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A Book Review
A Book Review
by Jennifer Garcia
by Jennifer Garcia
Faster Isn’t Smarter takes a comprehensive look into the world of a teacher from many different angles. I highly recommend this book to every teacher, but it is a must-read for math teachers, especially. It is accessible for parents and policy leaders and lawmakers alike. This is a go-to reference for how we teach, learn, and the questions we should be asking to improve our education as a community.
In the forward How to Use This Book, Seeley says it is not necessarily meant to be read front to back, and that makes sense. Each chapter follows a specific pattern: what I’d call the meat of it; reflections and discussions, being broken down into sections for teachers, families, and leaders and policy makers; and finally, related messages. The related messages are topics that expand on the chapter’s meat. They give direction for where to go in order to continue the research. I found myself getting lost in one topic because reading one chapter led to the related messages, which led me to the internet, which led me to another source, and so on.
Cathy Seeley brilliantly touches on the everchanging world of mathematics instruction and teaching in an evolving classroom with new technologies entering the scene daily. The book is eloquently laid out, yet accessible to a teacher looking for a quick resource in a specific area. The book has 4 sections and 45 chapters total. They cover topics like teaching smarter, not harder; preparing students for college and the workforce, the need for a well-balanced curriculum, looking at benchmark testing, the power of mental math, how we develop as professionals, and does gender still matter in math class?
And in case you’re wondering, gender doesn’t matter, except, perhaps, in the way math is taught. Standardized tests show that boys and girls understand concepts at the same level, at least through high school. Differences lie in the way young girls learn through language and boys mostly through mental images and emotions.
Seeley has taught in Texas and is well-aware of the never-ending struggle our local schools face to make the grade. She believes that the main reason so many programs and initiatives in education fail is because they are research-based and in an environment unlike the one in which they’re being used to address a problem. The biggest problem of all is they aren’t given a chance to work. She does an excellent job of conveying the work ethic of the Good Old Days in Chapter 4 and is a firm believer in learning from mistakes.
What I love most about her writing, is that Seeley continually refers back to the basic belief that all students have potential, deserve equity, and should be challenged and engaged. These are the basic standards that are unchanging and should be the foundation for all teaching. As a woman graduating with a Math Degree from Virginia Tech, it wasn’t easy for her to find employ in a man’s world. Making her way and pathing the way for others, Seeley hasn’t taken the easy road and won’t sugarcoat what it was like. She will, however, and has, influenced many, encouraged the masses, and been fearless about spreading her vast knowledge on the way we learn and the way we teach.
A Book Review
A Book Review
by Jennifer Garcia
by Jennifer Garcia
The title of this book is what originally caught my eye. It was actually a book, among several others, in my home library, that I've seen many times, and thought 'I'd like to read that one day...'
John Adair is recognized as the world's first Professor of Leadership Studies. Amazing it took until the late 80s for this to become a specialized study set. Being a leader is no joke, and it is a task that definitely requires a self-help manual. This book is that manual.
Adair takes the broad idea of leadership, concisely categorizes the key principles to successfully leading and avoiding disaster, and gives applicable scenarios and solutions to common workplace conundrums. The book is crucial for the new leader, and extremely helpful for the seasoned leader working to hone workplace social groups and understand how his/her employees best operate. The biggest part of leadership is knowing your audience and how they interact with each other. Not Bosses But Leaders will assist managers in determining communication styles of employees, and the best ways to get through to them.
A Book Review
A Book Review
by Jennifer Garcia
by Jennifer Garcia
Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend have created a handbook for anyone struggling with boundaries. The book is perfect for people in an uncomfortable relationship, but applicable to any type of difficult social situation, including those in the workplace.
The book includes a crucial piece for our modern world which helps people approach how to handle internet encounters and create boundaries in a digital world.
As a manager, this book helped me confidently navigate inappropriate work relationships, gossiping employees, and negative behaviors. It is a helpful tool for creating professional development and promoting growth in the workplace.
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