5 comments about Darkroom: A Family Exposure (Associated Writing Programs Award for Creative Nonfiction).

1. I confess I was drawn to this book by a)the inside jacket cover photo of the exceptionally attractive young female memoirist who seemed posessed of an enigmatic, almost haunted look, and b) the mysterious suggestiveness of the book title and partially obscured cover photo -- redolent of dark family revelations -- and I was not disappointed. 30-year old Jill Christman writes a searing account of harrowing family traumas, including her own recovered memory of childhood sexual abuse, the tragic auto accident that killed the young man who was the love of her life, her older brother's being nearly scorched to death by a freak shower incident, her near life-long estrangement from her father, and the wretched death in jail of a beloved uncle incarcerated for growing marijuana. All of these dark tales are leavened with ironic humor and described in superb detail. For me, the near 20 page account of Jill's preparation of a melted cheese sandwich for her frail grandmother, the ingestion of which led to her not untimely demise, was the piece de resistance.



2. If you have not read this book I suggest you do. I laughed out loud, cried, and was at a loss for words with this book. I really liked how the author used the nameless voice to bring out the questions and answers from the inside. I love to read and this is by far the best memoir that I've read.



3. I laughed out loud, cried, and was at a lost for words while reading this book. The element that sticks out is the second voice that appears throughout the piece. I encourage everyone who loves to read to read this book. I couldn't put it down once I started. I read it in one day. Job well done Professor Christman!



4. This book is a perfect example of the possibilities of creative nonfiction. Like the originator of the personal essay, Montaigne, Jill Christman chooses her self as her subject-the "I"-yet, in doing so, is really writing about all of us-the "we"-of humanity. Like more modern writers-Woolf, Stein, Eliot and so on-Christman also brings to her work a richness of prose, an understanding of arrangement and construction, and the confidence to employ such techniques as flashbacks, photo collages, and intertextuality. As a teacher of literature, I enjoyed this book for all of the reasons listed above. As a person who simply loves to read, I enjoyed this book because it is a GOOD READ! Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes terrible, sometimes funny-this book consistently had me turning the pages. I certainly recommend it.



5. Christman does a remarkably good job of solving the problems of telling about parts of her life and family in a creative new way. Like an outstanding photographic exposure, she brackets her frames by under exposing and over exposing in all the right places until she comes up with that perfect balance between light and dark, with remarkable shadow detail in the final image. She dodges and burns, weaves in and out, and through, the painful events in her life by the use of crisp transitions, and, in many cases, unexpected humor/irony. The accounts of her life experiences are compelling -- almost too much to take in even at proper viewing distances, but her clever use of photographic imagery and her references to technical aspects of the art during some of these transitions seem to require use of both sides of the readers' brain -- making the trauma somewhat easier to allow in. The clear presense of Christman's soul in this book keeps the reader engaged in a way that makes her/him feel as though s/he is there with her. So few people are willing to risk this exposure -- to allow others to see past a seemingly "circle of confusion" to the true image on the other side of the lens without hiding behind "fiction."

   Christman, a courageous woman, is also a master of her craft.

5 comments about Man Overboard: Confessions of a Novice Math Teacher in the Bronx.

1. We all must show respect for those who survive in schools of this kind. Education workers like Mr. Klass are to be commended for enduring an environment of their own choosing if not of their own making. Still, after all the hugs and congratulations, someone has to call out these "teach for America" volunteers and ask why they put up with all the crap instead of joining forces and refusing to proceed. Even the eighteen-year-old grunts in Iraq had the courage to protest being sent into battle without proper gear and protection. Year after year we read the same stories by earnest do-gooders who find happiness among the ruins. What is needed now is fewer acts of goodness and just one brave act of defiance. Let the education workers walk out and leave the asylums to the bureaucrats who thrive in them. If the parents so earnestly wish to be involved, let them take over the schools. They'll soon be using the soiled textbooks as toilet paper, but so be it. They can always apply for a grant from Bill Gates for free lap top computers.



2. 
   
   This author speaks for all of us teachers who are struggling every day in dealing with hoardes of unruly students. After only reading a few pages, I felt like I could have written the same book. The fact that it is in diary form makes it all the more real and frightening. Reading it is definitely helping me get through the end of this horrific school year. I have highly recommended it to my colleagues.



3. Man Overboard is a very witty and poignant autobiography about the experiences of a new second-career math teacher (actually ninth-career in his case) spending his first year teaching high school in the Bronx. On one level, it explores in an absorbing and meaningful way the various problems in the world of Bronx high school culture. On another level, Mr. Klass is also writing about his career aspirations, and how it feels to have frustrations meeting his goals of helping some people who need it. The book connects with the reader very well on both levels. I particularly liked how the drumbeat of daily problems is punctuated periodically with reflective essays, cast in italics, which are full of common sense and practical, logical analysis and suggestions. It is a very well written and enjoyable book, and I would highly recommend it to all.



4. Ric Klass, with humor and a clear, purposeful writing style, took me into his math classroom in an inner city high school in New York. I found myself empathizing with his desire to do someone some good; to make the world a better place. It was easy to understand his frustrations with all the barriers he had to get around to try to fulfill his dream, and just as easy to rejoyce in some small hint of success.
   As well as being a good read, this book has an important message for us. We must make some changes in the way our children are being taught, especially those students who need to escape from a seemingly hopeless environment. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about children and our future as a nation. I'm telling all of my friends about it. JL in SD



5. Ric Klass' tale of teaching in an inner city school in the Bronx is an open, honest account of his experience. It's humorous and sad at the same time. It's engaging and fun to read. Educators will recognize its truths; others should read it to find out just what goes on in public schools and not only in New York.

5 comments about True Notebooks.

1. I was assigned to read this book for my Honors English 10 class, and I must admitt, I was not too thrilled with this being chosen for me. This is nowhere near my type of book. I like to read suspense and thrillers with the occasional teen books (you have to admitt they're hilarious), so I thought this would either be a waste of time or a major let-down. To my surprise, I loved it!
   
   I figured it had to have somewhat substantial writings done by these kids in juvie, but I never expected them to make such a profound impact on the way I envisioned freedom and justice.
   
   The works that Salzman included that were written by the HROs (high-risk offenders) astonished me.
   
   This book teaches a vital lesson to society and life in general with the only downfall I saw as beimg the kids don't always get that happy ending that you're hoping for, but hey, neither does life all the time...



2. Very easy read, very informative on what its like for these juveniles who are caught up in our legal system. My words for review cannot describe how good of an account this is.



3. Better him than me. I just finished reading this for my third time, which is my typical reaction to a Mark Salzman title. Look up everything he's ever written, read them all, enjoy the movie based on one of his books, and thank me. You just can't go wrong with this guy.
   
   Looking at this book in particular, I devoured it like it was new to my bookshelf. I just couldn't stop myself. I had some work I was supposed to be doing and I just rescheduled. Yeah, it's good to be the boss. Even better to have such a great book to read. It's still a keeper.



4. I taught English to boys in Central Juvenile Hall in LA every day for years. This book refers to conducting a writer's workshop. This book is an interesting slice of life of a selective audience, not a view reflecting the broader population.
   
   About 75-80% of the kids are not able to function above the 4th or 5th grade level. Many are not literate in any language. There are a few who are very articulate. These kids come from all walks of life.
   
   If the purpose was to really communicate the writing of kids who are in juvenile hall, I think this book missed it. If the attempt was to share some writing of a few incarcerated kids who messed up, it is fine.
   
   Of course, everyone wants to work with the responsive one. The saddest were the ones who had done so much glue that they couldn't even remember their birthdays...



5. True Notebooks is an insightful account of Salzman's volunteer experience as a writing instructor for juvenile offenders. It soon becomes apparent that he is as skillful as a teacher (although his instruction methodology for his students is not revealed) as he is a writer. The penetrating essays of his students are riveted with emotions of anxiety, guilt, revenge, remorse and love. Neither Salzman nor his students make excuses for their actions, but they too are challenged with their search for an explanation of their criminal behavior. The nature of the beast is self-analyzed, then exorcised through the newfound elixir of writing.
   
   Interestingly, the spoken language of the inmates is loaded with expletives; every response has one. Yet, expletives do not appear in their written essays!
   
   Salzman writes with such straight-forward, digestable language; it is hard to accept his revealing admission that he struggles greatly as a writer. His struggle is rewarded in the final product.

5 comments about Zig: The Autobiography of Zig Ziglar.

1. This was the first book I've read by Zig Ziglar. This very charming book details his childhood in America's rural South in the midst of the Depression, his early adult years, and adulthood. I'll write about the book in reverse chronological order.
   
   I especially enjoyed the part about his early adulthood, where he writes honestly about the uncertainty he went through. His adulthood part was interesting as well, although he tended to compress the 40+ years a little too much. After chronicling his childhood so meticulously, the later parts of the book seem a bit lacking in detail.
   
   His writing about his early childhood was very entertaining, a little sentimental, and excessively moralizing. Zig had a lot of mentors and learned valuable lessons, but he tends to stretch them too thin and draw almost too many morals to them. That he learned a lot about character and whatnot is unsurprising (he is a motivational speaker, after all), but it gets somewhat boring, a contrast to his humorous and vivacious "See You at the Top!
   
   For this, I give Zig an "excellent rating", which corresponds to 4 out of 5 stars in my humble book.



2. Zig is a very humble man. He tells the story of his life in stages that are inspirational in that the mundane things in life are all part of the whole that we experience. The early years in his life are full of mishaps in his opinion, yet lead to a logical place that may not have existed otherwise.
   
   His story of his older daughter's (Suzan's) illness and death, and the reaction of some of his mentors and partners in understanding, is one of the most touching renditons I have ever read and it is beatifully preserved by his younger daughter (Julie - you kind of feel the hominess of the family in the reading of this book) who edits his writing.
   
   Also, "The Wall of Gratitude", and how each person on it influenced him is another unselfish display of how he has become who he is. It is as if these mentors of his should have their pictures hung in many more dens/offices throughout the country because of their influence to him that he has passed to so many others.
   
   I met Zig and felt his sincerety in his conversation with me that I hope to duplicate in all I do - that's how good the meeting was! I can see why God called him to do what he does. In his autobiography he states all of the facts (and faults) of his personal life unashamedly. I do not think I could have shared some of the things he shared; too personal, but, his humility is seemingly endless.
   
   I first saw Zig in a sports motivational video in high school in the seventies. I got a lot of motivation out of it. It has stuck with me for all of these years: yet I was amused and amazed me to read about the experiences he had around that time and to the time at the end of this book.
   
   Obviously this review has come three years after the last one, yet it should show how timeless this story is, and, like Zig's salvation, it truly is "better late than never."



3. I was exposed to Zig's philosophy some years ago and have read See You at the Top more than once. His "Check up from the Neck up" and the need to prevent "Hardening of the Attitudes" and "Stinkin Thinkin" are well ingrained. This was an interesting read and learning about his background and history was very well laid out and informative.



4. Zig's life was a great testament to what he teaches. He walks the walk. His life is in balance, and even through tragedy, still reached out to make a difference for all lives he touched through his motivational seminars. His character is outstanding, and his level of integrity speaks for itself.

   This book shows the good, the bad, and the ugly. Life has not always been rosy for Zig, but he is living proof that you can overcome anything. As he always says: "you can have anything you want if you just help enough people get what they want".

   This book shows that Zig has faults just like the rest of us, and he makes that really clear in this book. He is humble and in some cases ashamed of some of his past behavior. No sugar coating in this one. The fact that he is such a strong christian is also satisfying to those of us who are believers. He makes it very clear who gets the credit for all of the blessings in his life.

   This book is a great read, and will be hard to put down if you are a fan. True to form, it's humorous with only a hint sorrow in some parts. He really is an amazing person.




5. If you ever need an inspirational help of great success in life then I would recommend Zig Ziglar. Ziglar is author of best-seller, 'I'll See You At The Top' and many other motivational books, has helped thousands improve their lives to achieve that success in every aspect of living. As you read his auto-biography you'll learn about his remarkable story how he beat the odds and applied it to the teachings of Jesus Christ. You will learn to take the next step in your plan and keep God's plan at the center of your plans just as Zig did. His approach is a down-home, wholesome manner with the business savvy of a wise, honest salesman. Most of what he learn of being successful and the importance of networking with honest and wise mentors. The first part of the book tells of his early life and the family that shaped his destiny. In his early adult years he was hard-working and used his knowledge to make money and there were times he made financial mistakes as a result of foolish decisions. This was a time God wasn't a part of his life where his life had no meaning or purpose. The last part of the book, is about his change in life when he reflected back on the moral values in his early childhood and his mother. He then gave his life to Christ. He then found his purpose as a public speaker. From then on instead of his self-centered ambition he gave it all to God. And Zig has been successful ever since. Like Norman Vincent Peale, Zig applied biblical principles to the goals he has with the plans God manifest in the center of his life. Zig's secret is never quit, have faith in God and a whole lotta love. He's a mentor you can trust with a solution. Wish there were more like Zig.

5 comments about Last Moon Dancing: A Memoir of Love And Real Life in Africa.

1. I highly recommend Last Moon Dancing, a memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer's experience in Africa, by Monique Maria Schmidt. Schmidt's plan was to teach, sacrifice and contribute to an African village. She soon realizes, however, that she has brought more to Africa than planned. Woven into her journey are the memories of her own childhood on a farm in a Mennonite community in South Dakota. Schmidt humorously tries to make sense of it all and soon realizes she is surrounded by love. Schmidt's writing style is engaging and ranges from poetic & profound to blunt & to the point.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Last Moon Dancing." The author's candid descriptions about her experiences in an African village while serving in the Peace Corps keep this book interesting and fresh. I enjoyed the "Dear Angela" letters the most. My favorite letter was "Dear Angela, If you want to know what kind of day I've had, smell me." Schmidt's ability to find humor in the day-to-day stress of her African experience makes one marvel at the strength and tenacity of the human spirit. A definite Must-Read!!



3. Once I started reading Last Moon Dancing I could not put it down. I felt all emotions from desperate to amused but the most dominate thing I felt was pride. I am proud that young people have the courage and ambition to commite themselves to the aid and education of those with less. It is an awe inspiring story and one that is so fantastic it couldn't be anything but admired



4. I just finished reading this book and was touched by Monique Schmidt's brutal honesty and self-evaluation. Schmidt bares her innermost thoughts to the reader. I found myself laughing out loud and, at times, crying. A very touching book about life, love and her Peace Corps experiences!



5. I loved Monique Schmidt's memoir. Her honest,straight-forward account of her years in the Peace Corps in Africa is brutal, beautiful and witty. Woven through her African experience are connections to her childhood and early adulthood, but not always in the usual prose format. There may be a poem or an anecdote. Some of the revelations will anger the reader; some will shock, but throughout, you know Schmidt's telling it exactly as she sees and experiences life.

No comments about Michigan State College: John Hannah and the Creation of a World University, 1926-1969 (Vol. 2: MSU Sesquicentennial Series).

5 comments about Uncle Tom or New Negro?: African Americans Reflect on Booker T. Washington and UP FROM SLAVERY 100 Years Later.

1. There appears to be new interest in the life and works of Booker T Washington. In her recent anthology, entitled Uncle Tom or New Negro? : African Americans Reflect on Booker T. Washington and UP FROM SLAVERY 100 Years Later; Rebecca Carroll includes the thoughts of a number of prominent African Americans regarding the importance of Booker T. Washington.
   
   With such a provocative title, I couldn't help but dust off my old copy of Up From Slavery to see if there are any useful insights from the dawn of the twentieth century which would be applicable in the 21st century.
   
   Traditionally, there was always a debate regarding his view of the best route for African-American progress. This debate has contrasted Booker T. Washington's advocacy for self-help and practical education against the aggressive advocacy of W.E.B. Dubois for social and political equality.
   
   It is important to place Mr. Washington's work in perspective in terms of the times in which it was written. The American civil war was over. The conflict was (and is) the costliest war for the United States in terms of lives lost. The process of reconstruction was overwhelming and flawed on many levels. Mr. Washington does a good job at describing the fact that many African Americans rushed into political and academic puruits prematurely in the wake of Slavery.
   
   The combination of poorly prepared and unethical individuals in these fields likely was responsible for a number of problems faced by former slaves. Mr. Washington's theory was that through practical education and trades, that African-Americans would be able to prove themselves as being worthy of citizenship in the United States.
   
   While I do agree with Mr. Washington that there is much be said for individuals who have merit and equip themselves with skills necessary to function in modern day society, it is also apparent that the view of Mr. Washington's ,autobiography, was overly optimistic and ultimately limiting.
   
   As a college student in the 1980s, I firmly aligned myself with the philosophies of W.E.B. Dubois as detailed in The Souls of Black Folk
   
   
   William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a professor of sociology at Atlanta University who disputed the main principles of Washington's political program, (ie, the idea that voting and civil rights were less important to black progress than acquiring property and achieving economic self-sufficiency). Unlike Washington, who foresaw the steady obliteration of racial prejudice and discrimination, Du Bois prophesied in the opening lines of The Souls of Black Folk: "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line."
   
   
   Ultimately, all of the hard work and merit in the world has not been enough to eliminate race prejudice and discrimination of African-Americans. While the actions of Mr. Washington as outlined in his autobiography are clearly laudable; they are (in retrospect) inadequate in terms of achieving equality and justice for minorities in the United States.



2. Whether you admire, dislike or have barely heard of Booker T. Washington, he remains an important figure in American history and one, I dare say, many of us should know more about. Carroll has put together a very thoughtful and varied collection of work about him which is also the proverbial "good read."



3. UNCLE TOM OR NEW NEGRO: African Americans Reflect On Booker T. Washington and Up From Slavery 100 Years Later, edited by Rebecca Carroll takes a look back at Booker T. Washington. It was a blend of those who feel that Booker T. Washington was the man with the right ideas regarding race relations in America and those who feel that he let African Americans down in his haste to placate the white majority of the time. His defenders stressed that he worked behind the scenes to push for civil rights and those who were not so enamored of him felt his contributions were lacking in that he stressed hard work for African Americans without pushing for equality as well. Some of the contributing writers were Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Ronald Walters, Earl Ofari Hutchinson and Debra Dickerson. Each presented arguments for their position regarding Booker T. Washington. Also included was the entire text of Mr. Washington's memoir, Up From Slavery, which was extremely helpful in digesting the arguments of the various commentators.
   
   Ms. Carroll did a commendable job of getting together those who are pro Washington and those who have issues with his handling of the race question at the end of the 19th century. The book gives a wonderful overview of the issues surrounding Washington as well as a view of the times when he was successfully attempting to establish his school at Tuskegee. Whether you are for Washington's accomodationist position or against it, it is a book well worth reading for its historical value.
   
   Reviewed by Alice Holman
   of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers



4. Carroll provides a thoughtful and incisive meditation on race, history and culture--a collage of perspectives that elaborates and enriches the discourse on race.



5. After reading Saving the Race, by Rebecca Carroll, I was inspired to read her new book Uncle Tom or New Negro. I was not dissapointed. As with the amazing Saving the Race, this new book trancends race issues and provides an important perspective on ourselves as a society in uncertain times. I would suggest reading this book to anyone with a heart and a brain. Carroll moves us with her brillaint insights and the substance to back it up. It is an excellent and riveting read. Important stuff for all people of all races today.

5 comments about SUMMERS WITH JULIET.

1. I would easily put this book among the best that I have ever read. The images that Roorbach uses keep coming back to me even though it has been well over a year since I read it. The honesty of his writing is amazing, and there were many, many times that I had to pause because the emotional descriptions were so true. Read this book-- by the end you will feel like an old friend at Roorbach's wedding, and you will be glad not to have missed it.



2. This memoir records the struggles of a young writer trying to find his literary voice by portraying his distraction, frustrations, and devotions to his art through his adventures with his future wife as they encounter a variety of people and animals--turkeys, turtles, hummingbirds, and bluefishes--in many beautiful natural environments. Their adventures are always fascinating andamusing, and, at times, exciting.



3. This memoir records the struggles of a young writer trying to find his literary voice by portraying his distraction, frustrations, and devotions to his art through his adventures with his future wife as they encounter a variety of people and animals--turkeys, turtles, hummingbirds, and bluefishes--in many beautiful natural environments. Their adventures are always fascinating andamusing, and, at times, exciting.



4. This book is a paper plane, it will take you away. From the first page, Bill Roorbach takes us on a wonderful journey during a time of his life, when he first meets his wife Juliet in Martha's Vineyard. It becomes a wonderful, weird, chaotic time for both. This book will make you honestly laugh out loud, and shake your head in disbelief, at the experiences and adventures that these two people take on. It is filled with nature in all it's glory, and sometimes not so glorious. This is a man that writes the way we think. The conversations that he has with himself are so lively, and funny that you will want to shake his hand heartily and say "Yes, Yes, I know just what you mean" Read it, it's worth every word.



5. This is a wonderful story of one man's memories of the beginning of his true love life. Roorbach is a compelling writer in the essay style of Russell Baker, who offers his readers much in terms of language and story-telling ability. We, too, learn to love Juliet and touch the unique feelings that make this couple worthy of our attention. Perfect reading outside on a summer afternoon

2 comments about The Red Pencil: Convictions from Experience in Education.

1. I couldn't help but feel compelled to write a review after I read the previous review. If you like Dewey or Adler, you will really enjoy this book. Sizer draws from both Dewey and Adler's ideas and points out all the problems with education today. Sizer has years of experience in various areas of education which does nothing more than to give his words even more value. The book is written in first person, so you actually get to live through some of his experiences which brings him to his idea of reformed education. Sizer's coalition of essential schools are interesting and provide one of the best models for education up until this point. If you want to find more information about this model before reading the book, look up Coalition of Essential Schools. They are charter schools located throughout the U.S. that are using this model. This is a must read for anyone who wants to read about contemporary education and understand where we have come from. This book isn't that negative as the previous reader mentioned. It is no more negative than Dewey's "Experience and Education."



2. I first encountered Ted Sizer's views on education in his course on The American School at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Fall of 1963. The idea that most surprised me was his desire to model Harvard's role in American education after that taken by Dewey and his disciples who had trained a high number of America's superintendents during an earlier era. He told us that those of us in the M.A. in Teaching program had been selected in part because we would go on to leadership in various schools and school systems, and could effect change. We would carry the "message" of Harvard regarding our respective disciplines and about the running of the schools as a whole. This struck me then, and still does, as an essentially egotistical concept of his role in education. It was more about power than about educational vision. His role as a reformer trying to dominate and change the schools of the country has continued throughout the years.
   In his writings, he usually focuses on the negative. There is something so basically flawed about the schools it must be weeded out. Yet, it is hard to pin down exactly what is wrong. Sometimes, along with Robert Coles and others, he seems to opine that there are so many youths who are alienated by the system. When I taught in Dedham High School in Massachusetts years ago, one teen declared that he was "an outlaw." He wanted to get a mobile home and a motorcycle and ride rootlessly around the country "like a rolling stone." Sometimes Sizer writes as though he wants to change the system in order not to lose youths like this one. Other times, he is concerned with the cynicism of the better students, who have learned to play the system to their advantage. They have learned to manipulate the system in order to "succeed," but a true ideal of excellence is missing from their value system, or even a true love of learning.
   He is bothered by the bureaucracy, but it's not that there is just too much paperwork or too much micromanagement, or a lack of disciplinary follow through and guts in punishing the guilty. Rather, I often sense from reading Sizer's writings that the bureaucracy is a mindset he abhors. It is a mindset of mediocrity and of trying to manage or enclose an educational process that is more exciting and open-ended than is realized.
   In short, he seems to feel for the past forty-plus years that education is not living up to what it could and should be. Yet, he never clearly articulates what it could and should be. Rather, he is inviting us, and all potential fellow reformers, to catch his vision that there is a dynamic and an excellence beyond what we now have, even if the parameters of that dynamic and that excellence cannot be fully enunciated. He's kind of an educated Rodney King.."if we could all just get together, then what a beautiful world it could be." But it ain't a beautiful world although there is beauty in it. A more healthy and robust philosophy is needed to adjust to the wickedness that is out there.
   He does not call for implementation of a more moral world view as did Pestalozzi. He does not promote the adaptation of the individual to democracy as does Dewey. He does not promote radical freedom of the individual like the Summerhill crowd. He does not advocate integration like Martin Luther King, Jr. He does not challenge us to intensify the scientific application of psychology to learning as does Herbart. Nor, does he advocate the arts as a path to wholeness in the educational life of a growing human being like Rudolf Steiner. Since I studied with him in 1963, I do not see articulated positive goals, but only the sense that if one is smart enough and progressive enough then he or she will see how to reform and improve this or that school or school system, because the given is that they all need reform. His "new vision" really is no vision, but only the promise that if you work with him your schools will get better in all kinds of ways. They will be revitalized. In fact, if I were to give a rubric for his ideas, I would say they come under the heading of "revitalizing the schools." However, the rub is that the notion is vague and even mystical. It ultimately depends upon trusting him and those who agree with him. He has good points to make yet lacks overriding substance in terms of goals or purpose.
   Lastly, it is worth noting that Sizer is not "above the fray." Though certain of his points might be considered acceptable to conservative or liberal theories of education, he is in the liberal camp. Why can't Johnny read? Answer: The schools are boring, have mediocrity as their standard, have untalented administrators and teachers, lack funding,
   are mired in local values and premises that are invalid and provincial, and have arcane rules that inhibit rather than enhance educational practice. Almost every aspect of pedagogy, administration, testing, discipline, parent-school relations, curriculum, guidance, and legal structure is wrong. Why can't Johnny tell right from wrong? Answer: Pretty much the same as the answer for why Johnny can't read.
   Ted Sizer sees very little that is good about education as it has evolved in America. His slant is leftward. His sense that the individual can only be fixed by reforming the whole is ill-conceived and based on many philosophical mis-assumptions.
   His sense that the traditional classroom is a place of failed expectations and rampant denial is excessively negative. His hope for America based on his envisioned educational reforms is futile.

1 comments about Alaska's Evergreen Lodge on Beautiful Lake Louise.

1. In 1969, Barney Sabo decided to resign from his position as a secondary school principal and move to a remote part of Alaska with his wife and reside in a wilderness hunting/fishing lodge almost 200 miles outside of Anchorage. Alaska's Evergreen Lodge On Beautiful Lake Louise is the biographical story of how the move was made, the life style changes that ensued, the challenges and adventures experienced so deep into nature's wilderness and far from the comforts and stresses of "civilization". Alaska's Evergreen Lodge is highly recommended reading for anyone who has ever dreamed of chucking it all and going "back to nature" to enjoy a simpler life.