Educators Books

This is a phenomenal book! Janusz Korczak, a writer, physician, and the ultimate child advocate, was also a great soul; indeed, if he had been born a Catholic he would be made a saint. He was a mixture of Dr. Benjamin Spock, Florence Nightingale, Patch Adams, and Mahatma Gandhi--rolled into one!

Choosing to stay with the orphans in the Jewish orphanage he directed, he protected the children through their forced move into the Warsaw Ghetto, and then to the death camp Treblinka. His diary is quoted throughout and we see a man who was very much afraid but who conquered his fears so that he could serve the tiny humanity in the person of the children in his care. Indeed, at one point he could have saved his own life if he had abandoned the children, but he refused to do so. The book ends with a quote from his diary which gives us true insight into his character: "I never wish anyone ill. I cannot. I don't know how it is done."

His life should have been one of happiness and fulfillment, of just deserved rewards for his goodness to others; however, like so many others, the Nazis terminated this great man far too soon. The illustrations are marvelous! They are rather like well done photographs.

This book is a superbly written history of one of the greatest leaders of the past century. You do not have to be a Notre Dame fan to appreciate the impact that Fr. Ted has had on our society and culture.

This book lays it all out for you. Mary Schofield writes humbly, sharing her knowledge liberally for your benefit. Everything from what to teach, to how to keep records, complete with samples and blank forms for you to fill out; as well as what most states list as the usual requirements, how to develop a course plan, write a course description, and how to award credits for Junior High or High School. If your students are just starting Junior High or High School you will find this book invaluable. If you already have a handle on the situation, you will appreciate her insight and great suggestions. I borrowed a copy from a friend, but am now ordering my own. I highly recommend you do, too.

Home schooling is supposed to be fun, not a stressful sprint to complete all the college entrance requiremens. Yet, concern leads many home schoolers to change their style to match what they 'think' is required. Mary Schofield's book helps relieve the stress. Specifically, she instructs the reader on how to write a credible syllabus for courses they are teaching or have taught. This in turn lends credibility to the high school transcript.

I attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from September 1964 through June 1972; I worked at the MIT Lincoln Laboratories in the summers of 1968 and 1970. I was given this book by the MIT Alumni Association, and found it to be remarkable in its truthful rendition of events that I lived through, and things that came afterwards (going to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in the 1990s), and seeing that Howard Johnson guided MIT through the late 1960s and beyond and the Museum of Fine Arts into a rebirth, and made it all look so easy. I look forward to the video that should accompany this!

Dr. Cannell is a physician who became interested in school testing after treating a young girl with above average IQ and well below average reading and math performance - as tested by a psychotherapist. Yet, her school standardized test performance was slightly "above the national norm." One thing led to another, and soon he became an education activist working for improvements through "accountability." There he learned that school administrators routine studied achievements tests to "align the curriculum" with the test questions. Unlike currently tested students, the norm group took the test "cold" - without having their curriculum aligned with the test.

Cannell then decided to survey all 50 states to see if any were testing below the publisher's "national norm." He could not find one state below average! After obtaining results from more than 3,500 school districts, he concluded that 70% of American school children, 90% of American school districts, and all 50 states were testing above the "national norm" on commercial norm-referenced achievement tests - an impossibility.

Cannell's book summarizes his processes, and then displays each state's data and test security.

Gail Thomas McKenna is without doubt the leading expert on Catholic religious education. If you've ever seen one of her lectures, you know what I'm talking about. After 30 years in the business, she's still going strong. I didn't think she could top her first three books, but she's gone and done it with "How to Be a Great DRE." Like her earlier works, this one is easy to read and yet goes into great details on what it takes to run a successful religious education program. A must-have for any DRE or teacher looking to improve their program. You will not be disappointed.

The Washington Post praised this as a "how-to classic" and I would agree with them. It's well-organized and filled with top-quality professional advice. It's also very 'readable' - which sets it apart from so many public speaking texts.

I found this book saved me a lot of time and worry, both in preparing formal speeches and informal presentations. Most important, it will make you a much better, and more confident, speaker.

Leslie Hart's masterpiece powerfully indicts conventional education as far too brain antagonistic. He explains in convincing and compelling language the brain's patterning and programming capacities as essential building blocks if in a secure setting with adequate feedback. Clearly, the enormous amount of infant learning that occurs without worksheets, drill, lectures, teaching and all the other armamentarium of schooling provides obvious proof of how the brain's powers that can harnessed for far greater learning results. Hart pioneered the concept of brain-based learning and remains the clearest exponent of its functioning and how to use the brain's enormous natural processes.

Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, I Dwell In Possibility: A Memoir by retired educator Toni McNaron is the personal history and testimony of a woman who grew up witness to southern apartheid in Alabama and who endured a long internal battle in search of her artistic and sexual identity. The thoughts, life history, and spiritually evolutionary experiences of an award-winning writer and educator make for a riveting, inspirational, and thoroughly absorbing read. I Dwell In Possibility is especially recommended for Women's Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.