Education Books

CDB! (Stories to Go!)

I was very excited to find this book for my grandbaby. We had great fun with it when her aunts were small. Who would have thought back then that William Stieg invented 'text speak'. I even stumped my youngest daughter with NQ!

I ordered this since my sister received it and thought it was a great book. Unfortunately, this copy does not come with the answers. Look for the hard cover version, that has the answers in the back.

This book is as intriguing and entertaining was it was 25+ years ago when I read it to my children. As an educator, I discovered this book to be a source of entertainment and challenge to my children as well as a wonderful tool to help my students as they struggle with reading skills. I recently purchased it again for my grandchildren since my copy was misplaced over the years...and they love it as their mother when she was their age.
Buy it and use...it will help dust off the gray matter and delay alzehemier. :)

smart! adorable! unexpected! (the book, not my kids...)
This book really has us rolling in laughter. My sons (ages 4 and 6) and I have been playing with an electronic toy: push a letter and the thing says the letter's name. We had been using it to make word sounds -- pressing U R A Q T for "you are a cutie" and so forth. When I saw this book I just had to get it. It is amazingly clever -- and to think it was written in 1968. It's fresh, not at all dated. My sons are very good readers for their respective ages, but it is definitely appropriate for them. I had to explain a phrase or two (they didn't know the word "ecstacy" when they saw X-T-C) but otherwise it was totally on their level. I still crack up reading it, and I've read it at least ten times. The watercolor illustrations are perfect. Stieg conveys a lot of emotion and expression with just a few brush strokes. When a boy sees someone with a lollipop and tells him "I N-V U," you can see the envy.
I won't mind if my kids want to read this one again and again. I M N X-T-C 2!

This book helped me learn to read when i was 3 years old. As long as you know the alphabet you can read this book, which makes it perfect for children who are learning to read.

Cool Stuff they should teach in school is a guide to jobs, people skills, goals, and money for young adults written by two normal teenagers. This book covers everything from trying to figure out what you want to do with your life and how your attitude actually determine how successful you'll be through how to make a good impression and what not to do during a job interview to how to manage your money and how to make your savings work for you.

I loved the conversational style of this book as well as the straightforward no punches pulled advice. I also liked the colourful Cool Stuff quotes and 2K tips. This is the advice your best friend would give you if he could. Cool Stuff they should teach in school will make a really great gift for any teenager or young adult needing just a little bit of nudge to start their future on the right track.

great book for anyone feeling lost as far as what they want to do with their lives. It makes it really easy to understand all the financial stuff in today's world. I used some of the people skills they have written about and noticed improvemnt.

this book = miracle

From the standpoint of intent, scope & substance, this wonderful book is exactly similar to 'The Power of Focus for College Students' by Andrew Hewitt & Luc D'Adabie. I have reviewed this latter book earlier.

The 'Cool Stuff' book is apparently targetted at high school students (& graduates). The 'Power of Focus' book is targetted at high school graduates & college students, even though the delineation is really not an issue. The earlier book is written by two brothers during their late teen years, in 2004. The latter book, which has been published one year later, is written by two university graduates in their early twenties. This book is also an extension of the earlier 'The Power of Focus' by Les Hewitt, Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, which is obviously targeted at adult professionals.

Essentially, the 'Cool Stuff' book is designed to help students GET REAL...to help them face a multitude of challenges as they grow from teens to young adults & while they move into the real world. The abundant information in this book are packed into bite-sized nuggets, illustrated with zany graphics.

Whereas, the 'Power of Focus' book is more sober of the two books, with abundant information, as well as inspiring stories, packed into nine focusing strategies. Tactically, it has been designed to help high school graduates & college freshmen in finding fulfilling career pathways.

While the 'Cool Stuff'book has a more light-hearted approach, both books generally help to answer these critical questions:

- why 70% of graduates are unhappy & disillusioned within five years of leaving college?
- what 3% of Yale students do that lead them to become wealthier than the other 97% combined?

One interesting point: The entrepreneurial flair of the authors of both books is exemplified by their own respective websites: namely ccolstuffmedia & focusedstudent, which continue to promote their books, seminars & workshops & other stuff.

One last point: The 'Power of Focus' book has a seemingly subtle & yet direct slant towards 'GET RICH' partly because of its association with Donald Trump...so it's also designed to help you build the financial future you so desire.

To sum up my review, both books are really great stuff! If you are a high school student or college freshman, I strongly urge you to go & get a copy to read & to learn how to maximise your high school - & college - experience & also how to deal with a rapdily changing world out there!

I picked up this book this week-end TO "BROWSE" and found myself into the book one hour later, still reading. WOW!!! I sure wish there would have been a book like this for my age group.But, I'm learning a thing or two even now with reading Kent and Kyle's book. This book is a must for any family with teens, pre-teens or adults still wanting to grow. I'm going to buy a copy for our church library, too. What an inspiration this book is-----for everyone! Thanks for writing it.

I am 17, and this book was so inspirational. I feel like I am ahead of the game, and that I will be able to face challenges in life no matter what they are. This is also a great book because it was written by guys about my age, so I totally understand what they are talking about, because they went through the same stuff I am. This book is awesome.

"Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy" is the awesome sequal to "I'd Tell You I Love You but than I'd Have to Kill You" both featureing Cammie Morgan in Ally Carters books.
Cammie finds her and her friends wondering why one of the corridors of the school is shut off to students. So, like good spys, they investigate.
They find the corridor stocked with stuff for students dorms.
Meanwhile Cammie's mom, headmistress of Gallagher Acadamy, shows Cammie a picture of her dad, who died while on a mission. In the picture he's with Mr.Soloman (who works a Gallagher now) and Mr.Soloman's shirt says BLACKTHORNE BOYS.
Cammie might of found out about another spy school for boys, has she.
All together add some romantic scenes, with another boy and Josh (Cammie's old boyfriend), Cammie's bra almost coming off, and the school almost closing and you have a really good story from Ally Carter.

Hope this review helps!!!!!
-Lainy-
ps. i spelled my name wrong when i created my account. How dumb!!!!!!

I liked this much better than the first book in these series. One reason being that I found the love interest much more interesting than Josh. Josh (from the first one) seemed too normal too me, and I feel like in a spy book, the love interest should be mysterious and cooler than the 'average guy'. Zach definitely had all these characteristics, with a cynical humor to boot. :) I also liked the fact that the spy situations seemed more real because the students weren't aware of what was real and what was a test.

This book was really good. One of my friends read the first book and said it was good, and said that I should read it. I thought that it would be really girly, but its not, although it is a great book for those who want a girly teen book as well. The sequel is no different. There is drama, action, friendship, and boys. Overall, a really great book.

In "Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy" is Josh still Cammie's boyfriend? Or is Zach her new boyfriend? Or are we supposed to find out in the 3rd?

So... We are back at the Gallagher Academy, a secret spy school for girls, and we are reunited with all together almost-perfect spy, Cammie Morgan. Cammie's mother is the school principal, her father died on a secret mission, and a new teacher (Mr. Solomon) seems to be a little too familiar with Cammie's family. We start out the book with Cammie being tested to make sure that she will stay away and not communicate with "The Subject" aka Josh. Through the begining of the book we are taking part in weird happenings at the academy and then we are trying to find out what BLACKTHORNE really is. Once we find out that Blackthorne is a secret spy school for BOYS (thanks to Cammie's EXCELENT spywork) we also find out that the Blackthorne boys are coming to Gallagher and we don't know if they are there to stay. Cammie is introduced to a Blackthorne boy named Zach who seems to take a very strong interest in Cammie and becomes VERY suspicious. Cammie runs into Josh on a mission with Zach and leads him to believe that Zach is her Boyfriend. Bex, Liz and Massie all come back and are better friends then ever! Altogether, in the end of the day... it's a TRUE spy ending that you don't want to miss out on. Will Cammie be with Zach again? Will Cammie go back to Josh? Does Josh REALLY not remember Cammie's BIGGEST secret? We won't know FOR SURE unless we read this and it still keeps us guessing and waiting for Gallagher Girls book three to come out! Have fun!
I loved this book and i hope everyone else will too! Be sure to read it, the worst that will happen is that you won't like it ( yeah right!) and you can just put it down! This book deserves its five stars! I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as the first book but i was proven wrong! For ANY age.
I hope you enjoyed my review! Check out my others!
<3 tAyLoR

This is the perfect book for anyone going to school to teach English or already teaching. I wish I had discovered this before I started. It has valuable information in it.

This book was recommended to me by many people--professors in my master's degree program and English teachers. I borrowed a copy and I knew right away I had to have my own. This book has it all--sound theory and excellent examples of practical techniques in action. It even discusses how to get a job. The portions on class room instruction were especially interesting to me because I see discussion as the most important thing that happens in an English class. This book is The Book to get if you're going to teach English (especially high school English). I have enjoyed all of Burke's books and I hope there are more to come.

This is a really good book with lots of great information and good ideas for teachers both new and experienced. However, you'll have to get by his "look at me" pompousness and the many errors. It looks like Mr. Burke decided to edit the book himself, as he's so good at what he does. While I'm sure he is a really great teacher, all writers need a really great editor. The deficiencies can be overlooked because of the variety of quality information. Putting his picture on both the front and back of the book was a bit overdone, though...

Full of Jim Burke's years of experience and his insightful ideas. The writing is very personal, entertaining, and truthful.

This book is very comprehensive in providing all that is valuable in teaching English and Language Arts. I used it has my second resource to prepare me to take the TEXES #117 ELAR 4-8 state exam. I plan on using it to guide me in lesson plan design.

I have been in business for many years as a literary publicist, but I am constantly
on the lookout for good reference books for publicity for myself and my staff.
This book is one of them. I highly recommend it.
Sherri Rosen
sherri Rosen Publicity LLC
NYC

As if the process of completing a literary work were not enough, Mr. Marich clearly illuminates the most treacherous path of promoting that work once it is complete. Having tried unsuccessfully to navigate this path on my own in the past, this book became a true beacon in my career. His insightful, witty comments make this book both a great read as well as an invaluable tool for anyone who ever had the courage to take the bull by the horns and promote themselves with the same energy as a PR firm. I know that on all subsequent endeavors I will gladly return to the core lessons found within to ensure my ongoing success.

I own a small PR agency in Chicago and am always looking for tools to help our junior staff be more effective and efficient. This book is great! Everyone of my employees now has their own copy of Literary Publicity: The Final Chapter. It's got everything a professional needs to know -- and, even better, what a non-pro needs to know to help make their book successful. I also like how Marich uses humor to make his points. I recommend this for any writer or any beginning publicist.

Mr. Marich has cured my writer's block. I realized after reading this incredible "BIBLE" that the root of my writer's anxiety was my fear that I would never be able to get my work to the public, press or broadcast media. I know now that there are tried and true ways to get my work noticed. After finishing Mr. Marich's book, I went right back to my P.C. with new inspiration. How very unselfish of Mr. Marich to share his experience and know-how with other writers. Anyone who is even thinking about writing for public consumption should read this book. No agent in the world could do in one year what Mr. Marich has done in one incredible book.

As an author, I am quite familiar with the search for publicity. This book was an enormous help, very clearly organized, and, most surprisingly, fun to read. The author obviously has a lot of experience in the field, and shares his trade secrets. It should be very helpful for beginning authors as well as more established ones looking to further their literary careers. Highyl recommended.

Youngsters eight and younger will love this spooky children's tale about a little old lady who refuses to be afraid of "things" following her through the woods on her way home. "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything" is simple, fun, and excellent for kindergarten and first grade kids to practice their reading skills on. It works even better as a tale read to a child. My daughter loves it when I read this story to her and put emphasis on the noises that each of the old ladies' followers makes. From "Clomp, Clomp" to "Boo, Boo," my daughter giggled her way through this story. There's just enough spookiness to the story to keep kids a tad antsy, but the resolution eventually makes everything okay.

I highly recommend this tale to anybody who has a child eight years of age or younger and stress that this story works best if it's read to the children instead of having them read it. Author Linda Williams has done a nice job of making a lightly spooky tale for youngsters and Megan Lloyd's dark and moody (though somehow amazingly fun) illustrations only add to the tale's atmosphere. It's a fun Halloween tale that works on any night of the year.

We pull this one out in the fall. The story is great for standing up and moving around -- clomp, clomp - wiggle,wiggle - shake, shake - clap, clap - nod, nod... plus, there's a great surprise (which we shout out VIGOROUSLY!) and a happy ending. It's one of our best fall books.

This is one of my all-time favorite children's books. It is an interactive book and I suggest everyone who reads it to a child or group of children get them on their feet and acting it out. Much fun and laughter!

This book is great for the fall season. The writer gives suspence with bravery.

Teacher at day school introduced us to this imaginative book. Both of our children absolutely adore it.

Lottie's real name is Charlotte, but noone calls her that..... until this 'horrible' new teacher Mrs Beckworth arrives, and doesn't let her sit next to Lisa (who Lottie has saved the best place for), but makes poor Lottie sit next to that swot Jamie. Lottie hates Mrs Beckworth, and sends around humorous poems about trains and teases about Jamie. Lottie's teenage mum, Jo, is having problems with work but suddenly Mrs Beckworth gives the class a project. it is about the victorians and Lottie writes a diary about it. she buys Jamie, who comes her friend in the end, some postcards and everything but then Jo gets a nerdy man called Mark as a boyfriend because she babysits his son, Robin, who is small and shy and has a little stuffed robin toy that his mum made for him before she died. lottie lets him use her felt pens but he just draws a house and his mum and dad and himself. when Jo and Mark go on a love ride on a picnic where Robin is sick, Lottie sees them kissing and bullies poor robin until he runs away from home and then there is a search party because everyone is worried and he gets found and put in hospital and lottie makes him a cake and draws him pictures of birds. lottie suddenly feels bad and crys in her bathroom because she doesn't feel old and hates herself. she even needs the comfort of her old barbies, which are packed away in her drawer and she and jo used to dress them and drive them to posh parties to make them dance, and jo enjoyed this more than lottie! you should read these other books too:
Best Friends, Diamond girls, the bed and breakfast kid, sleepovers, the suitcase kid, the lottie project, clean break, the worry website, girls in love, girls out late, the dare game, the story of tracy beaker, vicky angel, cliffhanger, the illustrated mum and girls in tears, the cat mummy.
I have 56 jaqcueline wilson books because i am a major bookworm and book collector. i have read over 8 billion books in my 10 years of living, and so has my best friend.
so girls, get readin'!

This is such a fantastic book! It's about Charlie who lives with her mum Jo in a flat. Her mean teacher, Miss Beckworth wants the class to do a school project on the Victorians.
"Boring!" she thinks at first, but gradually she likes it more
and more. She writes a project and wants to keep it private.
Her project is about Lottie and how she copes with her frustrating life. First she's an ordinary eleven year old girl
living with her family in a cottage but then she has to leave school and get a job as a nursery maid. The children she looks after are such naughty little monkeys and she doesn't lke this job.
Stupid snooty swotty boy Jamie Edwards is so annoying to Charlie. YOU'VE GOT TO READ IT IT'S SUCH A BRILL BOOK!!!!
Don't call this book stupid. Honestly, don't. If you think it's
stupid, read "Best Friends" or "Vicky Angel" or "Girls in tears". THEY'RE the stupid books. OK, so that's all I want to say.

charlies life is really changing. Her teacher is mean, makes her sit next to Jamie Edwards,and assigns a "dreary" projecton the "dreary" victorian period. So charlie decides to create a diary for her project, and creates Lottie, a Victorian nurserymaid, and history comes to life.

charlies mom is also causing trouble in her life. Charlie thinks she has a boyfriend, and that can't happen!!!!!

i loved this book and how Charlie brought Lottie to life.
i would recamend this book to anyone.

~tara~

I have read many books from Jacqueline Wilson, and have admired her ability to express how kids feel, what they want. This is all true. Being a kid, i have lots of friends that match those in the story. This book, Lottie Project, is one of my favourite books she wrote. I know how it feels to be forced to write a project, but i have never wrote a project, that like Charlotte's, matches my own daily life.
In school, i have just learnt about the Victorians, and told my teacher, Miss Battram, about the book. She too admitts that it is a good book and should be added into the Victorian learning program for year 5 next year.
Everyone can see that Jacqueline Wilson has shown us how an 11year old girl's life can be similar to a maid in the Victorian times, and how they coped with it.
This book is really great for everyone to read, maybe single parents should take a peek in this book too as it will tell single parents how their child feels when they start dating someone else. then, they can talk it through with their child, so mistakes like in Lottie Project, that Charlotte Enright had to cope with, will not happen.
Furthermore, this book is very good to be used in Victorian sessions in school, seeing as the book is very funny, and still useful in teaching about a 11 year old girl's life in the Victorian times.
Rita Teo Bangkok Patana school, Thailand

This is definitely one of my favorite books. I guess sixth graders will enjoy it most, but parents will also enjoy it too. Jacqueline Wilson really knows how to get into the world of 11-year-olds.

Charlie Enright has a lot of problems at school. Her new teacher is strict and mean. She assigns the sixth-graders a Victorian project right at the beginning of the year. Also, she makes Charlie sit next to Jamie Edwards, which Charlie isn't sure she likes or hates.

She also is having problems with her friends. They have abandoned the 'We Hate Boys Club' and are now very interested in boys and not paying much attention to her.

And her home lifes not that wonderful either. Her single mother has just lost her job, but she finds another one quickly. It turns out that she has fallen in love with her boss and Charlie has got to stop her. Somehow. Someway.

Will Charlie's problems ever end? Read this great book to find out!

As a homeschool parent and teacher this book has been a wonderful resource. My nine year old son, Jack, and I love using it. I tell all my homeschooling friends about it as well as friends whose children struggle with math in school. When I asked Jack about a review, he said, "You must tell everyone that I love this hands on approach!" I also tutor a young lady who admitted that she hated math, but I convinced her to have a go by using Math in Motion and she now loves to fold, feels she can can attempt a math problem without falling apart and is open to a hands on approach to learning about place value,which we have just started. Thank you, Ms Pearl

The content of this book was rich with so many ideas.
It can be used as a springbooard for numerous
hands-on activities--great for kids of all ages, full of
practical and fun concrete methods to demonstrate
abstract concepts especially for specail education
students. The multicultural expericence integrates
a variety of prosocial behaviors that supports
how other cultures contribute to our society.

I purchased Math in Motion for my first semester of student teaching. One of the students in the Learning Support Class has Asperger's Syndrome. He was especially agitated and noncooperative and the only thing he responded to was when I started to do origmai. He was fascinated with the Jumping Frog and the movements and the patterns. Now I use it as a reward. It helps him to calm down and focus on the activities. I let him choose something else from the book and next we are going to fold the Whale. It has become the highlight of our day!

Although I am neither a teacher nor a grade schooler, I found exceeding pleasure, while reading "Math in Motion," in brushing up on aspects of math that I had long ago forgotten. But beyond the math, I thoroughly enjoyed making the origamis depicted in the book. While using this book to create each of the origamis, I found the instructions easy to both read and follow. (Of course, the spiral binding is yet another much-appreciated feature.) I had never been successful in Japanese paper folding before in my 60+ years, even though I had attempted it several times, and so it was exciting for me to complete my very first origami!
Written primarily as a teacher's guide, I still highly recommend "Math in Motion" for anyone between the ages of 5 and 105! If you are looking for a way to spend a marvelous afternoon at home, I suggest purchasing, reading, and using "Math in Motion." The author, Barbara Pearl, is a jewel! Thank you, Barbara, for this wonderful gift - a book to treasure, to use, and to share with friends and family alike.

Several years ago I never would have bought a book or attended a workshop like Math in Motion because I did not think it was relevant. But from the moment we started, Ms. Pearl made us all feel so comfortable-an ideal environment for learning, especially a subject like mathematics, which may be stressful. I wanted to create the same atmosphere and remove the fear element from learning mathematics. The workshop experience made us feel like we were a team. I felt like I could do anything. And it gave me the motivation to try more. Ms. Pearl's book outlines lesson plans that support NCTM Standards and has teaching scripts and tips for developing a warm and inviting hands-on learning environment that is educational and fun. The multidisciplinary approach connects math to other subjects including reading, science, and social studies. The step-by-step directions are clear and easy to follow. Multicultural activities teach an appreciation of other cultures from exploring tangrams to writing Haiku. The three most exciting words from my students were, "I did it!" I think this is also great for building kids' self-esteem. The book encourages you to have students write down on their paper manipulatives math vocabulary that helps them to remember it--younger kids can trace the place with their fingers as they say it. Now, I know that math is not BAD. When adults feel good about what they are teaching, children will feel better too. I know this book will help you create a room where children (and adults too) will love to come to learn and grow.

This book/play, umm, whatever... is totally AWESOME!!!! So go read it! Now!

THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL describes thinker Henry David Thoreau short experience in jail after not paying his taxes. Employing flashbacks within flashbacks, playwrights Lawrence and Lee take on the task of describing Thoreau's life so far. Filled with witty remarks and humorous dialogue, this book transcends what I can say about it.

After having been assigned to read this book for my AP 11 English class, I started out first assignment: Read to page 50. To my surprise, once I got to page 50, I couldn't put it down. My teacher had warned us about this scenario. She said the book was cleverly hilarious and enjoyable. Naturally--it being an ASSIGNED book--I doubted her words.

When I got into the play, within the first few words of dialogue, I was laughing out loud. The writers, whose research was obviously accurate and concise, tickled me when Ralph Waldo Emerson asked "who" his umbrella was, making a reference to his supposed contraction of Alzheimer's disease. Thoreau's teachings of God and fields and notetaking were pleasing and enriching.

Not only was I thrilled by his paradoxical dialogue,

[In a nutshell...
Thoreau to a student: Why are you taking notes?
Student: So I can remember what you say.
Thoreau: But then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
(She puts away her notebook)
Thoreau: Why have you stopped taking notes?
Student: Because you said to.
Thoreau: Why would you do what I say?]

but I also took away something from it, which is a common moral you would see in books and movies today: Do things for yourself, and pay no attention to what others say or think. Though the moral is a bit overused, Lee and Lawrence refresh it and make the lesson new placing it in the midst of witticism and transcendentalist teachings.

Now, the only thing left for me to do is write a thank you card to my teacher for treating us with this wonderful book.

This play examines Henry David Thoreau, his philosophies, and some of the events in his life. During the Mexican American War, Thoreau refused at one point to pay his taxes. He felt that the war was unjust, and he didn't want his money supporting a government that he believed was doing unjust things. (He also believed that the war was not the will of the people, as President Polk had declared war without the support of Congress.)

The play, which takes place on a simple set that emphasizes the imagination of the audience (and the performers) for props/surroundings, also delves into Thoreau's love for nature and his views on sprituality. (The fact that the set is simple reflects another way that form follows content, as Thoreau encouraged people to turn away from materialism and simplify their lives.) The chief journey in the play is Thoreau's decision to return to the world, rather than remove himself from it.

Themes include individuality, the nature of spirituality, marching to one's own drummer (regardless of consequence), the belief that one person can make a difference, the idea of standing on principle/what's right, and the manifestation of the divine in nature and humanity (Transcendentalism).

It's a somewhat academic play, about ideas more than about plot (of which there is virtually none), but it reminds us that theatre can inform and instruct us as well as entertain us. Additionally, the subject matter of the play is very topical (public funds for stem cell research? or the war in Iraq?) and is sure to stimulate thought and discussion.

The authors of this play (two college professors) demanded that it not be produced on Broadway and, to my knowledge, it never has been. This, I may assume, was their own form of "disobedience," as they maintained that a few blocks in Manhattan shouldn't dictate what real theatre is to the rest of the nation. Despite their mandate, however, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail has been one of the most produced plays in America, enjoying wide circulation in regional theatres and especially on college campuses.

While Thoreau was living at Walden, then President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico without Congressional approval. To protest this and the government, Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was sent to jail. This play fantasizes on what might have been going through Thoreau's mind as he spent the night in jail: reflecting on his childhood, the life and death of his brother, his idol Ralph Waldo Emerson, what lead him to his solitary life at Walden and the impetus for his refusal to pay the taxes. I enjoyed reading this very much as it gave some insight into the great thinker who influenced the likes of Gandhi with his non-violent form of protesting the government.

Henry David Thoreau may be experiencing a sort of revival as of late. His treatise on civil disobidience is a hallmark of progressive action today. Upset that his government declared an unjust war, Thoreau refuses to pay taxes to show his digust, which lands him one lauded night in jail. Thus is the basis for this extremely inventive, timely play "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail".

Not just a night in jail, but a brave overview Thoreau's life ensues, showing snippets of his events, meetings, and philosophies that were so critical to the development of his transcendentalism. This isn't a dry biography, however. The authors weave a Thoreau that is a rich tapestry of thought and action. He is both endearing and complex, wise and unaware.

We enter the play with Henry in his cell, and begins to relive some important moments in his life. We meet Emerson and his wife, Henry's mother, and favorite brother John, as they inact with his memories and become alive themselves. The ebullience of John is obvious, which makes his passing much more severe. This play helps to maginify the brilliance of a brilliant man, while making him more human, more real.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a great read, and will springboard your interests to study this amazing thinker.

Ari delivers a very passionate and convincing argument against the current direction of public education in America. Ari uses excellent examples from his experiences as a teacher to substantiate his opinions. A very interesting read on a most important topic. I hope, as Ari, that his words have an effect on the future of education in America.

Mr. Kaufman brought forth an issue that many parents and taxpayers, who fund our public schools, may be somewhat aware of...but don't truly understand. Mr. Kaufman's accounts of things such as imparting political philosophy towards primary school classes, and the power of teachers unions to block initiatives that help students in order to protect their own interests; they are clear, concise, and very intriging to read. Through strong, mostly first-person accounts, Kaufman "opens the book", so to speak, on some of the corrupting influnces that are affecting the public education process in today's society. The content in the book forces the reader to engage and think about what kind of role, if any, they can play in a process that does seem very important to our country's future.

If there's one quibble - it's that broader opinion and facts from more numerous, and other reliable sources would've served to strengthen support for Kaufman's points even more. But hopefully, even though he has left teaching as a day-to-day vocation, Mr. Kaufman will continue to build up contacts "inside the education sanctum" and research the trends further - so he can continue communicating his succinct thoughts on this topic.

by Everett J. Nienhouse Ph.D
Ellsworth, Michigan


A read of Ari Kaufman's Reclamation, provided a stroll back into my
career as a college professor at a state-supported institution of
higher learning that was unionized. Some of Mr. Kaufman's experiences
were in place nearly 40 years ago, and some not. His experiences are
not confined to K-12. Rather, it has invaded all levels of education
from pre-school to elementary, secondary, and higher education as well.

Although the first 6-7 years were replete with wonderful rewards from
my classroom efforts, associate professor in two years, youngest full
professor in the history of the college, Distinguished Professor of
the Year, no truly evaluative tenure policy was in place and course
evaluations were voluntary. How then could a teacher's effectiveness
be assessed? One answer was a student-generated booklet which was
published providing information on teachers to assist new and
continuing students in making careful course and teacher choices. The
booklet rated each instructor from 1-5 and added comments such as
"enthusiastic, skilled teacher, tests fair but hard", or "avoid if
possible!" Competent department heads did sit in and evaluate their
charges and such information was provided in their annual reports to
their deans, V.P. of Academic Affairs and President.

However, "tenure" was a joke and was affectionately known as "five
year" to those dedicated teachers desiring evaluation of their
abilities to increase their effectiveness in the classroom. As a large
group of us approached the recognition of the five years spent at the
institution to be held at a year-end banquet, we contemplated ripping
up our "tenure certificates," delivered to us with much hoopla, in
protest as they were, in effect, meaningless! But, judgment prevailed
and we were accepted into the "elite group."

Since institutional priorities were continually called into play, some
areas suffered while others thrived i.e. athletics over supporting
Arts and Sciences, leading to major confrontations between the faculty,
administration and Board of Trustees. This eventually led to
unionization. When a work-stoppage (that's pc for "strike") occurred,
lazy faculty members would crawl out of their comfortable holes and
perform "heroic acts" in support of union demands, the only true "work"
they'd perform in an entire semester! Further, unionization brought
protection of the incompetent and few rewards for quality teaching.
Does this sound familiar? If so, reread Mr. Kaufman's book.

Pay raises were given only to those faculty receiving a promotion in
rank, leaving dedicated, outstanding, and enthusiastic competent full
professors with modest annual increases. Only later, when this
ridiculous policy was brought to the attention of the administration,
merit pay was restored and provided to dedicated instructors. Serious
tenure review was finally installed.

As eloquently pointed out by Mr. Kaufman, political correctness entered
the academic arena. Sensitivity training was encouraged. Compulsory
attendance was required at certain events including an address by "Miss
Blue-eye, Brown-eye," a 60's teacher from Iowa who had conducted a
study of her students. This 40 year old study included the statement,
"And so, I have come to the decision that all white males are bigots!"
This statement prompted me to stand up, throw my hands towards the
speaker, and lead a walk out with scores of other faculty members
attending this "enrichment lecture."

Later, I caught a student electronically cheating for which he was
dismissed not only from my class, but from the curriculum in which he
was engaged. But, I was called into the dean's office and told that
the word "cheater" was "far too harsh" and from now on will be referred
to as "academic dishonesty!" Grade inflation followed with my dean
calling me in for giving out too many D's and F's, stating that a C
grade has replaced failures!

I held on for another couple of years before taking an early retirement
after a thirty year career. Mr. Kaufman's tenure in elementary school
teaching ended after three. I felt that if I stayed on much longer,
the "sweetness" of my teaching career would turn to a very sour taste,
something that I wished to avoid.

Truly, Mr. Kaufman's Reclamation should be required reading for all
seeking a career in teaching at all levels. It serves as a primer for
"the politics of education" which most teachers, new to this great
calling, are rarely apprised of as they begin their careers.

Living in Los Angeles not far from where Mr. Kaufman taught, I had a keen interest in picking up a copy of this book. As I also have a four year-old daughter and two year-old son who may or may not enroll in LAUSD sometime soon, this book was certainly an important read.

Many of my fears of the immense bureaucracy, overwhelming and unnecessary union involvement (these political activities and monetary greed will help my kids learn how?), and teachers with belief sets that clearly run antithetical to the real world I reside in, were confirmed. But I also gained some hope; hope that, with more teachers opening their minds and thinking about how to better the educational world in the same way that Mr. Kaufman has, our students can in fact succeed.

One issue that comes to mind, as it has also been discussed recently by politicians, is private school vouchers. I cannot fathom how any sympathetic person can be against them, but school districts and most Democratic politicians currently are. If our schools in the inner cities are failing---and they are---what better way than to aid these kids who want to learn, than to give them this opportunity at a better school via private, religious or charter school type vouchers? These work, and should be implemented. Opposing these, when their urban constituencies strongly support them, shows these school boards and local politicians are tied together to perpetuate failure. That's both sad and troubling.

Kaufman's book is thorough, well-documented and forward-looking to the future, which is key. I highly recommend it, especially if you find your life in the same spot I now do, as numerous other reviewers noted. We seem to be the folks Kaufman is writing to aid, not the teachers, who will denounce this book without reading.

Reclamation is a compelling read and I'd recommend it for both teachers and parents who send their children to public schools. If your child has even wondered (the way I did) why his/her younger (read: "likely non-tenured") teachers are generally better prepared and more interesting--well, this book is the answer. If you are a staunch, card-carrying member of the teacher's union, then perhaps this book can educate you as to why tax-payers are increasingly frustrated with the public education system. Personally, I have a lot of respect for individuals who enter the the public school teaching arena. I also believe the best classroom educators should be compensated accordingly. Responsibility. Accountability. Conscientiousness. These are ideals we all hope to instill in our children. As Reclamation details, it's high time our public educators and their unions get a lesson in them. For pulling back the curtain WHEN he did, A.J. Kaufman deserves a lot of credit. The easy, self-preserving path would have been to button his lip, work hard for two years, get tenured, then start to writing these opinions of how California's educational system needed change. But rather than hypocritically accepting what he saw around him, he spoke up. That takes real courage.

A couple caveats: 1) while Reclamation's content was generally interesting and persuasive, I found the starting of each chapter with a past newspaper article to be problematic. It made for a choppy read and caused Mr. Kaufman to continually point back/forward to a past/future dialogue. The chapters themselves seem well thought-out, but I think re-writing each newspaper article would allow for the narrative to flow much smoother. 2) At times (especially in the chapter entitled "Lean Left or Else"), Mr. Kaufman goes well-beyond the scope of what I read to be his thesis--namely that the public education system is broken as a result of unmotivated teachers, misguided teacher's unions and a failure to consistently put the student's education above all else. Mr. Kaufman himself is clearly frustrated by the P.C. environment created by teachers and the materialism of today's teenagers. He fails, however, in making a strong case that either of these factors contribute to the broader problems of overall student learning or the profession's failure to attract, motivate and retain the "best and the brightest" young professionals.