Posted by admin on 4th February 2010
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| Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom |
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| Manufacturer: Outskirts Press |
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| List Price: $14.95 |
| Sale Price: $13.45 |
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Product Description |
Learn to Build Meaningful Relationships With Kids
They graze in and we help them become more. We find the small dreams that wisp through our doors and feed them when no one else will. And we make dreamers out of those that thought they had no business dreaming at all. Come spend some time with Chris Bowen and our kids. The days are flawed, at times chaotic, but always beautiful. Learn about the latest generation of public school kids and learn how you can build meaningful relationships with all kids, whether they're the ones in your home, your classroom, or simply the ones that just pass through your life. Because, in the end, they are all our kids. |
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Customer Reviews |
 Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom |
| Review Date: September 29, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Julia A. E. Peterson, Anaheim, CA United States |
| I am a public school teacher and loved this book. I could relate to many of the stories that made me laugh out loud and also brought me to tears. Chris Bowen's optimistic outlook on the children of our future is inspiring. I highly recommend this book to other teachers, parents or readers in need of catching a positive glimpse of todays classroom. |
A Teacher's unique and humane perspective
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| Review Date: May 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Norman Goldman, Montreal |
Winner of the prestigious Teacher of the Year for Los Angeles County- a county that employs over 80,000 teachers, Chris Bowen has penned an impressive memoir with his Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom. According to Bowen, "To work with children is to see, to catch, these small untraceable moments. It is to watch a child pause, cocoon, and re-emerge as a whole new entity."
Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom offers readers a unique and humane perspective with its wonderful collection of vignettes of Bowen's personal experiences with students that have graced his classrooms over twelve years. His essays validate his powers as a writer with a talent for empathy and sensitivity that persuasively show up in his exacting eye for revealing moods and emotions capturing the essence of youngsters growing up. At times his observations are quite telling and even painful, as he doesn't shy away from portraying honest family difficulties.
One particular touching essay is about the little girl who couldn't eat with a fork due to a genetic bone disorder and from which her mother likewise suffered. The youngster needed a one-on-one school aide, however, her mother omitted to fill out the proper forms requesting help and thus the little girl was denied this service. It was later revealed that the mother had no idea that she had to formally request aid and no one bothered to tell her. In another tale we learn about the little boy who didn't want to go out for Halloween because his mom thought that since his family couldn't afford to give out candy that year, he really shouldn't be asking for candy from other people. When Bowen asked the little boy what he thought of not going out for Halloween, the answer was that "it wouldn't be fair." And as Bowen remarks, "I looked into Jorge's good-natured face and can't help but think of so many other children who might need such a deep lesson in humility and grace. He has more than enough humility, grace, and dignity, for an eight-year old." Then there is the story of the little girl whose Leukemia was in remission and one day she believed it reappeared. As we learn, her parents were divorcing and Leukemia, despite all the pain and sorrow, was what kept the family together. Now faced with divorcing parents, the little girl felt that Leukemia was better than divorce. As Bowen points out, "sure Leukemia was frightening. Painful. But somehow, to Melanie, it seemed a small price to pay to keep her family."
Bowen's well-rounded and moving narratives are for the most part introduced with deep philosophical reflections that set the stage for what is to ensue. If there is a criticism to be made, it is that most of us will be left wanting more. What ever happened to that little boy or girl that Bowen wrote about?
After reading the last of Bowen's memoirs, I came to the conclusion that not only is he a talented essayist, but he is also just the sort of voice we should be listening to if we are seriously interested in improving our educational system as his essays provide us with the perfect opportunity to take heed.
No wonder he was awarded Teacher of the Year for Los Angeles County and I am quite certain that his memoirs will garner many well-deserved accolades. I do hope we don't have to wait too long for a follow-up.
Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures |
Inspiring the teacher to be
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| Review Date: December 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Joseph D. Bowen, |
| As a someone who is studying to be a teacher, sometimes it gets hard to remember why I am doing this while getting lost amongst content standards, lesson plan rationales, and assessments. The biggest imspiration behind teaching is the chance of making a difference in a child's life. Not many classes offer lessons in doing such a thing. This collection of stories celebrates the differences we can make and reminds us why we are writing lesson plans til late in the evening. This is a great book for anyone preparing to be a teacher. Keep this book by your bedside while getting through your teacher certification. |
Inspiring
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| Review Date: May 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Miguel A. Rojas, |
An inspiring book. It is neither a manual on teaching techniques nor a guide on strategies to meet state-mandated standards. This book is about what we can learn from our children. Each chapter is a lesson learned, not just a lesson taught.
Reading about his experiences in the classroom reassured my belief that many students, if not all, require much more than a teacher, especially when so many of our children are lacking when it comes to stable family relationships.
The stories in this book struck a personal chord. The chapter titled "A Fresh Dreamer" was particularly poignant. I came to the US when I was 14. This experience has shaped my adult life and continues to shape my future and the future of my family. I now work with recent immigrant children who find themselves in the same situation I was in nineteen years ago. The American Dream is alive and well in them. I help them adjust to their new country and they help me remember what I once was. Teaching is a two-way street and Chris captures the essence of what it means to be a true teacher to our children. |
Great and inspiring reading
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| Review Date: May 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Wren, Long Beach, CA United States |
| I am a parent of school age kids. Interesting to see school from a teacher's perspective and inspiring that there are some teachers out there that put this much thought into their interaction with the children that they teach. |
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