I was asked to review, The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark. Can I just say his school sounds absolutely A....MA....ZING! I think a slide in the middle of our foyer at home school would be so much fun!
In this book, Mr. Clark provides 101 "Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers" to help get students "unstuck". I wanted to take a moment to share two of the solutions that really touched me. (I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t read the book yourself.)
In this book, Mr. Clark provides 101 "Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers" to help get students "unstuck". I wanted to take a moment to share two of the solutions that really touched me. (I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t read the book yourself.)
His 12th Solution: Set the tone for a love of learning.
This solution really brought me back to The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller and how much we need to instill a love, not only for reading, but for learning in general. So many of my little learners do not have that love for reading or learning when they begin working with me. We as teachers need to instill that in them. I agree with Mr. Clark in that we need to show our students that we are lifelong learners and continue to have a constant thirst for knowledge. We need to show them that even as adults there are still questions that we may not be able to answer, because we continue to learn things ourselves. He states, "No one knows everything, and the real lesson we need to teach our children is that the man who can actually find the answers to any questions presented to him is the true genius." It helps to reinforce the need for the students to try their hardest and do their very best every day.
His 13th Solution: Treat every child as if he or she were your own.
I wholeheartedly agree with him when he says, "For anyone who works with children, we often are made aware of the burdens they have to bear, but in many instances we will never know. We never have an awareness of the pain they are feeling and the struggles they have to endure. What we can do, however, is love them and see them as individuals we care about and respect."
He says we can accomplish this by simply paying attention to them, asking them how they are, having lunch with them, or even giving a small gift. He says, "It may seem like something simple at the time, but it may just end up being the most special moment in the life of a child who is desperately deserving of happiness." All of the children we work with are such beautiful little beings and part of our job is to help them see themselves as such.
Some of his solutions seem so very simple. But as simple as they are, they really help open our eyes to the many hats we need to wear as parents and teachers!
Don't forget to stop by TBA to see what others have to say about this amazing book and how it has touched them!
~ Enjoy!
