About Bonnie Fite
I was born and raised in Spokane, WA. Sadly my mom died when I was almost four years old. As I grew, I eagerly attended school. I was hungry to learn to read. In fact, everything about school was a wonderful adventure! I eagerly absorbed everything my first grade teacher taught me. I loved her. Sometimes I would look up at her and proclaim, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher just like you!” She would smile and pat my shoulder.
The next fall when I entered second grade, my new teacher didn’t appreciate all my exuberance. I frequently found myself in the hall sitting on my little chair staring at the wood grain of our closed classroom door. Eventually, she opened the door and allowed me to return to my desk. In spite of all my lost instructional time, I still managed to pass second grade.
My subsequent teachers were all great. I loved them and I loved learning from them. My desire to become a teacher never dimmed. God kept guiding me. Everyday, in spite of difficult family dynamics, God, my heavenly Father gave me shelter in the midst of my storm.
In college two of my English professors said, “ Bonnie, you have what it takes to be an author.” I wondered what I would write a book about. I graduated from college in Oregon with two degrees in Education; Elementary Ed, and High School English.
God provided my first teaching job in San Francisco. From the first day, I loved every student. I wanted them to join the adventure of learning. Some students had tons of energy (many would call them hyperactive.) I saw them through empathetic eyes. I could instantly walk in their shoes. They didn’t need punishment. They needed me to teach them to harness their energy by pouring it into our learning adventure.
Over the years, I eventually moved to Silicon Valley, teaching the children of high tech executives. I developed a system that provided a dynamic learning environment. It was founded on biblical principles which don’t change with our latest trends.
In 1988 when I taught my new discipline system to a group of teachers at church my discipline system, their excitement surprised me. They said, “Bonnie, you need to teach this to parents.” A CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) missionary said, “You need to teach this to every CEF teacher regardless of their level of experience.”
The next time I taught my system, an executive said, “This needs to be a book!” Each time I taught, I received exuberant encouragement. A father of three shook my hand and said, “I thank you and my children thank you. Because, now I will be a better father.”
A few years later as the mother of three young boys, I was asked to speak to mothers. After all, children are children whether at home or in a classroom. Again, the moms were very grateful!
My crisis of belief happened when someone accused me of plagiarism. I felt horrible! The only way to prevent others from accusing me was to document that this came from my life experience.
While pregnant with my fourth child, I embarked on a 2-year journey writing a manuscript. Effective Discipline is for both parents and teachers. The biblical principles are the same. Each principle is explained and illustrated with two examples. The first example shows a mom applying it with her child. The second example shows a teacher applying it with a student.
Love and Boundaries is the new title, since it expresses the deeper message of finding balance by using love and boundaries with children. All the timeless principles have remained the same.
About Christmas
We all have favorite Christmas memories, often they arise from our childhood.
My first happy Christmas memory was when I was almost 5 years old. My sister, brother and I were invited to sing with the adult choir at my church’s Christmas Cantata. We discovered we were the only children in our cantata.
The director taught us these words, “Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, all is bright, Round John Version, mother and Child…” As I sang, I wondered, “Who is Round John Version?” How did he get into the Christmas story? I envisioned a fat little monk like Friar Tuck standing next to Mary and baby Jesus.
We stood up to the microphone and sang a trio. The adult choir sang the chorus with us. Then we walked to a Christmas tree on the stage. We selected a gift from beneath it. We carried it to the manger. Then we knelt and placed our gifts beside Jesus.
I had earlier memories of Christmas from the year before. My mom died on Christmas, they were very painful.
After singing with the choir, my heart opened wide to the joyous carols about baby Jesus. Every year I celebrated by singing all the wonderful carols.
Over 30 Decembers later, as I drove my 4 children in our van, I also wanted them to share the joy of the magnificent Christmas carols. As we sang The Twelve Days of Christmas, I grew frustrated trying to remember the next number. I said, “I don’t remember if it is 10 drummers or 10 pipers. Kids, let’s fix this song and put in baby Jesus!”
So it began. Starting with the babe in a manger bed, we kept singing until we had 12 groups of characters that fit the tune.
Later when I contacted illustrator, Gini Bunnell, I sang the song to her. She was eager to illustrate the book. I sent the text and asked her to place a hidden baby Jesus on each page.
The next year, Dove award winning producer and Liberty Univ. Music Professor, Don Marsh arranged and produced a delightful recording. Sound Clip
About Christmas Musical
The Twelve New Days of Christmas Musical
Are you looking for a meaningful and memorable Christmas musical for your church or school? The Twelve New Days of Christmas Musical will delight and inspire all who see it.
An energetic brother and patient sister discover the classic Christmas story in a fresh new setting. The Twelve New Days of Christmas come to life as ancient Jewish characters sing 13 favorite carols in new arrangements. Fun for the whole family!
This musical is for all ages. Many choirs include children and teens. Sometimes adults also join the choir.
From the National Christmas Tree at the White House in Washington DC to Spokane, Washington it has been performed by choirs young and old. It has been broadcast on several international television networks as well.Live Performance DVD The 12 New Days of Christmas Musical
This musical is 35 minutes long with 13 carols and drama characters. We have an assortment of products to serve the needs of your choir.
“This is the best musical I have ever seen!” Jon Adams