Really Sad: Freshman Commits Suicide After Bullying

Stuff like this really angers me:

ACTON - Jeremiah Lasater was a gentle giant. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 220 pounds, he was the kind of teen who can bully other kids if he wishes.

Instead, the 14-year-old Vasquez High School freshman was the one who got pushed around. Classmates routinely pulled down his pants. They threw food at him in the cafeteria. They made fun of the boy with the thick glasses who took special-education classes.

The teasing probably started when Jeremiah was in sixth grade, said senior German Hernandez, a teaching assistant in the boy's fifth-period Algebra I class. Kids called him a nerd.

"He didn't deserve that," he said. "He should have talked to somebody."

Jeremiah apparently kept his troubles to himself until Monday, when he decided he couldn't take it anymore. After a student threw chili on him during lunch, he walked to a restroom, pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Fellow teachers and staff (and parents!), please be on the lookout for warning signs. Sometimes kids will keep it to themselves, so it is up to us to step up for them.

"Much Ado About Nothing" in a Night

Is it possible for a teacher to assign the William Shakespeare play, "Much Ado About Nothing" for an evening's homework, and not think it too much.

We think... absolutely!

The Adam Smith Academy is proud to announce the AudioText posting of "Much Ado About Nothing," where students can read the five act story, while listening to a live recording of a version of the play.

Click here to view.

Additionally, at the end of the 5th act, we have created links to the Kenneth Branagh filmed version of the play. Which, surprisingly and delightfully is a fairly accurate portrayal of the original. So, students can read, listen and, finally, watch Shakespeare in an evening without fear of assigning too much.

Because after all, it's entertainment! Just as Shakespeare intended.

Chpts. 11-20 -- "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

Chapters 11-20 of "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte, are now up at the Adam Smith Academy, in our "No Excuses Education" format. Students can now read, listen and watch a Jane Eyre mini-series to enhance and improve comprehension of the story.

To start Jane Eyre, please click here.

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte - 1st 10 Chapters AudioText

In our quest to continuing to give teachers and parents better resources for students, we are adding to our online AudioText novels.

The latest novel that we are in the process of adding is Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." Students can read the eText, listen to the audio narration and click on any word to get its definition. Additionally, students can watch the mini-series movie, "Jane Eyre," to reinforce comprehension of the book. (The first mini-series segment can be found at the end of Chapter 2.)

All students learn in different ways. Our "No Excuses Education" approach covers every facet: reading the words, listening to the audio and visually watching the story.

We would love to get feedback from English teachers out there to see if they find this approach helpful in increasing student comprehension and interest in classic literature.

Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" -- AudioText & Movie

The Adam Smith Academy is extremely proud to have completed Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" AudioText (a combination of the novel's eText and Audio narration all on the same page) with links to the Movie. Additionally, students can click on any word within the text of the novel and get its definition.

So, now students will have no excuses for not reading and understanding the novel. We like to call it, the "No Excuses Education".

No longer can students give teachers or their parents the excuse that they could not read or understand the novel. With the combination of audio, etext, clickable definitions, and even an accompanying movie, students cannot say they didn't have time or couldn't understand what was going on. With the audio for each chapter available, students need only to sit back and listen. Chapters range from around 6 minutes in audio to no more than 20.

So, parents and teachers can assign a couple of chapters, and know it couldn't take them longer than 30-40 minutes to complete them. Not only that, but with the way the AudioText is structured, students can enjoy watching the movie to reinforce comprehension at the end of certain sections.

Click here to begin reading, listening and watching Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey."

"Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen

Flixster - Share Movies

Okay, I'm really, really excited about posting this novel (we're almost done... the first 11 chapters so far). Click here to read and LISTEN to Chapter 1 of "Northanger Abby" by Jane Austen.

Anyway, what is different from other sites is that we incorporate not only the novel's text, but also visitors can click to listen to the audio as they are reading.

And, let's just say, a visitor doesn't understand a particular word within the text. Well, now all you have to do is click the word, and the definition will pop-up. FOR EVERY WORD!

It's taken a great deal of programming to complete this (what we are calling) AudioText experience, but we think it will be well worth it for students reading this classic piece of literature.

In fact, we love the ability for students to be able to define any word they click within our text so much, that we've added it to just about every etext we've posted.

Anyway, please enjoy Austen's "Northanger Abbey" and let us know what you think about our latest AudioText pages, with the enhanced ability to be able to define any word. Love that!

Complete Collection of Aesop Tales

This was a monster undertaking. We put a complete collection of famous Aesop Fables online with text and narration on the same page.

Parents, teachers and students can now read and listen to the Aesop Fables. The list includes:

* "The Ant and the Grasshopper"
* "Avaricious and Envious"

* "The Bald Man and the Fly"
* "The Bat and the Weasels"
* "The Bats, the Birds, and the Beasts"
* "The Bear and the Fox"
* "Belling the Cat"
* "The Belly and the Members"
* "The Boy Hunting Locusts"
* "The Boy Who Cried ‘Wolf'"
* "The Bundle of Sticks"

* "The Cat-Maiden"
* "The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller"
* "The Crow and the Pitcher"

* "The Dog and the Shadow"
* "The Dog and the Wolf"
* "The Dog in the Manger"
* "The Donkey and the Grasshopper"
* "The Donkey in the Lion's Skin"
* "The Donkey, the Fox, and the Lion"

* "The Farmer and the Cranes"
* "The Farmer and the Snake"
* "The Father and His Sons"
* "The Fawn and His Mother"
* "The Fisher and the Little Fish"
* "The Flies and the Honeypot"
* "The Four Oxen and the Lion"
* "The Fox and the Cat"
* "The Fox and the Crow"
* "The Fox and the Grapes"
* "The Fox and the Lion"
* "The Fox and the Mosquitoes"
* "The Fox and the Stork"
* "The Fox, the Rooster, and the Dog"
* "The Fox Without a Tail"
* "The Frog and the Ox"

* "The Goose with the Golden Eggs"

* "The Hare and the Tortoise"
* "The Hart and the Hunter"
* "The Hart in the Ox-Stall"
* "Hercules and the Wagoner"
* "The Herdsman and the Lost Bull"
* "The Horse, Hunter, and Stag"

* "The Jay and the Peacock"

* "The Kingdom of the Lion"

* "The Labourer and the Nightingale"
* "The Lion and the Mouse"
* "The Lion and the Statue"
* "The Lion in Love"
* "The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts"

* "The Man and His Two Wives"
* "The Man and the Lion"
* "The Man and the Satyr"
* "The Man and the Serpent"
* "The Man and the Wood"
* "The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey"
* "The Milkmaid and Her Pail"
* "The Miser and His Gold"
* "The Mole and His Mother"
* "The Mountain in Labor"

* "The Nurse and the Wolf"

* "The Peacock and Juno"
* "The Piglet, the Sheep, and the Goat"
* "The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble"

* "The Rooster and the Pearl"
* "The Raven and the Swan"

* "The Salt Merchant and His Donkey"
* "The Serpent and the File"
* "The Sick Lion"
* "The Swallow and the Crow"
* "The Swallow and the Other Birds"

* "The Tortoise and the Eagle"
* "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse"
* "The Traveler and His Dog"
* "The Tree and the Reed"
* "The Two Crabs"
* "The Two Fellows and the Bear"
* "The Two Pots"

* "The Wolf and the Crane"
* "The Wolf and the Kid"
* "The Wolf and the Lamb"
* "The Wind and the Sun"
* "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
* "The Woodman and the Serpent"