:48
empathetic accepting caring
11:51
understanding kindness they're all very
11:54
basic yeah some reason they keep getting
11:59
lost and all the other things that are
12:01
happening in our society today right now
12:03
thinking about what type of country we
12:05
are a type of country we were formed on
12:07
and I love teaching all of that because
12:09
I talked to if grade I did the American
12:11
Revolution stuff and all that stuff with
12:12
our children and the other thing is that
12:15
babies are not born prejudiced they're
12:17
not born racist they're just born into
12:20
the world regardless of your religion
12:22
your ethnicity or anything like that and
12:25
to be able to raise a child to look at
12:30
somebody who's just maybe a little
12:32
different from them we're all different
12:33
I think there was a story about somebody
12:36
said that a bunch of cookies on a baking
12:39
sheet and some stayed in longer than
12:41
others so some are a little bit darker
12:43
God knows I burnt cookies before and I
12:45
was like well you know Albert it's
12:48
interesting because I know if we teach
12:50
our children this that the age the eyes
12:54
of the future is to the future as our
12:56
children ultimately they will teach
12:58
their children because they hopefully
13:01
they will have learned this it's learned
13:04
behavior and it seems to me in this day
13:07
that we live in that somehow we missed a
13:10
generation there that we a lot of people
13:13
I see that don't think about how it's
13:16
going to affect the
13:18
generations to come the things that we
13:19
do today and all you have to do is turn
13:22
the TV on and I'm not even talking
13:23
politics right now right and what you're
13:28
willing to learn and what you're willing
13:29
to pass pass around down to your
13:31
children and I think that that maybe
13:34
some parents are interrupted right
13:36
bringing up conversation or bringing up
13:38
a thing and I think that's one of the
13:41
good things I think that social media
13:43
has helped there's been wonderful
13:45
inspiring stories of children who are in
13:48
school together who are different
13:50
ethnicities and come from different
13:51
backgrounds and come from different
13:53
monetary things what they can afford
13:55
where they live where they can't live
13:57
and how they're in a food program or not
13:59
and and I think letting people know that
14:02
wherever a child is at it's okay we
14:05
don't have to make we don't have to
14:07
stamp at every break exactly if if if
14:11
you're a parent and I know you've done
14:13
this with your son if you're a parent
14:15
and you're caring compassionate and
14:17
empathetic and you model that behavior
14:19
but you know your child's gonna do that
14:21
you know are they gonna go off the path
14:23
maybe why can't they have to learn what
14:33
types of feelings that they write and
14:36
why it's okay why it's not okay and how
14:39
to learn how to learn to understand it
14:41
and why the feelings right happen so I
14:45
and I think I think the most important
14:47
thing that parents really need to do is
14:49
to talk to their kids
14:50
yes afraid don't don't think they're too
14:53
young find that level of communication
14:55
there and there's so many books out
14:57
there that can help parenting with that
15:00
or talk to your friends whose kids are
15:02
older and say what did you do when this
15:03
happened yeah that's your village
15:06
village and we come back new it takes a
15:09
village it's okay to say hey what did
15:13
you do or I've noticed this about you
15:15
know my child you know and it's okay
15:17
Eddie's I mean I talked I actually have
15:20
when when my son was growing my sons
15:22
were growing up I would actually talk to
15:23
my parents because I would say what did
15:25
you do when we did this and and because
15:29
I did want to learn from my parents and
15:31
sometimes when were kids we only learn
15:32
from the from the age that we can
15:34
understand right but as we get older it
15:36
has a deeper meaning so I totally get
15:38
that and Susan was saying she just says
15:40
every teacher needs to come and hear you
15:42
speak wouldn't that be amazing
15:45
I agree Susan you're gonna she'll come
15:50
and we were just talking about this
15:52
about doing a joint book club with
15:54
children and parents so that so that
15:56
parents can learn and grow with their
15:58
kids and vice versa I totally totally
16:01
love that so your tagline is serendipity
16:03
what does that mean a happy accident
16:07
you're a happy accident or what you're
16:09
doing is a happiness has happened in my
16:11
life it's almost like in Hebrew for sure
16:13
that it was meant to happen it was a
16:16
happy accident that I met my husband
16:21
mm-hmm I wasn't supposed to all the odds
16:23
were against me and that my illustrator
16:27
I met her at a happy accident and many
16:31
things in my life have happened along
16:33
that course besides loving the movie
16:35
serendipity I love that movie I love
16:39
that man and that's where they have the
16:40
frozen hot chocolate right oh my god and
16:48
I think we all have the opportunity to
16:52
have serendipity come into your life as
16:55
a happy accident or something something
16:58
occurs and you go like oh my gosh I
17:00
never thought that could happen or right
17:02
now that just slapped me silly or
17:05
something like that but you have to you
17:07
have to just allow yourself to be open
17:09
right be accepting and I think that
17:12
everything's got to follow a certain
17:13
line or a certain path nice so I so so
17:17
agree if you guys are just tuning in
17:18
right now we're talking to Elvis acts
17:20
we're talking about the topic it takes a
17:21
village
17:22
she is a a five-time award-winning
17:25
children's book author she has five
17:28
books out we were talking about one of
17:30
her books called im5 which you can check
17:33
out I put a link in the comments already
17:34
you can check that book and go check it
17:36
out online and you'll see all the other
17:38
books that she's done as well one of the
17:40
things that I always like to ask my
17:42
is what's one tip that you can share
17:44
with our audience and you brought
17:48
something back to me about it's not it's
17:50
not about you right who's it about
17:53
Elva it's about giving back I mean
17:57
whether you have money of Education you
17:59
of a house you've closed you new things
18:02
you know those are tangible you know and
18:07
they're great if you could have them and
18:09
you can afford them but it's those
18:10
intangible things in life and I tried to
18:13
raise my children that way I have three
18:15
amazing yes you do
18:18
yes I yes very proud of them they're
18:21
good humans mm-hmm
18:23
in spite of me and my husband but they
18:27
all work in the art of health insurance
18:28
enough said no said that's that is but
18:32
but when I look at them and I in like
18:35
this when I when they were little when
18:36
we go into quote-unquote Toys R Us and
18:39
they they would never say mommy can I
18:41
have this mommy can I have that if we
18:43
were buying a birthday present I say
18:44
this is not your day this is for your
18:46
friend's birthday party and I would
18:49
explain to them that giving giving to
18:52
others you know as well as sadaqa
18:54
through our religion and like that and
18:57
it doesn't matter who you are if you can
18:59
give back if you could give a hug if you
19:01
can give a smile if you could give a
19:04
like a warm embrace or say something in
19:07
back of the grocery line or you walk
19:10
down the street and you make I can't act
19:12
with someone you say can I have a day
19:13
high just right
19:15
just smile just open the door holding
19:18
the door for someone or you know these
19:20
things you know have been around forever
19:22
I think if you model that behavior right
19:25
it comes right back to you
19:28
so it's true I mean whenever I go too
19:31
fast through it let's say when I'm going
19:34
through the Starbucks line I always ask
19:36
the server how his day or her day is
19:38
going how are you doing today
19:41
and then I wish them a good day on my
19:42
way out it doesn't take but one second
19:45
to do that and I just made myself human
19:48
and made myself a real person not just
19:51
the person sitting in the car that's
19:52
going to speed off and they to a person
19:54
all
19:55
oh thank you for asking I made their day
19:58
and how easy is that I encourage you
20:00
guys to go out and do that so um Susan
20:02
is asking have you ever spoken at a
20:04
teachers professional development day
20:06
and if not sad so Susan I'm gonna I'm
20:12
going to task you with this maybe you
20:14
can send us some some contact
20:17
information so that because Susan was a
20:20
teacher and so she's totally resonating
20:22
with with what we're talking about right
20:24
now
20:24
um and you know she's saying as a
20:26
teacher we have unimaginable influence
20:29
on our when you're in a classroom with
20:33
35 to 40 kids I mean I had I had 40 kids
20:36
in a classroom I taught fifth grade and
20:38
I taught fourth grade and taught
20:39
kindergarten through fifth as well right
20:41
my experiences have been so great and
20:44
and those those kids they walk into your
20:48
classroom with baggage that you don't
20:51
know about me right you know and if you
20:53
can do something to know where they're
20:55
coming from and have their day and
20:57
better than it started or if you can be
21:00
compassionate and let them know that's
21:03
really really important and we're all
21:05
learning we're all in school we're all
21:08
in school every day of our lives we are
21:10
we are and we continue and and I think
21:12
as we get older we learn from our
21:14
children oh that's good oh absolutely
21:21
we're talking to all the sacs if you
21:23
want to and I'm sure you do if you want
21:25
to check out her website I encourage you
21:27
to go over to Alvis ads.com Alva's also
21:31
on twitter and you can check her out at
21:34
Alice axe and she's also on Facebook and
21:38
you can check her out at facebook.com
21:40
forward slash alpha dot sex your your
21:44
your your everywhere your everywhere it
21:47
was just like that one line from one of
21:50
the plays a little any name that you
21:52
have to be everywhere I can't say the
21:54
whole line but it's like they did it at
21:56
Calabasas high school and took that's a
21:59
great play if you ever want to get some
22:01
really good good one-liners from that if
22:03
you just it's it's like manure
22:08
turn around you never know what's gonna
22:11
grow because of what's in that you heard
22:13
it first here it's like manure okay well
22:16
there you go any last thoughts any last
22:20
comments you want to share with our
22:21
audience if this has just been very
22:23
instructive and I'm just thrilled that
22:25
you've been here is there anything else
22:26
that you'd like to share with us today
22:28
well I just think that I've known you a
22:31
long time yes and what you're and in
22:33
many capacities yes you've always been
22:35
caring and supporting and loving and
22:37
understanding and that comes from your
22:40
big heart and I think that what you're
22:42
doing and hoping that it reaches and
22:44
resonates with people and I think if
22:47
anybody needs a takeaway from it it's to
22:49
realize that you know be yourself don't
22:52
think I don't be embarrassed and you can
22:55
learn from somebody else and sometimes
22:57
it just feels so good to look at a
22:59
stranger or look at somebody or
23:01
compliment somebody you know what you
23:02
did a really good job on that even if
23:04
it's an adult adults need this more than
23:06
children today the insecurities that are
23:09
around adults today is very heavy very
23:12
heavy especially the millennial
23:14
generation I think they have to find
23:16
some way to know that it's okay to not
23:20
succeed pick yourself up and try again
23:22
that's one one foot in front of another
23:24
your hair I agree I totally agree
23:28
baby steps baby steps and younger never
23:31
too old to follow that I agree I agree
23:34
Alba I'm so happy that you took the time
23:36
today to come and join the show we've
23:39
been talking about doing this for a
23:40
while and I'm just delighted that you
23:43
were able to spend time with us today
23:44
thank you from the bottom of my heart I
23:48
hurt you back I'm gonna drop you into
23:50
the green room cuz we're getting ready
23:51
for the super boomer moment Wow
23:54
see ya so I'm gonna go ahead and talk
24:02
about the super boomer moment we do this
24:03
at the end of the show something that
24:05
struck a chord with me and actually I
24:06
thought I was going to talk about super
24:09
boomers being super bloomers because I
24:10
just love that visual but actually what
24:13
I do want it what my my super boomer
24:16
moment in this show is is that it's not
24:19
about you or me
24:21
it's about what we can do for others put
24:23
a smile on your face say hello to
24:25
somebody out there and in the checkout
24:27
line at the market when you go into a
24:29
restaurant be nice to the the hostess
24:32
the waitress it doesn't take much to do
24:34
that and you get it back in spades I
24:37
know that personally because I've done
24:39
that and I know that when you try doing
24:41
that it's gonna become second nature
24:43
so that was my super boomer moment of
24:46
this show I'm just I'm always happy that
24:50
you come and join us every single week
24:52
this is a labor of love for me I love
24:55
doing these shows I love the amazing
24:57
guests that come on from all around the
24:59
world next week we have a
25:01
cinematographer who's joining us in be
25:02
Saini she's unbelievable where do you
25:04
hear this show she's just fascinating
25:07
and it's all about us as super boomers
25:09
and that we are fearless we are going to
25:12
do anything and everything that we want
25:14
to do I want to thank all of you who are
25:16
here because we know that you have a
25:18
choice as to how you spend your time and
25:20
I want to thank you for spending your
25:22
time with Ulla and I today and go out
25:25
and give somebody an awesome day and
25:27
we'll see you next week on the next
25:29
episode of the super boomer lifestyle
25:32
show goodbye everyone