Rating: 
Summary: As A Mom...
Review: As the mother of a child who's been in the same Montessori school since she was not quite two, my first response to Donna's book was "Move to Austin! Enroll Katie in this school now!!!" My second, more reasoned response was, "Ask all the teachers at her school to read this book. Now!!!"
My child is growing up in a diverse, multi-cultural world that begs for adults who are skillful at teaching children to negotiate its conflicts and differences. And who are willing to stand by the belief that every child deserves to be included in community- EVERY one.
Rating:
Summary: As A Mom...
Review: As the mother of a child who's been in the same Montessori school since she was not quite two, my first response to Donna's book was "Move to Austin! Enroll Katie in this school now!!!" My second, more reasoned response was, "Ask all the teachers at her school to read this book. Now!!!"
My child is growing up in a diverse, multi-cultural world that begs for adults who are skillful at teaching children to negotiate its conflicts and differences. And who are willing to stand by the belief that every child deserves to be included in community- EVERY one.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book for Parents and Educators
Review: Donna's book focuses on the achievements of the children she has educated, and how they have helped to educate each other. She describes children in the process of learning non-violent community building as well as academic skills. She celebrates the ability of the students to put these skills to use in their own classrooms. A great read for all parents and educators.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read for parents and educators of "special needs" child
Review: I discovered this book on a list of Montessori titles. As my son, who is in a Montessori School has ADHD I was hooked by the title. Once the book arrived I sat down and read it in two nights (unheard of given the demands on my time). This book reaffirmed my decision to send my son to a Montessori school. My son's teacher has been working hard to attempt to find the key to unlock my son's potential. I plan to buy a copy of this book for her and a second copy for the school's library. While the book is directed at elementary age children, I strongly feel that many of the ideas and concepts apply equally well to the 3-6 age Montessori children (as well as to older children). Also while the thrust of the book is on interactions in the classroom, it also has excellent suggestions and insights into how best to parent, many suggestions that I plan to implement in my family. In her book Donna Bryant Goertz tells stories of 12 of the children who she has taught (and refused to label as ADD, ADHD, Bi-Polar, etc...) over the past 30 years. While this is not a "how to book", but rather a compliation of her experiences, there are many valuable points and ideas that can be derived from her writings to help teachers approach the "non-peaceful" child. I feel this is a MUST read for every Montessori educator and/or any parent of a "challenging" "special needs" child. Since my son's ADHD diagnosis I have read LOTS of books on ADHD and education this is by far the BEST!
Rating:
Summary: Must Read for parents and educators of "special needs" child
Review: I discovered this book on a list of Montessori titles. As my son, who is in a Montessori School has ADHD I was hooked by the title. Once the book arrived I sat down and read it in two nights (unheard of given the demands on my time). This book reaffirmed my decision to send my son to a Montessori school. My son's teacher has been working hard to attempt to find the key to unlock my son's potential. I plan to buy a copy of this book for her and a second copy for the school's library. While the book is directed at elementary age children, I strongly feel that many of the ideas and concepts apply equally well to the 3-6 age Montessori children (as well as to older children). Also while the thrust of the book is on interactions in the classroom, it also has excellent suggestions and insights into how best to parent, many suggestions that I plan to implement in my family. In her book Donna Bryant Goertz tells stories of 12 of the children who she has taught (and refused to label as ADD, ADHD, Bi-Polar, etc...) over the past 30 years. While this is not a "how to book", but rather a compliation of her experiences, there are many valuable points and ideas that can be derived from her writings to help teachers approach the "non-peaceful" child. I feel this is a MUST read for every Montessori educator and/or any parent of a "challenging" "special needs" child. Since my son's ADHD diagnosis I have read LOTS of books on ADHD and education this is by far the BEST!
Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking, inspiring book
Review: I had the pleasure to read and comment on this book before publication, and I have been waiting impatiently for its appearance on bookstore shelves.For over 30 years, Donna Goertz has been painstakingly building a classroom culture that begins to resemble the ideal described in the works of Dr. Maria Montessori. While many settle for a diluted form of Montessori practice (e.g., accelerated math with fancy manipulatives), Goertz's aim is to serve Montessori's ultimate vision of a peaceful world inhabited by adults whose best impulses for creativity, altruism, self-knowledge and moral integrity had been supported at every step by a system of education based on the universal developmental needs of the child. To realize such a vision requires an uncommon level of skill and personal reflection on the part of the teacher. Goertz has a reputation for taking on the "difficult" children that have not been successful in other educational settings, and much of the book is devoted to case studies of these children as they are gradually transformed by the Montessori classroom environment and Goertz's own masterful interventions. She calls these children "weathervane children" because they are the ones who "show which way the wind is blowing" in the classroom; i.e., being vulnerable themselves, they tend to be the first to show the effects of some aspect of the classroom community that is out of alignment with the true needs of the children. In this respect, says Goertz, they are the teacher's best friends, doing a great service to the community of those more robust children who may suffer in relative silence. (It has been said that the greatest impediment to the advancement of pedagogy is the resilience of children.) During the 1998-99 school year I assisted Goertz in her classroom, and it is gratifying to see that she has to a remarkable extent been able to capture in words the atmosphere of the school, the "feel" of the classroom, and the personalities of the individual children about whom she writes. This book is not a handbook of "classroom management," a teacher's self-help book, a "how-to" of Montessori techniques, a critique of traditional education, or an educational memoire. I see it as a lovingly detailed report on the progress of one long-term experiment in creating peaceful, peace-loving human beings through education of the whole person in community. Richly textured, it invites reading on many levels. The book should be of interest not only to classroom teachers, but also to parents (especially parents of "difficult" children), spiritual leaders, school counselors, psychologists, sociologists, peace educators, and those interested in studies of community formation and life.
Rating:
Summary: I have been waiting . . .
Review: I have heard of Donna Goertz's work and have been waiting for this book for a long time. It is important for all teachers and parents, especially those who have begun to give up hope for "today's" child.
Rating:
Summary: I have been waiting . . .
Review: I have heard of Donna Goertz's work and have been waiting for this book for a long time. It is important for all teachers and parents, especially those who have begun to give up hope for "today's" child.
Rating:
Summary: Review of book
Review: I read this book form the perspective of a therapist who works with children and as the mother of a child in a Montessori school. I think that it is an excellent resource for teachers, parents and any person who works with and loves children. Ms Goertz writes with a concise yet lyrical style and her love and respect for children is evident.
Rating:
Summary: Welcoming the Unwelcome
Review: This book is a collection of stories, insight and practical advice from working with twelve children during the thirty-year teaching career of Donna Bryant Goertz. Donna is a skillful, observant practitioner who provides us with a glimpse of her classroom that characterizes what she considers the absence of "obnoxious", "different", "problem", or "difficult" children. She provides us with the perspective that it is possible to welcome and include every child into a classroom and treat them with respect, dignity and love. The book replaces old habits and paradigms with better tools that build community rather than compliance. It is a MUST read.
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