3 comments about The Emergency Teacher: The Inspirational Story of a New Teacher in an Inner City School.

1. How many employment opportunities require minimal or absolutely no experience required? I certainly didn't expect that teaching would be one of them when I first looked into substitute teaching.
   
   There are some areas in the U.S. where substitute teaching requires an actual teaching degree. These jobs are filled by newly graduated or retired teachers. There are other areas in this country where "some" college or simply a H.S. diploma is the requirement.
   
   The difference comes down to supply and demand economics. If you have an excess of talent in a small market, you will almost certainly need a master's degree to step into a teacher's role for the day.
   
   I just finished reading "The Emergency Teacher" that relates the first hand account of Christina Asquith's first year as a full time teacher at one of the worst schools in Philadelphia, despite being untrained and uncertified.
   
   Synopsis:
   
   "School District of Philadelphia, in desperate need of 1,500 new teachers, instituted a policy of hiring "emergency certified" instructors. Asquith, then a 25-year-old reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, joined their untrained ranks. More challenging than her classroom in the crime-infested neighborhood known as "the Badlands" are the trials she faced outside, including a corrupt principal, the politics that prevented a million-dollar grant from reaching her students, and the administration's shocking insistence that teachers maintain the appearance of success in the face of utter defeat..."
   
   She lasted a full 180 day school year and didn't result in the typical Hollywood ending.
   
   That's 179 more days than I would have attempted had I been crazy enough to try. I guess that's the difference between being young, idealistic and full of energy .vs. mature (re: much older), realistic and pooped.



2. Every teacher young and old should have this book. This book tells the tale of a new teachers struggle to get through to an inner-city school. Sure there have been plenty of movies with the same plot, but this account is great. Chirstina Asqquith writes with heart and soul, and you will really route for her in this inspirational story.



3. It is fair to note that had Christina Asquith taught in a more affluent part of Philadelphia or a middle class suburban community, she probably couldn't write a book about her one-year experience as a teacher. Before being trained as such (even trained teachers have to struggle in the beginning by learning on the job) she should not have accepted a teaching job from a district which would simply throw her to the wolves, as such. As she pointed out, a few teachers in this abysmal school were dynamic and great managers of their classes. And it seems true (was for me, at least) that it takes about three years to build ones teaching techniques--and maybe five years to really feel confident. But Asquith had an unfortunate placement in a tragically-run school.
   
   Nevertheless, Asquith's portrayal of the (reputed) worst school in Philadelphia (and too many others come close) is heart-rending and shocking, and the revelation an embarrassment to the district--let's hope.
   
   The author had it many times harder than I. How she held on for a full school year is a testament to her character in the face of the school district's incompetence. The book is more revelatory than inspirational, and though a fast and sometimes engrossing read it is rather depressing. I think a prospective teacher--who isn't desperate--would tend to not teach in a big-city public school after reading this account.
   
   I retired a few months before Asquith started her experiment in teaching, and my school (after at least 30 years of relative calm) was just starting to become infected by students creating bedlam in their classrooms and hallways. I had good control, was creative and motivational, but even my tolerence with the system forced me and other veterans in the school to take the early retirement incentive being offered by the state (so the district could hire two new teachers for the price of one veteran with higher degrees). We could see what was coming.
   
   Now, the reader will understand why 50 percent of new hires leave teaching within 3-5 years--the shorter time representing big-city public schools. Teaching can be very rewarding, but also one of the toughest jobs there is, and the emotional stress is equal to that of a police person "on the beat"--I've read.
   
   The following partial paragraph from page 98, gives a sense of the entire book:
   
   "I'd set out wholly single-mindedly to learn to teach, and suddenly my failure became a real possibility. I'd personally staked everything on suceeding, I'd given up my career, my Inguirer [Newspaper] friends... If I was failing and wasn't making a shred of difference, what was the point? How could I answer the question: How was your day?"
   
   A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

5 comments about Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution.

1. A must have for anyone who works with education...It gives you a fresh outlook on teaching & and that there is a refreshing way to teach various subjects...



2. No seriously, this book is phenomenally self-aware, and self-critical, while also making a strong case for totally dismantling institutionalized education. But Jensen doesn't simply condemn a system built to squash the human spirit, he goes far, far beyond that. For every page explaining the horrors of the traditional educational model and his problems working within it, he provides ten pages of real life examples of how he answered the toughest question of all, "what would you do instead?" The fact that he gives us a peek into his fantastic classes is tempered by his constant reminders that there is no one answer. Instead, we all must constantly probe our innermost depths to find our own answers. How will we confront systems of conformity and discover how to be ourselves?



3. This is one of the most moving books I've read in several years. If you are a teacher this book will lead you to re-evaluate and think about what you are doing and how you treat your students. This was the first book that I've read by Derrick Jensen and I look forward to reading the rest of his books in the near future.



4. While evangelicals/creationists strive to retard education Derrick Jensen encourages us to inspire and challenge students. Instill passion and imagination and refute mind-numbing dogma.



5. Jensen's "W.O.W" is part memoir, part polemic on America's industrialized system of education which he has been a part of as a writing teacher in higher ed and the prison system. His arguments for the power of writing as a humanizing force are compelling and inspiring for teachers of writing at any level, and his anecdotes describing his unconventional approach to classroom teaching are thought-provoking for any teacher looking for a fresh perspective on reaching students. And it's a quick and entertaining read!

No comments about Earning My Degree: Memoirs of an American University President.

1 comments about Pilgrimage into Pentecost: The Pneumatological Legacy of Howard M. Ervin.

1. Daniel D. Isgrigg has done an amazing job of not only telling the story of Dr. Ervin's life but also captured the essense of his teachings. As Pentecostals, we must have sound exegesis and know why we believe what we do. I look forward to Mr. Isgrigg's new book which I have linked below.
   
   Why I Want to Be Left Behind: Exposing the Fiction in Today's End-Times Prophecy Teaching

3 comments about Molder of Dreams.

1. I first saw Guy Doud's video Molder of Dreams a few years ago, and I was in awe of the passion he has for his career and for the students he reaches. I read this book after seeing the video and was gripped even more intensely by reading a more detailed account of some of the experiences his video touches on. Doud refers to himself as a 'feeler' in his field therefore trying to reach beyond just the 'three R's' of schooling. Doud is an excellent write and is an expert at touching heartstrings through his words. I was at the point of tears and laughing out loud at different places throughout this book. This is one of those books I've read several times--especially when I've gottne frustrated with the teaching courses I'm taking to become a teacher. I can't wait to read Doud's other works.



2. This book was recommended to me after I was selected as high school teacher of the year for our school district. Being a Christian and an educator, I was so inspired by the feelings of this wonderful author and person. Doud shares his personal feelings about his students and his passion for teaching. It is easy to see how he eventually became national teacher of the year. I recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to make a difference in the field of education. It is truly inspiring.



3. Guy Doud was 1986 teacher of the year. Hailing from Brainerd, Minnesota, he writes of his difficult experiences growing up and how his teachers and peers affected him.

   Doud demonstrates that teachers are the molders or destroyers of dreams. All of us, then, are teachers and we are letters to others simply by our actions.

   As teachers, we can write letters of hope and encouragement or failure and distress, on the hearts of those we meet.

   Doud challenges the reader to ask whether they want to be remembered for a letter that is positive or negative.

No comments about John Henrik Clarke: Master Teacher.

5 comments about Following Mateo.

1. I really enjoyed this book. Without even noticing, I learned about the country of Belize and the Mayan culture as the author creatively wove historical details into a humorous, touching account of his own journey. I found myself both sympathizing and laughing with him as he tries to learn, and keep up, with the ins and outs of an unfamiliar culture. I became quickly invested in the main character and eager for him to come out on top!



2. Following Mateo is a personal memoir of Tom Molanphy's two year stint as a volunteer educator in Belize. Mateo is a Mayan Indian whom the author becomes very close to in the course of his internship. Following Mateo, the title, refers to the author's attempts to get Mateo to take him to the bush country of Belize. The author has successfully integrated history, anthropology, cross cultural studies and religion into this highly readable memoir.
   I am a college professor teaching English l02 - a writing course using argument from social science topics and also literature, particulary memoir. My students - all l05 of them - absolutely loved the book. They liked the author's descriptive writing style which made them feel they were right there in Belize.They liked the many lively characters that the author presents. They liked the way the author integrated his personal journey with the daily events. They liked reading about a young man on an adventure who had questions about life, about religion, about risktaking. They liked the crosscultural atmosphere of the book and the way the author showed these differences. They liked the light hearted and humorous aspects of the book. They liked the various insights the author gained during his journey, especially about friendship. In writing their essays they were able to center on diverse messages and were often able to interract with the memoir from their own experiences. One student said she liked the book because the author opened himself up and was not "preachy". I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the essays my students were able to write due to the many insights the author offered. It was indeed a journey of joy. I recommend this book to college professors of freshman writing and senior high school teachers as well as volunteer coordinators in various non-profit groups.



3. Following Mateo is definitely a down to earth book. My friend Tom definitely put it right about life in the southern villages of Toledo and also as a missionary. I've known Tom for the two years that he spent here in Belize. I loved the book and will definitely read it again.



4. Tom Molanphy has a good story to tell about a search for self in a country of different cultures, languages, races,etc. While reading "Following Mateo" I was transported back from the hazzles of everyday life and never-ending city activity to Southern Belize where, through Tom's creative descriptions, I found myself engulfed by nature. Peppered with humor Tom lets us experience father nature in a unique fashion. He tells of how it demands respect,of how we have to adjust to accommodate it and of how rough it can be and yet how soothing her gentle embrace. The book took me through trails under the towering canopies and over mountains that lead to discoveries of people living from the land. People who have learned to coexist and respect the land.
   The book was and excellent read. It thought me about the journey of life and the little journeys within. It also thought me to, every now and then, "stop and smell the flowers, but to be careful not to get stung by a bee that may have beat me to those flowers".



5. An odyssey: into the jungles and wetlands of Belize, into the hearts and lives of a few native Belizians, and into the process of self knowledge and maturity, best describes, for me, Tom Molanphy's well crafted adventure/pilgrimage book: Following Mateo! Tom writes with grace and great self deprecating humor and enthusiasm about his journey to Belize as a volunteer teacher, his evolving friendship with an older tribal wise man and leader, Mateo, and their adventures.

   Through an invitation to personally tutor Mateo's young daughter, Tom experiences the hospitality of Mateo's family and a growing knowledge of their way of life. Tom's desire to get Mateo to take him "into the bush," i.e., the deep jungle territory where (in his perception) ancient ritual hunting and gathering rites of the Ke'kechi take place. His subsequent hiking adventures to "prove" his capabilities to Mateo provide hilarious incidents of gradual self awareness for this young American "gringo," Tom.

   As a veteran Jr. High/High School humanities teacher, I feel that this is a book that would appeal to this age range of student. It is a very "good read" for the adult reader as well.

No comments about Frank Boyden of Deerfield: The Vision and Politics of an Educational Idealist.

3 comments about Then Darkness Fled: The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington (Leaders in Action Series).

1. Then Darkness Fled is a celebration of the life of Booker T. Washinghton and tells of a man who dined with heads of state and became the first Afro-American to receive honorary degrees from Harvard and Dartmouth. Chapters survey both his achievements and his life in this lively coverage.



2. In another sterling volume of the Leaders in Action series, Stephen Mansfield here outlines the life and character of Booker T. Washington. In vivacious voice and moving magniloquence, Mansfield traces Washington's path from slavery to his founding of Tuskegee Institute. He shows the difficulties Washington surpassed in reaching his goals, and the principles that helped him make it. In the words of Washington, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succed." By this standard, Booker T. Washington was an astonishingly successful man.

   Washington wrote his own autobiography, _Up From Slavery_, which must certainly not be neglected. But Mansfield's biography is also a criticial read because he includes facts that the autobiographer was too modest to mention, and he highlights wonderful aspects of Washington's character that humility prevented him from including. This biography doesn't contain the wonderful self-analysis and insight of Booker himself - but it does contain all the benefits of a third person account.

   One thing I really appreciated about this book was its terrific analysis of slavery and inter-race reconciliation. Expounding Booker's opinion, Mansfield blames both whites and blacks for the problems that cropped up after the Civil War. Whites needed to repent of their brutal treatment of slaves and actually begin considering blacks more than mere animals; and blacks needed to repent of their spirit of bitterness toward their white enslavers, and begin working hard and leaving no excuse for disrespect of blacks. Too many books on reconciliation have practically advocated bitterness, hatred, and laziness when what is really needed is Washington's outlook of forgiveness and hard work. This book offers relief from such pride.

   To wrap up, this is a great biography. Good history, good style, and good content. Buy it.




3. This book is one of those rare gems that, if you're really fortunate, you come across from time to time. I received it as a gift from one of my mentors, Charlie Jones, who had, for some time now, been speaking of Booker T. Washington as one of his heroes. Having only a very surface knowledge of Mr. Washington - knowing that he was born a slave and went on to become founder of the famed Tuskegee Institute - he was a hero of mine, as well. After all, one could only imagine what he had to overcome to have achieved all he did.
   
   However, after reading this book by Pastor Stephen Mansfield, the greatness of Mr. Washington simply came alive for me. He was a man of character, a man of faith, a dreamer and a doer; a man who moved mountains and moved hearts.
   
   He had a plan - he had a dream - for taking his people from a horrible situation and helping them to move up and become successful in every way.
   
   Unfortunately, as the author points out, he was fought every step along the way - often most by those he was trying to help and, in time, and long after he died in 1915, was disparaged by many as simply naïve, foolish, a misguided optimist, betrayer to his people.
   
   Of course, none of this is true. Reading the story of Booker T. Washington in 2007 we can look back in hindsight and see that everything he taught - regarding the importance of character, thrift, knowledge, wisdom, forgiveness, love, persistence, delayed gratification, humility, etc. - is the way to build oneself, one's people and one's nation.
   
   Only now is this man's wisdom and greatness beginning to once again be recognized and embraced. This book should be read by anyone and everyone looking to achieve greatness in their life. Read this book and you'll have the roadmap for doing so.
   
   Booker T. Washington was a wonderful man; a hero. And the author, Pastor Mansfield, did a superb job in telling the story.
   
   P.S. By the way, if you get an opportunity to read the booklet, "Character Building" by Booker T. Washington it will also be WELL worth your time. It's a reprinting of a number of his "Sunday Evening Talks" to his students and faculty members. The advice and wisdom that Mr. Washington shared is simply amazing.

1 comments about The DISCIPLINE OF HOPE: LEARNING FROM A LIFETIME OF TEACHING.

1. Above all, Herbert Kohn, teacher extraordinary, says we must listen to children so we can discover how to teach them. Then, he lays a heavy one on us: ALL children can learn. And he takes us with him so we can watch him do it. In schoolrooms, homes, churches, public areas, from East coast to West coast and back again -- wherever the learners are. He lets us see why top-down public education policy is not the best way. We haven't asked the teachers who know -- and can figure out if they are allowed to do so -- how to do this thing called teaching. And never does he separate teaching and learning. They work together. Readers get to see some of the special projects Kohl has worked on and hear some of the students who have learned with him. He has done some amazing work but tells about it in such a way that it seems possible to the rest of us, whether teachers, learners, parents, or taxpayers.