The Belling
Adapted from a Story Told by His Grandmother
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About the Book
The Belling is a story that was told to Mr. Durham by his grandmother while she was in the hospital after having a stoke. She was having difficulty remembering what had happened earlier in the day, but things that happened decades before were remembered easily. The main characters in the story, Winnie and Lloyd, are Mr. Durham’s grandparents. This Sunbury, Ohio tradition continued to take place years after the event told about here in the book. Mr. Durham’s mother remembers Bellings taking place even when she was a little girl. This tradition also took place in other small towns across the country. This story has been shared with students in many different schools around he world. The students have given Mr. Durham good feedback and have helped him revise the manuscript.
About the Author
John Durham grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended Otterbein College. After graduation, John started his overseas teaching career in Honduras, where he met his wife. His chosen career has taken him to countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Central Asia, and China. John was a graduate teaching assistant at The University of Alabama while in graduate school. Roll Tide Roll! John worked at The Capitol School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for nine years. This non-traditional school is a multiple intelligence school, that is a showcase school for local universities and school systems. While working there, John took his students on camping trips and bike tours, and used Greenwood Cemetery to help teach about Alabama’s history. His students wrote books too. The first student work was titled, The Jack Winn Story. Another student publication was titled, The Adventures of Rocket the Turtle. John started working for Quality Schools International (QSI) in 2004. This organization has 37 schools in 30 countries. The QSI philosophy is very similar to William Glasser’s mastery learning approach. John encourages teachers and parents to help instill a love of reading and writing in their children. Mr. Durham’s philosophy is that education must be meaningful and memorable.