Billings Books

I have enjoyed this little book, concise and to the point. Just about right to read or study.

Just starting to learn Linux, I needed a book that could help me understand better this operating system. I think that Billing's book tried to use the simplest possible methods to help beginners appreciate Linux.

Like the author of this little gem, I also have decades of computer experience. I began by
teaching myself FORTRAN on an IBM 1620 in the mid-60's. Since then I have written
lots of 8-bit machine code, but most of my work has been with high-level languages. Now
in my dotage I have set a personal goal to teach myself Linux. So I started with Sams Teach
Yourself Linux in 24 Hours. It was ok to get the feel of Linux, but in the end it was too much of a formula cookbook.
About mid-way through the book I lost interest and let it go. Then I tried Marcel Gagne's Moving to
Linux. Although the bundled Koppix CD was fun to play around with, the book never
got much beyond the GUI desktop. I was looking for a reference that would give a better
overall view of how Linux works and what I could expect from it. I think Billing's book may be
the one. I found it on the new book shelf at the library and read it pretty much straight through.
As a Linux newbie I won't know for sure whether the book is really that good until I get
my own sea legs (and then I won't need it any more!) But for now I think it fit my needs perfectly.
I enjoyed reading it and plan to buy my own copy as soon as the library forces me to give back the one
I borrowed.

The book presents medical billing employment opportunities, discusses biller's qualifications, introduces the ICD-9 and CPT concepts, teaches how to develop a claim, guides the completion of HCFA forms, discusses electronic data interchange, and offers separate chapters on managed care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, Medicaid, and workers compensation. Each chapter includes key terms and learning objectives as well as reinforcement exercises and examples designed to help learning the basics of insurance billing.

An excellent entry-level text for those learning about the insurance billing process.

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding

I knew nothing about health insurance. This book is definitely worth the money. What makes it stand out is there are examples they give to make it more clear, as well as a CD and test questions.

Josh Billings served with the 10th Mass Battery of Light Artillery during the Civil War. After having written the Official "History of the 10th Mass Battery" he responded to numerous requests to write a book about daily life in the Union Army. "Hardtack and Coffee" is an unpretentious, humorous look at life in the Union Army, Particularly the Light Artillery During the Civil War. Mr. Billings paints a vivid picture of living life under canvas, in the field. He addresses such topics as Army food, The day by Bugle calls, Beats (people who "avoided work"), punishments and more. This book is not a comedy, but is written with a light and readable style that makes it interesting to the average reader, as well as to those interested in the Civil War. this book is a must read for all readers of Civil War literature.

This is a very genuine and accurate account of a subject that has always fascinated me. It is written by the person who would know the material best--a genuine Civil War soldier--in excruciating detail and a suprisingly lively, colorful style for a book of nonfiction, not the stuffy, pompous style of encyclopedias. It contains well-articulated, balanced, open-mided opinions that are probably as unbiased as is possible for someone so close to the source.

Be aware, though, that this book contains only the personal experiences of the author, and is thus a source of information only about the Union, not the Confederacy. Still, it is an extremely informative book that reads almost like a novel, and I highly recommend it to any intellectual who is curious about conditions for the common soldiers in the American Civil War.

KnitKnacks: A small ornamental article used in the act of knitting; a trinket no knitter should be without (from the back cover of KnitKnacks)

With the resurgence of interest in knitting has come a commensurate interest in vintage knitting patterns. When not actively knitting, we enjoy reading about the world of knitting and the obsession we have with sticks and strings. With KnitKnacks: Much Ado About Knitting, Voyageur Press has combined these two elements, presenting images from vintage pattern books, old photos and artwork, along with essays from several well-known knitters.

The three essays are humorous and cover a range of topics.

-- Laura Billings asks the question, "Could knitting be so addictive that it's like a drug," and helps knitters determine when they've crossed the line from recreational knitter into an honest-to-goodness addict.

-- Clara Parkes considers the journey from yarnilepsy to yarnirvana and hopes that her personal story will help others realize that, no matter how long the journey, it is possible to reach yarnirvana and its infinite rewards.

-- Sigrid Arnott ponders on knitting for the man in your life as a means of staving off guilt and has found creative ways to ensure your gifts are truly useful and tailored to his interests. Grab the needles and some nylon rope and knit your man an Electric Cord Snood or use twine and wooden beads and knit up a Car Seat Shrug. And don't forget to read Arnott's small section at the end and you too can use guy talk; never again will your partner's eyes glaze over as you discuss your latest project. "Have you seen my on-demand textile fabrication toolkit?"

Knitters are encouraged to see themselves in the images of knitting in unusual places and the vintage images used to illustrate the various signs of yarn addiction. Muffled laughter is a sure sign that you recognize the "signs that yarn (and acquiring more of it) dominate your existence."

Armchair Interviews says: This little book is the perfect size to slide into a knitting bag and skim when you need validation that you are not alone in your relationship with yarn.

This is a cute little book, full of lots of pictures of vintage knitting memorabilia - ads, old instruction books, art. These are interwoven with clever text, ideas, and fun facts. Treat yourself or a fellow knitter to this fun volume.

Muhammed at Mecca is a remarkable volume that covers the first part of the prophet of Islam and the early days of his young nation prior to 622 CE, the year of Hijra when Muhammed left Mecca to Medina which also marks the first year of the Muslim calander. With much skill and ability to retrodict events and put them in their historical context, Watt offers this book as one of the most authentic works on the subject.
The volume is an academic work and might not appeal to all kinds of readers save for academics and those who are very interested in the subject. Watt employs the modern methodology in classifying, crediting and discrediting almost all of the primary sources of the time. Watt then objectively treats these sources and draws conclusions that a reader can rarely find in other places.
His gifted style helped a great deal in making a lengthy volume full of details entertaining for the reader and rather catchy. Those who are interested in reading about the whole story of Muhammed and his mission should also buy Watt's second volume, Mohammed at Medina, which covers his post Hijra years until his death in 632.
Too bad the book is out-of-print. Publishers should consider marketing a second edition since it would certainly deserve the attention and interest of many scholars and readers today.

W. Montgomery Watt wrote Muhammad at Mecca in response to his perceived need for a new look at the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) set in a fuller historical context. He states that part of this need arose from the broader desire of twentieth century historians to see historical events in relation to the economic, social, and political background prevalent at that particular time. The author asserts that the special feature of this biography of Muhammad is thus not that it combs available sources more minutely than others have done previously, but that it pays fuller attention to these material factors, and attempts to answer many questions that have hardly been raised in the past. When this work is juxtaposed with Watt's other work Muhammad at Medina, the two together constitute a comprehensive history of the life of Muhammad and the origins of the Islamic community. The author declares in the introduction of this work that it is first and foremost written for the historian. He warns though that there is inherently the human inclination of 'tendential shaping' by early historians to make allowances for distortions or even to make it more acceptable within the shadow of other religions such as Christianity or Judaism. Though many bibliographic sources used for this work are based on earlier primary sources, one must remember that there are no known written sources other than the Qur'an about the life of the Prophet written prior to about 150 years after his death.

There are a number of ways to count the trials of Oscar Wilde, but what's becoming widely known as the "fourth" Oscar Wilde trial is a fascinating incident which occurred after his death. It is certainly must reading for anyone wanting to be acquainted with the Wilde story; especially if you're American. Maud Allen, the Canadian-American who brought about the libel action which initiated the trial, is familar to Canadians and some Americans since Felix Cherniavsky's 1991 book "The Salome Dancer" was published and mentioned this incident. And now Philip Hoare, a Briton, provides us with a fuller treatment of the trial's flow. Hoare's book is nicely written and has some stunning photographs of Maud Allan performing on stage. My only criticism is that Mr. Hoare says Ms. Allan's opponent, Noel Pemberton Billing, was "Mosley Before His Time." He refers to Sir Oswald Mosley, a later leader of the British fascists. If Mr. Hoare really knew his fascists, rather than his sterotypes, he would know that Mosley affiliated with the left wing tradition as a moderate member of parliment. Mosley continued to advocate those economic remedies as a fascist, continued his interest and associations with Britains's cultural vanguard, and was remarkably tolerant about homosexuals. In fact, it's no secret that Mosley's son by a first marriage, Nicolas, was homosexual, and to that son Mosley left the papers detailing his long, extraordinary, and tragic career. Today Nickolas is a prominent and respected liberal novelist, and his books about his father, Rules of the Game and Beyond the Pale, indicate that respect was mutual.

This is how history should be written: exhaustively researched, well organized, good command of the language. This book goes way beyond what the title promises, giving us an encompassing social history of the "upper classes" of Britain from 1900 to 1918. Many surprises here, all of them believable. The only request: to give us, in an appendix, a more thorough vitae of the players.

This book is specifically designed for the first time father's without a clue. It discusses everything from the basics of morning sickness to really acknowledging the needs and support a woman requires during pregnancy. It also assist with opening discussions for what's happening and what's to come. We enjoyed it.

My husband has really enjoyed this book. He likes to know what's going on with baby and me. I enjoy him sharing little tidbits with me also. This book also covers topics that Dads-to-be may feel anxious about such as money matters and the labor process. The only thing he has mentioned is that he'll read the section for the month I'm in so quick, that he'll have nothing else to read for another month. Overall, great buy!

This book was simply terrible from my perspective. However, if you don't really care to learn that much and want to appear to your partner that you are doing something then this is the book for you.

I guess if the couple is married it will work. Unfortunately for our daughter, her fiance left her a month after the baby was born, so we'll never know if the book did any good. He was there for the pregnancy and delivery and did a great job, but something didn't stick.

This is my first and probably only Amazon review, but this book pushed me to it. As an upcoming first time dad, I was looking for books geared toward informing the father. Most books geared towards the soon-to-be dads tend to be humorous in nature, to varying degrees of success. This one was serious and quite informative. However, it suffers from a flawed sense of perspective that I found very distracting. It chronologically presents the journey of pregnancy and how it impacts the expectant father, but almost as if the male is agonizing more than the mom.

A perfect example comes from the chapter covering the 9th month of pregnancy: "Your partner's increased dependency is considered a "normal" part of pregnancy, But thanks to the ridiculous, gender-specific way we socialize people in this country, men are supposed to be independent, strong, supportive, and impervious to emotional needs - especially while their partners are pregnant. So just when you are feeling most vulnerable and least in control, your needs are swept under the rug, And what's worse, the one person you most depend on for sympathy and understanding may be too absorbed in what's going on with herself and the baby to do much for you".

This tone is pervasive throughout the book. If you relate to the above passage, you'll probably greatly enjoy this book. However, I was looking more for information about the experience of pregnancy and the father's role in it - not how to "cope" with the pressures and hassles. I think my wife had enough of those to deal with during these months, while I honestly didn't encounter any of the stresses the authors detail.

To summarize: Straightforward, and informative, but preoccupied with fatherly trials and travails that border on the unintentionally humorous.

I just finished this book and I am totally satisfatied. It's like I had a great meal.

This appealed to me simply because I have an interest in 'vengeance' storylines as opposed to revenge, and although I enjoyed it it didn't move me in particular, not emotionally at least. It was a tremendous odyssey however, winging its way from such unusual places as Vietnam to Canada to Dubai and on to Surinam - among many others. Chief among those others was Bosnia, and I have to admit I welcomed this history lesson about a series of conflicts that I never truly understood as well as I do now, thanks to Fred! Likewise the guerrilla warfare in Vietnam, even the Second World war - how superbly the author entwines fact with fiction and fills us with, if we're honest, a lot of unexpected knowledge on the way through this somewhat long-drawn-out mission of justice. Thanks to fascinating background on the central character of Cal Dexter, in particular his years as a 'tunnel rat' against the tactically superior Viet Cong army, we know that he is more than capable of carrying out the seemingly impossible task of finding and returning the Serbian war-lord to the paymaster who recruited him for his role of avenger. The tale contains more than passing associations with Al Qaeda too, and their 9/11 strikes, leaving the reader to wonder how it might have been avoided, or how Usama Bin Laden could have been found just days later. Not classic Forsyth I guess, but a mightily interesting tale nonetheless, and worth reading more than once.

This is a good story but not up to Forsyth's previous efforts. I found it difficult to connect the sub-plots early on, but everything eventually came together and sped to an exciting conclusion. Some careless editing, however: "Pres." for "President" and "Dir." for "Director."

A taut, clever tale brimming with backstory, 2003's "The Avenger" is a nice return to form for Frederick Forsyth, recalling if not attaining his "Day Of The Jackal" peak and showing there's life in the old boy yet.

Attorney Calvin Dexter lives quietly and alone in Pennsylvania after the deaths of his daughter and his wife. Unknown to everyone else, he leads a second life as self-styled "Avenger" for hire, calling upon skills honed as a tunnel rat in Vietnam to help other grieving families achieve closure by bringing those who have hurt them to justice. He needs all those skills when he takes on ex-Serbian paramilitary boss Zoran Zilic, whose Bond-villain name comes with a coastal fortress Blofeld might call home.

Reading Forsyth of late has been a disappointing experience for me; I picked up this book not knowing what to expect. "Icon" and "Fist Of God," his previous two novels, started strong only to peter out, hobbled by excessive exposition and plots that unfolded too neatly, drained of suspense. "Avenger" has a lot of exposition, and a neat wrap-up, yet it actually works very well this time, in part because Forsyth's writing has tightened and also because he has a real story to tell, one that resonates in the same way as his early classics.

The plot is engaging like "Jackal" because you don't quite know what the protagonist is up to. In "Avenger," like "Jackal," you are given a lead character operating alone and in secret, the differences being that Calvin Dexter is a sympathetic figure and known to you by name. We spend a good deal of time seeing Dexter in the time before his current life began, including a terrific sequence explaining the whole Tunnel Rat idea. A bit more exposition than needed, perhaps, especially when we travel to Dunkirk in 1940, but that's Forsyth's style, something his fans enjoy and others should allow for.

When the book begins to take off, however, it really soars, especially when the CIA gets involved. Zilic, see, is no ordinary exiled baddie, but one who has connections in the global underworld. And there's one man in particular who, as August turns into September of 2001, that CIA counter-terrorism boss Paul Devereaux would like Zilic's help in eliminating.

Devereaux is a complicated figure. He'd be the villain in almost anyone else's book, no question, as he works to keep Zilic safe. But Forsyth is wrestling with the problem of how to fight evil in today's world, and poses the question to the reader in an interesting way. This gives "Avenger" a kind of twist that makes it special in the Forsyth canon. Does the end justify the means? Is it better to leave Zilic to prey on his dozens of innocent victims to stop someone else from preying on hundreds of thousands?

Forsyth doesn't present any easy answers, just a tough story that keeps you reading. Dexter's confrontation with Zilic feels rushed, and it seems Forsyth could have done more with it than he did. Like the whole Avenger identity, you don't exactly buy it, but you enjoy it just the same. It's easy work enjoying Forsyth this time around, and hopefully there's more to come as Forsyth rediscovers the balance between giving history lessons and a ripping good yarn.

Rather than the "normal" thriller plot, Forsyth reveals an event early, and then the rest of the book leads up to that event.

While I agree with other reviewers that this is not "Jackal", the protaganist is a very methodical hero who is quite interesting.

If you like "cat and Mouse" suspense novels, this is a book for you. All the events are credible, and the contemporary setting of the Bosnian war is very interesting.

My first up-close experience with drug addiction occurred several years ago at the hospital where I work. The scenario was remarkably similar to that described by Dr. Verghese. A bright, warm, wonderful nurse anesthetist succumbed to addiction despite having attended a rehabilitation program.
In recent weeks a family member has shared with me the frustration of living with an addicted spouse: the lies, the denial, the missing money, the worry about finding a lifeless body in one's bed.
The Tennis Partner is not an optimistic portrayal of addiction, but it is an accurate one. I recommended it to my sibling, and to anyone else struggling to understand the addicted person.

The story started with a great suspense. I wanted to know what he (the Intern David) had done, who was he and what was about to happen when his pager beeped. I really like the author's style, the way he told his story. I just borrowed this book from the library but I ended up buying one for my collection. Its that good! I will be recommending it to our bookclub. Lots of emotion in the story.

The ending was sad and I kept thinking what went wrong with David. Was it parenting? Or was it David himself. The story, the way it was told, left a lasting impression in my mind.Cold Eyes

Whether or not you have a background in medicine, this book will draw you in and keep you interested. The only parts that may seem a bit tedious to run through are some of the tennis sequences. This may seem odd coming from a tennis player, but reading about tennis is like watching grass grow. However, the sequences do bring other parts of the book together, and they are tolerable.
My only other issue is Verghese's constant romanticizing of El Paso, neighboring Juarez, and their inhabitants. Having lived here for almost three years (*and* having worked as a physician in the hospital he mentions in his novel), I can promise you that the innocence, the bluster, and the graciousness of his side characters is almost completely fictional.
I don't think it would have detracted from the book to portray the city and the people more realistically.

My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end.

Dr. Vergesse has great powers of observation and uses them in a powerful way to record the demise of his young friend through cocaine addiction.

For persons (especially medical Doctors) without intimate knowledge of the power of addiction this should be very informative. For those with personal knowledge (especially medical Doctors) it should also be helpful.

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children was a very informative book for educators that address the aspect of culturally relevant teaching. The author, Gloria Ladsen-Billings, talks about the relationship of pedagogy and how to fulfill the needs of African American children. Ladson-Billings also addresses seven critical points that many educators have brought up, which include: a case for separate schools, the growing educational and anthropological literature in ways schools can be made to be more compatible with all of the students' cultural backgrounds, the way that a classroom's social interactions are structured in a critical aspect of culturally relevant teaching, the teachers' conceptions of themselves and others, the teachers' conception of knowledge, the teaching of elementary literacy and mathematics, and ways for improving the academic performance and the school experience of African American students.I am only going to discuss three points that I agree with most which include the case for separate schools, how education literature is allowing the schools to be more compatible with a student's cultural background and how teachers teach elementary literacy and mathematics.
The first critical point that the author brings up asks if there is a case for separate schools. It does tell us that there is a growing isolation of those that are African American with the type of education that the children receive today in public schools. I am inclined to disagree with the case for separate schools because many teachers do have a growing disaffection towards African American students, as well as students of other minority status which is not discussed in this book. I am also sure that teachers do have a stereotype towards African American children as well because if they are not experienced on how to handle teaching their students of another race, they will be less likely to focus on them in class.
The author also discusses how educational literature is growing in ways that schools are able to be much more compatible with their students background. When I did an internship at an elementary school, I could tell that many of the teachers and principals showed interest in making sure their school was diverse. I do disagree in the fact that I have heard from others and also can see where they are coming from in that there definitely is a lack of literature of the African American experiences taught in class. It is rare to see a classroom in which the African American culture is taught, and it is something that should be considered.
Another critical area was how the teachers taught elementary literacy and mathematics. The teachers focused equally on those who were illiterate and literate as well as those who did or did not excel in math. I can definitely see why the teachers handled this because I have seen first hand at how some teachers do not cure and just continue teaching. Taking the time to make sure a child understands what they are learning in school; especially an important area such as reading is very valuable in their education. Making sure that children can read and add is very important and something that should not be ignored. However, I do disagree on how teachers taught elementary literacy and mathematics, I believe how they went about it was completely wrong. For instance, I think a child who is struggling in a certain subject should not be pulled out of class during the time that subject is taught. In addition to the class time, the student should have extra tutoring. Pulling them from class is not the best solution.
The quality of the book's argument convinces those who are likely to see things differently. She expalins in detail what is culturally relevant teaching. She also describes her observations and the components and results that had occurred throughout. Finally, she was successful in questinoning the teacher's views of how African Americans are schooled. The reasons that the author gives support the main argument in great detail. I believe that teachers are fully capable of allowing these students to succeed if they are willing to do so and give it their best effort.

Author Ladson-Billings (1994) book "The Dreamkeepers", gave me valuable inside on examples of various challenging and rigorous classrooms, and the emphasis the author put in presenting the cultural and social aspects of schooling when framing education as a whole, was evident. However the author makes the problems of African American children the main issue at stake in her book. Therefore I was presented with a fact and a different point of view based on statistics while conducting my research: One cannot lobby to change the system for one type of minority, to be successful at change. One has to see the "spreading tumor' per se, as a culturally diverse illness, affecting all of us. We, as a diverse society cannot try to make only one minority the beneficiary of our input, improvement, and educational reform. According the U.S. Department of Education (2004) NCLB (No child left behind) report, it showed that among the reading and math proficiency levels of performance for 4th graders in 2003, African American children were slightly lower, by one to five percent, under performing the Hispanics, meaning Hispanics proficiencies in reading and math are slightly better, just slightly, but this does not justify viewing the problem of minority children as being only an African American one. To be successful at change, one has to be more objective and start change for all minorities, why is it so vital to start with only one? I know poverty and lack of social skills are a major factor, but imagine how difficult it is to learn with a new language too.

Changes need to apply to all minorities, if one starts with only one minority, one is not addressing one method of change but only one perceived suitable application for one race. It just seems logical to improve all problems minorities face with the same vigor and dedication in order to truly make changes. I just do not see why is it that African Americans or any race should be the starting point. We are all culturally diverse, aren't we? Unless we are seeing this from the historical point of view again, and we are only to consider the many challenges one race has always faced historically in the U.S. school system, but that still does not justify starting -subjectively speaking- with a minorty that could have, or perceivably so, has been least served.

My two cents...SUSAN WILDBURGER

Though Ladon-Billings leans towards idealism constructing a perfect model of societal bliss, this book does show the underlying lack of knowledge many people have regarding educational issues. Those who say that the African-Americans' educational problems are their own fault show incredible short-sightedness to the truth of history. Have we forgotten that the Africa diaspora of colonialism was a forced migration to this country that treated blacks as inferior, and thus that it was a waste of time to educate them? In order for racism to stop, people have to recognize that there is no one race better than any other. All races have value and thus all races should be celebrated. God created them all. An understanding of this will lead to advances in the educational system which often has curricula that have no connection to many of its students. Ladson-Billings book, though primarily focused on African-Americans, is still an important blueprint toward removing some of the blinders people wear when it comes to historical truth. This book is for those who have ears to hear.

The author of Dreamkeepers makes the argument that African American children can be successful in school if changes are made by the education community. Gloria Ladson-Billings advocates for "culturally relevant teaching" which she believes will allow children to achieve academic success while maintaining a positive African American identity. By examining historical inequalities and the poor state of current education and achievement of African American children, the future may appear bleak or even destined for failure. Ladson-Billings offers examples of teachers, teaching methods, and ideas to keep the dream of education and success alive for African American children today. The focus of the book is the roles teachers have in helping children find success and examples of how teachers of African American children have been successful in this role. The way children should be taught is also discussed because she claims that the way children are taught is often more important than what they are taught. Ladson-Billings believes that these ideas could be used to get teachers, parents, and community members to redesign schools to better meet the needs of African American children, and after considering her reasons and evidence provided I am inclined to agree with these ideas.
The study was done in a predominantly low income African American community. To find successful teachers of African American children, Ladson-Billings asked parents and community members and then principals. When she had gathered a list of possible names, she chose only the names that had appeared from both groups. Ladson-Billings notes a distinction between excellent teaching and teachers because she does not want the examples to be dismissed as a cult of personality. Current problems in education will not be corrected if findings of success are viewed as exceptions, so she offers the examples in hopes that they can become the typical educational experience of African American children.
Through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and personal reflections the author develops the idea of culturally relevant teaching. To demonstrate how culturally relevant teaching might improve education, she describes three programs that are used in educating African American children. The first is to ignore differences that exist. It is designed to remediate or accelerate progress without attending or acknowledging to students' social or cultural needs. The second is the idea that problems are rooted in pathology and children need to be removed from it, so African American children are socialized into mainstream behaviors and values while teaching them basic skills. The third is culturally relevant teaching, where differences are seen as strengths. The concept of culturally relevant teaching is the cornerstone in Ladson-Billings' argument to improve the educational experience for African Americans. Student learning is facilitated by capitalizing on students' own social and cultural background. The broad nature of this concept is a strength to its usefulness because teachers can accomplish this using many ways. Culturally relevant teaching is valid teaching style because it does not expect teachers to follow certain steps. Pedagogy that tells teachers to follow specific steps like teaching is a recipe is unrealistic and useless. Culturally relevant teaching practices can be used in countless teaching styles and curriculum because the underlying theme of appreciation of culture and differences will create a better learning environment and better results for African American children.

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children
By, Gloria Ladson-Billings

Gloria Ladson-Billings starts this book by posing this question, "Do African American students need separate schools?" She concludes her studies by saying, "What African American students need are better schools." Her main argument throughout this book is that culturally relevant teaching practices would be a huge part of creating these "better schools." Ladson-Billings suggests that there are many key characteristics of culturally relevant teachers. Some of these consist of the teachers seeing themselves as an artist and teaching as an art, they believe that all students have the ability to succeed, they demonstrate a connectedness with all of their students, and they help students develop necessary skills for their lives. These are just a few of the many characteristics that have to do with culturally relevant teachers.
In order to find out more about culturally relevant teaching, Gloria Ladson-Billings conducted a study to find and examine culturally relevant teachers. She started out this study by asking parents and community members for the names of some teachers who were very successful at teaching African American students. Next she asked the principals of area schools to provide a list of successful teacher's names. Once eight of the same teacher's names appeared on both lists, and those teacher's agreed to participate, she stared her investigations. She combined classroom observations, interviews, and personal experience to come up with her argument for culturally relevant teaching.
Ladson-Billings' argument for culturally relevant teaching came about because she saw negative effects on students whose culture and history did not appear in their textbooks or in their lessons. She believes that African American students need to achieve academic success while still maintaining a positive African American identity. She believes that it is the teacher's responsibility to help the students want to choose academic success. In her study she had multiple teachers who were just like this. They did not care where these students were or what other people had said about these students, they knew that they could succeed and that they would succeed with their help. They, many times, would work with them on an individual level to help them in whatever way that they could. In the end, all of the students who were thought of as being difficult or not intelligent enough to learn certain skills, ended up learning what they needed to know and sometimes more. That is what made these teachers such great teachers.
Personally, I agree with these reasons to support culturally relevant teaching. I think that if students do not see their cultural history correctly displayed in textbooks or in lessons in the classroom this could cause the children to see themselves as insignificant or inferior to those of a different cultural or racial background. I also agree that African American students should and can achieve academic excellence while still maintaining a positive African American culture and identity. I think that it is a wonderful teacher who can do both of these things, help them achieve academic excellence and maintain a positive image of themselves and their background. I hope that I can be one of these wonderful teachers who can do that.
I also believe that Ladson-Billings' evidence for culturally relevant teaching is both convincing and relevant. Most of her evidence is given through her classroom observations and her interviews with the teachers. She shows that when a teacher is culturally relevant, the students end up learning more and in many cases the students like that class more. In situations where the teacher is not culturally relevant the children do not learn as much or as easily and do not enjoy the class to the same extent as the other students with culturally relevant teachers. In the final chapter of this book she talks about one of her student teachers who is too impatient and does not bring in any cultural relevance when trying to teach three sixth graders math. That teacher ended up sending those students back to their seats with homework that they had no idea how to complete. This would be an example of a teacher who is not culturally relevant. The result was that the students did not find it interesting and did not learn anything from the lesson.
The one problem that I do see with her study is that she only examined eight teachers. I think that is hardly enough to base a whole argument off of. I do think that is definitely a great start but it may be more helpful so study many more teachers. She also only studies African American students. She does not even begin to look at any other races. I believe that culturally relevant teaching would be a wonderful idea for both African American students and students of any other race.
Altogether, I think that Gloria Ladson-Billings makes a wonderful argument for culturally relevant teaching. Her main point is that students will learn better and will enjoy learning more if the lessons are culturally relevant and if the teacher is also. The only weakness that I saw with this argument is the amount of people that she studied. Overall, I think that this is a good argument and was a great book for a future teacher to read.