Honoring a FABULOUS educator
340331
Thanks for providing the perfect way to send the message that this person has touched the hearts and minds of so many people.
3863177
My high school career was bookended by English Literature courses taught by Frank Wallace. My classmates and I were aware of our great good fortune in this, and we responded with enthusiasm to his evident excellence as a teacher. He had an uncommon combination of qualities: he was brilliant and charismatic, and also kind and patient. A Frank Wallace class was exhilarating and challenging, and also congenial and good-humored.

This book gently reveals in a diaristic style the wellsprings of this good teacher, and in so doing gives insight into the qualities of all good teaching.

Love is at the center of it. Frank Wallace loves children. Really loves them, not for what he can mold them into but for who they actually are. He loves them for their strengths and their weaknesses, for their silliness and their seriousness, for their commonalities and their individual quirks.

Mr. Wallace sees schooling as the social, communal pursuit of teaching and learning, the main point of which is not the transmission of facts and skills but rather the cultivation of habits of the mind and heart. A good teacher models those habits and so must value the life of the mind and enjoy and practice learning.  Children are disinclined to take learning seriously in the presence of those who have stopped.

The good teacher does not cover the material with Q & A sessions but rather stimulates actual thinking. This is accomplished, Mr. Wallace says, when a real question is asked to which the answer is not already known. Workbooks and lectures by humbugs miss the point. When the question at hand is one to which thirty young minds may respond with thirty plausible answers, then magic is at work.

The practice of a good teacher is characterized by creativity and invention, improvisation, reacting in the moment. Such teachers aren't produced by training (although our systems for admitting teachers to the profession can promote or squelch their emergence) and the work of their classes cannot be specified in advance by curriculum committees (although these committees can allow them to flourish or undermine them).

As I read this book, I was delighted to hear the distinctive voice of Frank Wallace alive again in my head after so many years. But one need not, I think, have been in his classroom to delight in and profit from this wise and humane book.
4897839
Hip Hip Hooray!  A fabulous biography that is not only multi-cultural, but will hold the interest of every child who reads it!  Thanks go out to author Gaylia Taylor, who must have researched many months to find enough details to bring George Crum half Native American, half African American, back to life. Embarrassed and laughed at in school as a child because he couldn't count to one hundred, George decided to live his life by making his own choices, not those of society.  There are strong messages about self esteem and perserverance in this story, yet they never beat the reader over the head.

Frank Morrison's illustrations are both interesting and fun.

This book is a must have for all Elementary School libraries.  I loved it so much, I bought one for each school in our district!
3363450
My granddaughter has an awesome teacher! It surely put a big smile on her face!
2768616
So, I didn't read this book.  I was fortunate enough to have had Dennis Littky as my principal in 1972-1975, prior to the time period of the story in this book.  "Doc" was probably the most amazing educator that I've ever come across, and both of my parents are educators.  What he did that was so amazing is to bring life into school!  It was a hands-on approach to learning, and a lust for learning, that I can tell you is most rare!

So, I will be buying this book because I want to re-live those experiences, and learn from Doc all over again!
391932
This is a beautifully written tribute to the author's very special and talented son, and so much more. It is so touching, and informative as well. We are invited into their lives to see their struggles and triumphs, tears and smiles, joy and love. There is an abundance of life lessons and examples of how to be more mindful and appreciative of all that is around us. The author's son, Clayton, was truly creative and talented.  I truly enjoyed learning more about art in general, and seeing and reading the art that Clayton created. Clayton left an amazing imprint upon this earth and Betty captured it beautifully.
3281828
In Zen and the Art of Public School Teaching John Perricone opens a door that every dedicated educator needs to walk through. With quick wit, and poignant examples John helps every educator to look inward in hopes of forming a philosophical identity. Reading John's book is like having coffee with a master teacher, who with kindness and compassion willingly shares the secrets of finding success and happiness as a career educator. As the mentor coordinator of a large school district, I interact with 200 new teachers every year, and it brings me great joy to share with them the wisdom of John Perricone. The beauty of John's book is that it not only inspires novice teachers to greatness, it also rekindles the long lost youthful enthusiasm once felt by veteran teachers. Zen and the Art of Public School Teaching is food for the teacher's soul. Treat yourself to 87 pages of magic!
2214323
While my exact memories of being Mrs. Hile's student have dimmed over the years with age, I can remember how she made me feel in her classroom - valued, important, capable. So wonderful to read her sincere and genuine philosophies of teaching students. Bravo, Mrs. Hile!
2951676
Mrs Morgan's book is an indictment as well as hope for our broken Public School System here in NY and probably the rest of America.

She gives us an  inside view from an African American teacher dealing with children, parents and Administrators who are historically unkind to black children.

It is sad to read that there have not been many changes in eduuating black children since Brown vs Board of ED.  BUT, I am sure Ameerica will "Step up to the Plate" and make huge much needed improvements.

Thank you Ms Morgan

Darrell W. Pone,MD
Old Westbury, NY
3678820
When I received Thank You: (a book for teachers) I knew that it would be appreciated by my friend. This little and simple book has a huge and profound message. The quality of the paper, its binding, the illustrations, the colors used, the voice used, the descriptions of what a teacher should be makes this book accessible to almost everyone. I'm satisfied with the purchase and recommend it as a gift for those special teachers in your student life, specially in elementary and intermediate grades. Thanks!
2900902
This is an important book about a man committed to building educational institutions for women, African Americans and students in far flung nations. He embodied the best of American idealism, and the author gives the reader a deep appreciation of a remarkable life marked by faith, wealth and service.
4171774
This documentary was remarkable--moving and inspiring.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were more teachers like Rafe Asquith!  Not many are willing or able to take the time out of their personal lives that he does, but it's obvious that spending those Saturdays and taking those trips with his students are more important to him than spending free time at home.  It's obvious, too, that he teaches not only facts, but values and life lessons.  He CARES.  I just loved him.

And "guest speakers" to his classroom weren't shabby--Michael York and Ian McKellen, who said that being there made him want to cry because the students felt the same way he does about Shakespeare.

The camera work was excellent, capturing the expressions on those kids' faces--the tears, the joy, the comprehension, the pride.  A scene that particularly impressed me was the one when Asquith was reading from Huckleberry Finn.  The camera focused on the face of one boy and as he listened, tears rolled down his cheeks.  Others, equally moved, were also shown.  It's amazing that the teacher made them FEEL that story so deeply and that these ten-year-old children grasped and empathized with the Huck's inner conflict at the thought of turning in his slave friend, Jim.

Some of the Amazon reviewers of Rafe Asquith's book were critical.  Some of the teachers in his own school shunned him.  I'm sure it was hard for them to compete.  I taught in public schools, and I can understand how they felt.  In all honesty, I was not dedicated to the degree that he is.  I had children of my own and could not give that kind of extra time and effort to my career even though I loved teaching.  But it's still inspiring to see the true story of such a remarkable teacher, and I think anyone could learn something from his approach to teaching.
2407563
Prior to reading this book, I had little knowledge of Louis Armstrong. I sought the book out after many positive, verbal reviews. I am a middle school social studies teacher, so this book intrigued me. After reading the book, I was highly pleased with the author's positive and respectful tribute and the message it contained. I would highly recommend this to add to anyone's collection.
382946
Epiphany in A Cluttered Room by the talented Thomas Baker is nothing short of powerful. His journey resonated deeply for me on a personal level.  I, too, was chosen by my first grade teacher to help my fellow classmates learn to read.  I also became a writer.  This memoir was touching and inspiring.  As I read about the authors educational experiences, I recalled my own.  I thought about all the teachers who had influenced and molded me.  Being married to a high school English teacher, I can tell you firsthand that educators pour their blood, sweat and tears into their work and the betterment of their students.  This book is a wonderful tribute as well as an invaluable tool for those in the field of education.  I highly recommend this most enjoyable and enlightening read.
2840796
'Art, Education, and African-American Culture' by Mary Ann Meyers is a wonderful book to look into regarding the legacy of Dr. Barnes. The book is a beautifully written and accurately researched account, one of the only publications currently in print that was written with access to the Barnes Foundation archives.

Barnes no doubt was a controversial and mercurial figure. But for insight into the development of his educational philosophy and his great respect for an integrated and empowered workforce, I would highly recommend. Meyers provides an account of a nonprofit that is still resonant with the educational, social, and humanitarian issues of Philadelphia today.
4077118
As an F&M graduate and Government major who graduated in the mid 1980's this book reacquainted me with a professor whose lessons have had a profound impact on our government and our country's history in the last half century.  I only had a few classes with Professor Wise and I unfortunately wasn't a member of his "network" in Harrisburg or Washington D.C., but I do remember him as a great professor who believed that government was a noble profession with the ability to make positive change possible.  I only hope that in the modern era where money has such a huge influence on our political process and so many of our politicians choose devision over compromise that Professor Wise's legacy still has a place.  His attitude of "government as the art of the possible" is what I believe is missing in our politics of today.  He believed that good people of all political stripes could work together for the greater good of society and he dedicated his life to education them and giving them an entree into public service.  This book is not only a well deserved tribute, but should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to have a career as an educator or a public servant.
3190098
As a past educator in Spanish Harlam, NY and Fort Apache in the BX,
I have embraced this book and know the full merit of its care and
dedication to the children. I admire the pro-active approach of
community and school.  They have made a success to reclaim education
for the children. I wish I had been part of that process.

What has been accomplished has not been easy.  Reaching out, making
a difference calls for dedication beyond the school hours. While the
book is not a blueprint for all; it is a "foot print" to lead others
step by step to find their own change, make community schools powerful,
enrich and prove the spirit of true education.

Yes, a must read that inspires and provides a beacon of light when too
many educators have become numb to the process of pitching in and
doing more, doing what an educator should do and parents not taking
the time to help their children.