Faculty Reading List - 2007
The following list of books was given to teachers over
the summer. Faculty
members read one book from the list and then participate in
reading groups during the back-to-school faculty meetings.
Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son
Kevin Jennings
The son of a Southern Baptist minister, Jennings traces his
childhood in trailer parks in North Carolina to Harvard, the
White House, and finally to the creation of GLSEN, the Gay,
Lesbian, Straight Educational Network.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from
Nature-Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv
This book, recommended by several faculty members, focuses
on the alarming disconnection in today’s world between
children and nature and the implications for both human
health and the future of our environment. Louv was a
long-time columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, has
written for The New York Times, has been a columnist
for Parents magazine, and has appeared on most
national news programs.
Saving Miss Oliver’s
Stephen Davenport
Written by a former teacher at Trinity-Pawling and Kingswood-Oxford,
head at the Country School in Madison, CT, and founding head
of The Athenian School in Danville, CA, saving Miss Oliver’s
has earned rave reviews in both professional and mainstream
publications. David Mallery, seminar leader and consultant
to schools in the US and abroad, writes: “Anyone who has
ever been a student or administrator or teacher or parent or
trustee in a school will find the book riveting.” It’s
central issue is the change in a girls’ school when its
board of trustees fires a beloved female head, replacing her
with a male, but its exploration of school issues goes far
beyond such an obvious challenge.
The Kids Behind the Label: An Inside Look at ADHD for
Classroom Teachers
Trudy Knowles
Fourteen ADHD students from elementary school to college
tell you what they experience coming to class each day.
The Higher Power of Lucky
Susan Patron
In this year’s Newbery Medalist, Patron takes us to the
California desert community of Hard Pan (population 43).
Ten-year-old Lucky Trimble eavesdrops on 12-step program
meetings from her hiding place behind Hard Pan’s Found
Object Wind Chime Museum & Visitor Center. Eccentric
characters and quirky details spice up Lucky’s life just as
her guardian Brigitte’s fresh parsley embellishes her French
cuisine.“‘Lucky’ is a perfectly nuanced blend of adventure,
survival (emotional and physical) and hilarious character
study... as well as a blueprint for a self-examined life,”
said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Jeri Kladder. “Through
Lucky’s experiences, we are reminded that children support
one another just as needy adults do.” (Newbery Medal site)
Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson
Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change
lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless
mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s
treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with
impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a
school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five
schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education
in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth.
As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him
into conflict with both enraged Islamists and
uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines
adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.
(book jacket description)
Some previous selections:
Raising a Team Player, Harry Sheehy
All Kinds of Minds, Mel Levine, M.D.
In the Deep Heart’s Core, Michael Johnston
Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage
to Teach, Sam Intrator, Megan Scribner, Parker Palmer, Tom Vander Ark,
editors
What it Takes to Pull Me
Through, David Marcus
Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to
Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences, Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph. D
Family Matters, Rob Evans
Kira-Kira, Cynthia Kadohata
The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success
in School and Life, Michael Thompson, with Theresa Barker
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