Good luck and good link

School starts tomorrow, so good luck to everyone who is kicking off a new year, whether tomorrow, next week, or sometime in the past!

Also, Learn Me Good is featured today on Spalding's Racket, a British book blog. Maybe people in the UK will start buying LMG, now that they are getting Kindles there!

Bards and Sages review

Thanks to Julie over at Bards and Sages for the latest review of Learn Me Good.

"Having a female in your workplace ask you how long you are is awkward. When the female is your 3rd grade student, it becomes surprisingly hilarious."

"Pearson presents the children in his class with all of their foibles, but does so in a way that is endearing and witty without being mean-spirited. You may think it was not possible to nickname one of your students Lucifer and not be mean-spirited, but Pearson manages it surprisingly well. Of course, when you have children in your class named Samsonite and Baby Boy, Lucifer doesn’t strike anyone as all that odd."

Check out the full review here!

Low Self of Steam

Over Thanksgiving break, I read Carol Richtsmeier (she of My Bellringers fame) 's new book -- How to Lose Your Self of Steam (& other teaching lessons I never learned from professional development).

This book was great, and you should definitely go straight to Amazon and order yourself a copy right now! Richie has put her sense of humor right out on display, and her stories about her Journalism students are fun, funny, and memorable.

First a word about the look of the book. My first thought was that it looked like a yearbook -- fitting, since Richie's class is in charge of putting the yearbook together each year. My fiance thought it looked like a composition notebook -- still fitting, as I'm sure the kids have gone through a ton of those writing assignments and reports. Either way, the look of the book is unique and really stands out on a shelf.

Something else that I really enjoyed was the little "inserts" on several pages, especially the "Chapter Terms." These small colored bubbles defined words and phrases used within the text -- including a dictionary-worthy definition and a tongue-in-cheek meaning. One of my favorites -- "In-service -- 1) another name for a professional development day. 2) another name for wasting a teacher's time."

These inserts made me think of another of my favorite books, America, by John Stewart and the Daily Show.

The vignettes, everything from a young talented artist who didn't want to give up his black fingernail polish, to the kids who caught the porn JUST before it made it into the yearbook, are touching, and show how much Richie cares about the kids who have been in her classes over the year.

Check out How to Lose Your Self of Steam, and see what all the fuss is regarding Big Fat Stupid Heads, heads in freezers, and rubber chickens.

No Teachers Left Behind

Back about a month ago, I ran a guest post by Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher (HBF), who was doing a virtual book tour for her novel, No Teachers Left Behind. HBF was kind enough to later send me a copy of her book, which I jumped on as soon as the school year ended.

For anyone who may be interested in giving this book a look, here is my review of No Teachers Left Behind.

I have a feeling that non-teachers who read No Teachers Left Behind will come away shaking their heads, saying things like, "That's just too extreme -- there's no way school is like that!" For teachers though, even the most extreme situations in the book are recognized as possible and plausible.

At Vilyon Middle School, Principal Angela Marsh is nothing but rainbows and butterflies -- as long as it's to a best-selling author or a high-dollar donating parent. To her staff, she doesn't stop at stepping on toes; she brings her high heel down on the jugulars. In an early staff-wide email, she says that for the rest of the day, lunches will be held in the classrooms, despite the inconvenience to teachers. Oh, and by the way, she will be off campus having lunch at the Olive Garden.

The book is full of emails like that, with Marsh walking all over teachers' rights but then announcing that she is exempt. While reading them, I thought that's just so extreme, and yet it's not implausible at all! In one of my favorite examples, and energetic young activist teacher has sent out an email asking for support at a Saturday Obama rally. Principal Marsh replies with a message stating two facts: one, politics most definitely have no business at school, and two, emails of a personal nature will be cause for referral and loss of laptop. Turn the page and we find another email from Marsh, informing the entire staff that her daughter's Adventure Troop is selling popcorn which can be ordered in the main office. She ends her email with "PS -- God bless John McCain and the Republican Party."

In between the absurd emails from the principal, there are emails from teachers commenting on the working conditions, short poems that are wonderful, and bursts of narration that set the stage for the endgame.

This book will not have you rolling on the floor in stitches, but it is funny in a different way. I read almost the entire story with a bemused smile, shaking my head, thinking, "That is just spot on."

At the very end of the book, the story turns tragic. This is no spoiler, as it states this fact right on the back cover. By the time the tragedy unfolds, the author has done a great job of making you feel for and genuinely LIKE the handful of characters that may or may not be involved in the final act.

Kudos to Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher for a job well done. Here's hoping that her own principal in real life is not QUITE the monster that Angela Marsh is.

You're Never Too Old for Space Camp

Recently, Tom Anselm, who runs the Tom Anselm's Boomer Times blog, agreed to a book exchange with me. He read Learn Me Good -- and posted a lovely review -- and he sent me HIS novel which is called You're Never Too Old for Space Camp.

I just finished reading it today, and so my long overdue review is finally complete.

Space Camp is a very entertaining read. Anselm does a great job of bringing the characters at Cedar Grove Middle School to life, perhaps because they are based on real people he knows or perhaps because he has a great skill for writing people. The main character, Joe Akers, is a Special Education teacher in charge of a handful of academically challenged youngsters, including a potential NFL linebacker and a lad who rides his horse to school. Other teachers include a PT Barnum-esque principal, an uptight assistant principal who has a penchant for hiding in the bushes to spy, and a couple of love-struck educators for whom romance blossoms over the course of the story.

Anselm does a wonderful job of weaving yarns and telling stories, all while following the course of a typical school year. There is a bomb threat, and true to reality, the caller is never identified. There is a standing weekly meeting at "The Library," code for the teacher Happy Hour where teachers unwind and vent. There are a couple of kids who get expelled for going a little too far in the touchy-feely department. There are unexpected and saddening medical trials and tribulations.

This is what real life looks like for a teacher. The title of the book plays into the story wonderfully at the end, in one of the most touching parts, and by that time you'll feel like these characters have become a part of your life.

Check this book out. You'll thank me for it.

Ask and ye shall receive

This weekend, I wrote a post asking people who had read Learn Me Good to post a review on Amazon, and I just want to say thank you to the people who heeded the call!

An especially big thanks to The Scholastic Scribe who put up a glowing review on her site this morning, asking all of her readers to check it out. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Scribe and Columbia Lilly, who also posted on Amazon (thank you), were winners of the book through a contest I ran back in February. Don't forget that it's not too late to get entered in the CURRENT contest going on here at Learn Me Good.

500 business cards and 500 brochures are up for grabs from uprinting.com. All you have to do is leave a comment on the original post, and the best description of how you will use the cards or brochures will win. I will say that only a couple of people have even mentioned the brochures, so they're at the top of the list for THAT half of the prize!

Be kind, re-view?

Hey everyone, this is just a generic request. As we are very close to the end of the school year, and summer vacation is often the time when many teachers can once again lift their head above water and read for pleasure -- I am asking anyone who has read my book, Learn Me Good, to please, please, pretty pretty please, post a review of it on Amazon.com (if you have not already done so).

It doesn't need to be Hemmingway-esque -- just a paragraph or two would be great!

If you have NOT read it, but would like to review it, send me an email, and we'll see if we can make a deal. Some kind of email copy for a review type swap.

Thanks!

How do you pronuncificate that?

Is it just me, or does it bug anyone else when somebody says "Valentime's Day?"

Let me put the emphasis on that -- Valen TIMES Day...

Just curious.

On another note entirely, I wanted to post a short review about a fellow blogger's book which she sent me back around Thanksgiving.

Angela Powell has written a book called The Cornerstone: Classroom Management That Makes Teaching More Effective, Efficient, and Enjoyable. She also runs a web site and blog which can be reached by going to http://www.thecornerstoneforteachers.com/.

The first thing that I noticed about Angela's book is that it is huge! Weighing in at almost 500 pages (standard letter size, no less!), the book could literally serve as a classroom's cornerstone. But kidding aside, there's way too much valuable information inside to not keep it readily available on the bookshelf.

The Cornerstone is a handy reference guide for new and veteran teachers alike. There are tips, techniques, strategies, and actual anecdotes on a variety of topics, including behavior management, classroom organization, and developing and using routines.

I should state that I have not yet read the entire book. That's one of the great things about it though, is that you don't have to start at page one and read through to the back cover. Upon perusing the table of contents, the first thing that struck my fancy was Chapter 9: How to Teach Any Procedure. As I read through Angela's advice and stories from experience, I alternated between thoughts of, "Yeah, I already do that, and it works pretty well," and, "That sounds intriguing; I ought to give that a try!"

The only downside I have noted is that the photographs, showing implementations of the strategy suggested in the book, are black and white as opposed to color photographs. I fully understand the reason for this -- color photographs significantly raise the cost of printing each book -- but the pictures lose a bit in black and white.

Nevertheless, the upside far outweighs this minor downside, and I highly recommend The Cornerstone to teachers of all levels. For all of us that turn back to The First Days of School by Harry Wong in late August, The Cornerstone by Angela Powell makes a fine companion piece.

After further review

I got a notice this weekend that the people who do reviews for Lulu, the company that I used to self-publish my book, Learn Me Good, had finally put up a review for me! It starts off just a BIT depressingly, but then turns into a nice glowing review. Please check it out and offer comments!!

Also, I did a bit of review on the picture card that I mentioned earlier. It certainly looks like Barack Obama and his wife and 2 kids. I couldn't find a publication date on the box or on any of the materials inside the box, so I called Hampton-Brown, who publishes them. They put me in touch with a local rep who looked up the publication date.

The cards were printed in 2003. Therefore, it can't be the Obamas, because the little girls on the card look like the Obama girls do NOW.

But see for yourself. I took a picture of the card. Tell me that doesn't look like the Obamas...

The first new review of 2009!

A while back, I sent a copy of Learn Me Good to NovelCritic, a website which reviews books, as the name would imply. A few nights ago, I got an email saying that the review was up and available. I checked it out and was very pleased with what I found! So much so, that I decided I'd copy it here for all to see!

Let the blatant self-promotion continue into 2009! :)

Again, this comes from NovelCritic, by the reviewer Nazzrat.
______________________________________________________________

This is one funny book. Learn Me Good, by John Pearson, is not your average three-act novel that most of us have come to expect from fiction. In fact, it isn’t all ficticious, but rather a chronology of events in written form, much like the Diary of Anne Frank, but with fewer nazis. The book is comprised entirely of email messages with no chapter breaks. And who needs ‘em?

The only fiction in the book are the names of the people involved. And maybe some of the stories have been embellished. A little.Jack Woodson has been laid off from a big engineering firm. What he used to be: an engineer. What he is now: a grade school teacher. It sounds like an odd coupling, but at least his background gives him a good footing to teach math and science. To third graders. In his spare time he shoots off an email to his buddy and ex-co-worker Fred Bommerson (not his real name) to report on how the teaching job is going, and to enlighten and inform (read: tattle) the good folks at the engineering plant as to what kind of antics the kids are up to. Apparently, the names of the children have also been changed to protect the innocent (name one!), but some of the names of the students were so compelling, I found myself aching to know what the real names were. For instance, Mr. Woodson mentions a kid named Samsonite, then throws in a clever quip about how a kid with that kind of name must be carrying around a lot of emotional baggage (ba-dum bum). So the question is: does the REAL kid have a name that also sounds like a luggage manufacturer? Trying to think of a real name to offset the fake one added an element of charm and intrigue to the overall story.

As the school year progresses and the email piles up, the stories become more and more entertaining and funny. This book shines a bright, multi-colored light into the deep, dark recesses (no pun) of the classroom and the emperor and serfs thereof. From the drop-in eye care lady (”I think glasses are SEXY!”) to the drill-down preparation for the dreaded TAKS tests, Pearson carrys the reader through a school year of fun and mayhem. And don’t think there isn’t a climactic finish. I practically blew out an O-ring waiting to see if the students passed the math part of the TAKS test. I won’t give it away here, but the results were quite surprising.

So, if you’re looking for a book that will stick to your fingers and keep you awake until you can finally learn the academic fate of these kids who are so (and some not so) eager to learn from their well-meaning and sometimes misplaced teacher, this is the book for you.

I'm plugging a book BESIDES my own!!!

Kelly Curtis, who writes the blog Pass the Torch honored me by sending me an advance copy of her new book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things. On the back cover, she poses the question: How do you bring out the power in young people?

Throughout this well-written and fascinating book, Curtis explains how important it is that kids be given opportunities to thrive, and she gives examples of situations where youths have led projects, founded charities, and contributed memorably to their communities. Interwoven with these stories is the underlying message to adults who come into contact with young people that we need to be "asset builders." Curtis lists 40 Developmental Assets -- factors that are instrumental in benefiting youths. These Developmental Assets include a caring neighborhood, adult role models, and positive peer influence.

Adults tend to categorize youths as either objects, recipients, or resources. As objects and recipients, youths have no hope of sharing in any kind of decision-making. However, once adults begin to view youths as resources -- to value their input and actually use it -- great strides can be made towards a successful future.

While further training is available to adults who want to learn more about empowering young people and encouraging involvement, Curtis reminds readers that starting down that path is easy. Just make eye contact and smile at kids!

Additional features inside Empowering Youth include detailed activities that involve kids and adults, and a series of reflection questions. There are also checklists that can be used to gauge current levels of empowerment.

Empowering Youth is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to motivate, foster, and support young people of all ages. For anyone needing a reason, in the introduction, Curtis offers a quote from Mary Patterson of Project Cornerstone: "People never recall the bicycle, but who taught them to ride it. They don't recall the basketball game, but who taught them to play it. They don't recall the English class, but who taught the lesson."

Curtis then adds, "Be the who."

Carnival Review!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, flora and fauna of all ages -- step right up to the 134th edition of the Carnival of Education! This time it's hosted over at Matthew K Tabor's place, and it's chock-full of educational goodness!

And not only that, but directly in front of the Carnival is Matthew's outstanding review of my book, Learn Me Good!! Sure, I've linked to his page, but I don't think he'll mind too much if I just outright snatch the words from his page and copy them here...



Published by Matthew August 29th, 2007

Learn Me Good, John Pearson
211 pages, 2006; ISBN-13: 978-1-4116-6589-7

Jack Woodson isn’t your typical elementary school teacher. First, he’s a man; second, he’s not an idealist fresh out of college; and third, he “has forty children, and all of them have different mothers.”

But that’s education blogger John Pearson’s identity in Learn Me Good, an irreverent, anecdotal look at life as a first-year elementary teacher.

Jack Woodson was the unfortunate victim of job cuts at Heat Pumps Unlimited. Faced with finding a new job that made use of his engineering credentials, Woodson decides to take a hard right turn into the world of third grade mathematics. What he discovered, endured and laughed about during that first year in the trenches is the basis for Learn Me Good.

Woodson would want you to know that in those trenches he’s a Lieutenant commanding a platoon of rag-tag 8 and 9 year olds, all of whom are armed to the teeth with four-function math skills. Oh, and he’s got the weirdest case of trenchfoot anyone has ever seen. Who knew that graham cracker crumb residue could manifest itself into an infection? At least it’s a sweet-smelling infection…

Such is the style and tone of Woodson’s e-mails to former colleague Fred Bommerson, greeted throughout the book as F-Bomm, Fredster, and Big Poppa Heat Pump, to name a few. In e-mail after e-mail, Woodson describes classroom scenarios that cause him to shake his head, drop his jaw, laugh out loud and everything in between.

The supporting cast of characters in Learn Me Good give Woodson plenty of opportunity to reflect on the quirks of teaching in an elementary school. There are adult oddballs like the district employee who checks Woodson’s students for vision problems - but not before selling the third-graders on the coolness of glasses by proclaiming, “I think glasses are SEXY!” Though Woodson takes the surprise in stride, he can’t help but tell Fred that it was awkward and nothing short of “airing a commercial for Bacardi rum in the middle of an episode of Sesame Street.”

But Woodson doesn’t just pluck the low-hanging comical fruits. He humanizes – or is it humorizes? – students like Esteban, an energetic kid who enthusiastically yells answer after answer without stopping to think whether they’re right [he also has a penchant for filling in test bubbles randomly]. And even the terrors such as the “clinically insane” Chandra, whom Woodson affectionately nicknames “Lucifer,” are regarded no worse than “bad data points” when they clearly have earned the status of a public school urban legend.

It’s not all humor and pop culture references, though. Pearson exposes his energy, command of pedagogy, and curriculum on nearly every page. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff. His blood pressure is largely stable. He isn’t political, doesn’t wail out diatribes on No Child Left Behind and isn’t out to reform the American education system.

Woodson wants to understand the quiet ones, the Spanish speakers and the hyperactive-but-harmless. He just wants to teach and love his kids the best he can and he’s going to do it with a smile.

Purists of the written word may lament the e-mail structure of the book. Pearson avoids a novel-like progression and goes with a unique schema that, while fresh and surprisingly effective, lends itself to reading in short bursts instead of chapter sessions. A particular omission in that structure is the lack of replies from Fred Bommerson; though the character of Woodson sums up Fred’s reactions in the beginning of his e-mails, a few notes directly from Fred might break up the series of familiar blueprints.

Learn Me Good has a place on shelves in all levels of the edusphere from the boiler room to the penthouse in the Ivory Tower. Policy wonks will find that it cures frequent heartburn related to frustration, albeit temporarily; parents will be refreshed as they read candid reactions from a teacher who they’d want to befriend in real life; teachers with this book on their desk will find that its good-natured but relevant anecdotes will invigorate even the most atrophied smiling muscles.

But there’s a caveat to those teachers: be prepared for the longing you’ll feel en route to the teacher’s lounge when you think, “Why can’t I have a Jack Woodson at my school?”

John Pearson’s Learn Me Good is available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1411665899?ie=UTF8&tag=matthtaborbri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1411665899

Popping up like an unwanted weed

Hey, over the past few days, I've noticed some people surfing on into this site from some new places. So I'd like to give a shout out to those people, and even more so, to the people who directed them here!

Over at Teacher Magazine's Blogboard, an author posted a short recap of my teacher/hoopster comparison. Now if I could just get them to review my book at their magazine...

And over at a discussion board called The Awful Forums, some dude called Man Eating Cow referenced my site. Seemingly positively, I would say. I was worried at first, given the name of the forums and all. But for the pointer in my direction, I raise my glass to you, Cow.

And while I'm thanking people, I don't know who these people are, but I would like to thank a certain "Dallasbap" who gave my book a nice review on Amazon.com AND ditto for "pediatric nurse" who had nice things to say about Learn Me Good over on barnesandnoble.com.

Cheers!