5 comments about On Being a Therapist (Jossey Bass Social and Behavioral Science Series).

1. I really enjoy this book. I like the way the author is so blunt and frank about the pros and cons of psychotherapy. Gives a realistic view of what I will most likely encounter later in my career.



2. Absolutely the best book to read for a therapist, whether beginner or well experienced in the field. It's so honest, with a hint of humor, and laid out so organized. The progression from introducing the concepts to applying in day to day therapist work is very well thought out and written. It doesn't pathologize any real personal feelings that a therapist can have during and about their work, but instead it accepts it as it is, and then tries to help one understand where it's coming from. When I read this book, it helped me feel so validated about my own frustrations with my work, and also helps me reflect my own part in it, and what I can do next. I've taken a more self-awareness and directive approach in pursuing my career as a therapist after reading this. It is not pretentious at all, yet so very precise and well-supported by discussions of what it means to be a therapist. I think every therapist should read this to be an ethical therapist in the field, and also for own personal self-care in our profession. I'm in love with this book.



3. My human sexuality professor recommended this book. She stated it helped her when she was beginning to practice. I am an LAPC and when I began to read this book, I could not put it down. It normalizes so many feelings that beginning therapists have. Please get this book, I am re-reading it!!



4. I begin graduate school this fall to become a therapist and this was my best summer read thus far on therapy. It's very well written and very honest.



5. I like this book because it reads easily. It's very relatable and written in a more personal, less formal way than my other textbooks.

2 comments about Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide (J-B Warren Bennis Series).

1. This will be a classic on leadership in time. Two things make this book a winner. One, Bill George has 35 years of impressive corporate experience culminated in a super impressive 10 year CEO tour with Medtronics. Second, he and his Harvard staff interviewed 125 CEO's nationwide to bring research for his leadership principles. This makes them very helpful to new and experienced leaders.
   
   Bill George declares his mission at age 65 is to help produce the leadership that our nation must have in these uncertain times.



2. It was one of my text books from the MOL program (Master of Organizational Leadership)at Biola University. It's a great book to help opening a new path to survey one's 'self.' the book shows me how to develop/improve my character up to the point that how to become an authentic leader. following by the guidances and applied to my daily life, I found my true north and gained more understanding of how to developed them and used them in a full benefit to others.

No comments about Change Leadership: A Practical Guide to Transforming Our Schools (Jossey-Bass Education).

5 comments about Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting Into College (Jossey Bass Education Series).

1. "Admission Matters" attracted me for a number of reasons--the background, experience and knowledge of the authors is compelling, but moreover I chose this book because as the parent of three with two already in college and the third an applicant now, I was hopeful that I would find new details and advice regarding the competitive hurdles that my youngest will be facing. My hopes were more than fulfilled! This book is an engaging and informative resource that blends just the right amount of humor, candor, anectodal details, encouragement and reality for parents and their college bound kids. It is also organized to facilitate quick reads of sections and question areas of greatest interest. This is a refreshing and valuable guide in the high-anxiety sea of college planning.



2. This is an outstanding book. What I appreciate most about it is its thoughtfulness. Where other books present statistics and give only brief attention to very important topics, this book presents a fair, smart, and thorough account of the World of Admissions and encourages you to sit down and think about things, guiding you along each step of the process.



3. This book is clearly written and an excellent guide for the high school student and parents.



4. As a high school senior, I've been having the usual problems with finding a college that I feel is right for me, and then actually going about the process of applying. Not only was this book helpful in answering nearly all of my questions, but it is written in an interesting, friendly manner that I found heartening in the midst of a process that has been incredibley stressful! I recommend this book not only to high school students but their parents as well - my Mother read it and she loved it too!



5. The best book I read so far. As an admission consultant, I think it covers the basic information that parents and kids should know. I even met her in person this year. There is one little problem about this book - it is two years old. So new things happened within these two years have not yet been covered, such as the SMART grant (new for year 2007).

5 comments about The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children.

1. 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



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

5 comments about Bass Guitar for Dummies.

1. BOOK AND CD ARE A GREAT LEARNING TOOL BOTH WERE VERY GOOD.I RECOMEND IT FOR ANYONE JUST STARTING OUT LEARNING BASS GUITAR.



2. I simply love the "For Dummies" book series. So, as a beginner in playing the bass, I had to purchase this book immediately and I found out that it's exactly as I expected: an introduction to the world of bass guitar, written in a funny manner, without the usual boring details that a "normal" guide would provide.



3. I'm a new bass player and this book is great -- I actually sleep with it, hoping to absorb even more through osmosis. I love Patrick's straight-forward approach and sense of humor. While I haven't looked at many other bass guitar books, I like how this one uses music, tabulature and the grid to show what to play. The initial/basic exercises are great for a beginner like myself, and make of lot of sense in the learning process. The CD is helpful, but it keeps playing straight through from one example/track to the next. I might need to change the settings on my computer or CD player, but I think it would be better if it stopped after each track so I could manually play the tracks, one-by-one, and look at the book at the same time to see exactly what is being played. Hopefully, when I become a great bass player, after using this book and practicing a lot, I will be quoted on the cover :) right up there with Adam Clayton.



4. Usually I have nothing but praise for the "For Dummies" guides. Not this time. I suspect the fatal flaw here centers on the "Bonus Audio CD!"--conjuring up associations with a prize in a Cracker Jack box. About halfway through the book it dawns why the material is flying over my head.
   
   The CD is not incidental to the book. It's essential. "Bass Guitar" seems built around the CD. Kick out the CD prop and you'd have no book. I'm afraid the author assumed that a shiny piece of plastic would so dazzle that readers wouldn't notice the indifferent writing. It's a slight-of-hand that simply does not work.



5. This is a great book, it's easy to follow and full of useful tips. It's helpful for beginners (like me) and a friend of mine with 25 years' playing experience found it worth his while too.

5 comments about The Reading Teacher's Book Of Lists, 5th Edition (J-B Ed: Book of Lists).

1. We use this book with our students in school regularly. I bought a copy for my home. All four of my children (ages 10 - 17) refer to it time and again. It is a must for a home library. I keep it right next to the dictionary and thesaurus.



2. This is the second copy of the Book of Lists that I have purchased. My old one was so worn and falling apart after years of use that I wanted a new updated copy. I love this resource and use it almost daily in the classroom. I highly recommend it.



3. This is the best reference book! Every year I buy one for my student teacher because I think it is so great. I use it to create challenge spelling lists using the same spelling pattern we are studying that week for my high achievers plus there are lots of great ideas in here.



4. The Reading TEacher's Book of Lists is good for any Elementary Teacher to have and use on a daily basis. There are lists of just about anything you need to teach reading. I found myself using this constantly in the classroom, right in front of the kids. Our spelling list was based on the use of silent letters. The kids wanted to know what other words there were, so we looked it up and came up with a large list to talk about.
   
   I found that the students were having a hard time with certain word spellings during writing and looked up in the book the spelling demons. Together we made a list on chart paper to post in the room. Their spelling improved immeadiately because they just looked up at the wall and saw the words.
   
   The book is truly made for teachers! It is well laid out and easy to locate certain lists for your given need.



5. This text is invaluable. As a Title 1 teacher, I use it frequently to target those specific deficit skills. No longer must I depend upon memory or a workbook to provide key words for targeted practice. As a classroom teacher, this text provides fabulous lists of words based upon skill-specific information. It aides the targeting of deficit areas, and is intuitive in its use. This text is a must have. I would spend much more time "inventing"(read here- trying to remember words that have the ____ sound) instead of simply listing words for target areas for intensive intervention. It is also a terrific gift for beginning teachers! Worth every penny.

5 comments about The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church.

1. Excellent book which speaks to the problems the modern church faces. Gives specific information and direction to deal with current issues. I have found this work tremendously useful in advocating change for the church I serve as pastor.



2. Fantastic book. Really makes you reflect on your ministry and the questions the book asks gives a structure for evaluating the overall focus of your church. I would highly recommened this book for someone seeking to bring about revitalization within their congregation and personal ministry.



3. Reggie McNeal writes a thought provoking book that will either excite and challenge you or anger you. Not everyone is ready for the truth that is laid out in his book. But it is the truth none the less. The American Church has lost the right to be heard and this book gives us some tough questions we need to ask ourselves in doing a self-evlaution and earning the right to share the important message of Jesus Christ and be heard by those who need to hear it. This book was a great confirmation for our church in who we are and why we don't seem to fit in with the other churches in our community. God is doing a new thing and this book has shown our church we are part of it. I am now taking our entire church leadershipo through the book. I highly recommend every Christian who is tired of "doing church" and maintaining the status qou read this book.



4. For many years I have felt disenfrancised from the church, even though I have spent my entire life in it and even raised my family in it. Now that I am nearing fifty, I have found myself seeking ways to spread my faith that are real and substantive. This Present Future has given verbal affirmation to what I've felt all along, and to what I've always known to be true. But in Churchian circles, the only truth is the one they tell you, and to think outside the box is frowned upon. But now I understand why, and I understand what I must do to change and effect my world for Christ.
   
   Thank you Reggie McNeal.
   Lonnie Friesen
   The Homeless Heart



5. This book is a must read for Christians who are not satisfied with their spiritual life and a MUST READ for those in churches considering major capital expenditures that will serve only the members. It will change the way you think about how you and your church can best serve Jesus.

5 comments about Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor (J-B Warren Bennis Series).

1. 
   Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, and James O'Toole are three of the most influential business thinkers in recent years and, with Patricia Ward Biederman, collaborated on this book that consists of three separate but related essays: "Creating a Culture of Candor" (Bennis, Goleman, and Biederman examine transparency with and between organizations), "Speaking Truth to Power" (O'Toole shares his perspectives on transparency in terms of personal responsibility), and "The New Transparency" (Bennis explains how digital technology is making the entire world transparent). According to Thomas Friedman, the world has become flat as a result of forces that "are empowering more and more individuals today to reach farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before, and that is equalizing power - and equalizing opportunity, by giving so many more people the tools to connect, compete, and collaborate." Bennis, Goleman, O'Toole and Biederman agree. The first essay suggests how the same "flattening forces" to which Friedman refers also have a profound impact on relationships between and among organizations throughout the world. In the second essay, O'Toole eloquently as well as convincingly stresses the importance of responsibility and (yes) accountability of everyone who is involved in those relationships. Then in the third essay, Bennis shares his insights concerning the most significant consequences of technology, given the fact that "leaders are losing their monopoly on power, and this has positive impacts - notably the democratization of power - as well as some negative ones."
   
   In the Preface, Bennis notes that this book really isn't about technology. "It is about the things that have mattered since the new technology was the flint and the longbow - courage, integrity, candor, responsibility. Technologies change. Human nature doesn't." That is the core concept in O'Toole's essay and wholly consistent with the core concepts in his previously published books, notably The Executive's Compass, Leading Change, and Creating the Good Life. I agree with him that "speaking to power is, perhaps, the oldest of all ethical challenges." He briefly discusses several plays (Sophocles' Antigone, John Osborne's Luther, and Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons) who protagonist offers a reminder to leaders in our own time of the responsibility to create a transparent "culture of candor." O'Toole also cites FedEx, the Cowles Media Corporation, GM, and Motorola as examples of organizations that do -- or do not -- have such a culture, those whose leaders are - or are not -- "constantly willing to rethink their most basic assumptions through a process of constructive dissent...about such often-taboo subjects as the nature of working conditions they offer employees, the purposes of their corporation, and their responsibilities to various stakeholders." Whatever the size and nature of an organization may be, O'Toole insists, it must be one "one in which every employee is empowered to speak the truth." Trust must be the essential ingredient to its effectiveness [and is] the most elusive and fragile aspect of leadership" because it is so difficult to earn but so easy to lose and, once lost, nearly impossible to regain.
   
   I highly recommend this book to those in senior-level executive positions as well as to others whose ambition is to ascend to that level. Speaking directly to the reader of this review, I urge you do everything you can to help establish and then support a transparent culture of candor. If you find yourself in one in which you cannot "speak to power" despite your best efforts, seek another culture in which you can. Meanwhile, keep in mind that Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.



2. the book is simply written with the usual wisdom that these authors/consultants bring to bear.
   
   Easy to read and totally enjoyable



3. This book sounds interesting but there is no Kindle edition, so I won't be buying it.



4. An excellent book by three of my favorite authors. A bit of a Democratic bias in how they select their stories from my point of view . . . but good stuff for today's and tomorrow's leaders.
   
   The book could have been better balanced between the sad stories of leaders who were not transparent and those on the other side who smear people without fear of reprecussion. Bloggers are not all automatically good guys.
   
   So many good lines and good points . . . I will make slides to use in my next seminar. Bennis and Goleman have been most helpful in my career as a leader and consultant.



5. This book does an excellent job of explaining not only why you SHOULDN'T hoard or cover up negative information about yourself or your company, but why you CAN NOT. Great book. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Phonics Pathways: Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling.

1. Excellent, excellent practice for my first grade daughter. She can read in her head faster than she can speak. The exercises in this book has been so helpful for her to read aloud more fluently. We love it.



2. I teach in the resource room at my school and use your program with
   grades K-7. My students range from IEP's to just struggling readers. I use both the Reading Pathways and Phonics Pathways books. I have seen HUGE success with my struggling kids; especially the younger ones. Parents are telling me over and over how much better their children are reading! Even the children are excitedly telling me "I can READ!" Needless to say, I am so thrilled at their success!
   
   I just want you to know how much I love your program!! Even though I thought I had the training and resources I needed, I could tell I still wasn't reaching some of my students. So, I went searching and luckily found Reading and Phonics Pathways. I've had some training in Orton-Gillingham and I love Pathways so much better. I do incorporate a little of OG as well as some Morgan Dynamic Phonics, but your books are by far superior to them both. They make teaching and learning FUN!!
   
   I have students begging me to do the pyramids. They can't wait to get
   into my room and see what we'll be doing that day. Thank you, thank
   you!



3. I bought this book to start teaching my 4 yr old how to read It is very well organized and step by step , which I need.The way it is laid out you do not need any other books to teach reading with. The only complaint I would have is that it's all in black and white. No color which a 4 yr old likes. Wouldn't be a problem for an older child. This book is great for the parent who has no idea how to teach a child to read.



4. This book has a lot of great phonics activities, but the little "worm" character that leads you through the book is a bit strange. I don't know that older students would really "buy into" it, although it is touted as being usable for multiple grades. The games are great, but some of the pages are kind of visually "busy," and I have had to retype the information for my kids so that they can focus on what they really need to learn. (Keep it simple!!!)



5. To Dolores Hiskes:
   
   I would like to thank you for your wonderful book! I am a 58 year old woman who learned to read without phonetics....the word recognition method. This method has not served me well either as a young student or as an older reader. I have always been a very slow reader and my spelling has been poor. I have always wanted to improve my reading skills but felt pretty discouraged about ever being able to do so. I saw your book advertised somewhere and got the idea to start myself back at the beginning (as it was) and work through Phonic Pathways. Your book is beautifully organized. The material is presented in a format very easy to take in and learn (not that I don't have to work at it though!!!!!).
   
   It has taken me 6 months of daily disciplined study, but the results are very gratifying. I am also working through Reading Pathways, which is very helpful. I think my eye tracking ability is improving little by little as I go.
   
   I am so grateful that you have provided me with a way to improve my reading and spelling skills.
   
   B. Meltzer