The Book High

I loved the first half of this book, even though the author at times crossed the line from enthusiastic almost right into ecclesiastic. At least he left no question in the reader's mind as to the urgency with which he views this issue.

And I completely agree with several things he said regarding education in general. I loved how he said "teaching is not about information. It's about having an honest intellectual relationship with your students." That's the closest description I've found to how I hope to approach my relationships with my students.

What I disagree with, though, is that every teacher can approach every subject this way. Elementary school teachers, by necessity, end up teaching subjects they are less enthusiastic and less knowledgeable about along with those that "move [them] and send chills down [their] spine."

I love his premise that we can make math come alive for the students by letting them play and letting them use their imaginations to identify and solve problems. However, being one of those he discusses whose appreciation of math was destroyed by high school geometry, I am lacking the confidence and tools to feel adequate employing his suggestions in my classroom. And while the author did a great job of piquing my interest and even creating an enthusiasm and excitement for his ideas, he fails to provide concrete suggestions for how to make them reality.