Rating: 
Summary: If only the public knew
Review: Elinor Burkett's eye for subtle detail will open yours to the state of education in the American suburban landscape. One could not imagine a more sensitive 'fly on the wall' to the sociology of American education. As a retired educator of thirty years [in an adjoining school district from which the saga transpires], I can attest to the painful features of an institution which has far more concerns than education on its plate. Students, administrators, teachers, cooks, and everyone else caught up in the impersonal nature of the American high school are given free rein in their reactions to, and coping with, the 'beast among us.' You may shake your head in reaction to Ms. Burkett's reporting, and you may oftentimes laugh out loud at the antics portrayed, but I can guarantee that you will be amazed at what you didn't know about our most important social institution for our nation's future. With great humor and understanding, the author has done a service for anyone interested in that future.
Rating: 
Summary: If you can't stand the heat...
Review: Get out of the cafeteria!
I thought this was an amazing book. I didn't go to Prior Lake HS, but I did attend an identical HS in the Mpls. suburbs in the 80's, and I can tell you from my experience (and that of my friends, and that of fellow classmates that have since become teachers) that Burkett's portrayal of life in a suburban midwestern HS is about as honest as it gets. The characters were so vividly portrayed I feel like I actually know them! I'm waiting for Anna to show up on Broadway, for Nick to publish his novel, for Marissa to design her own clothing line. I hope the best for all these young kids, especially the ones the system so defiantly (and self-righteously) fails. The "behind-the-scenes" look at the operation of the faculty was revealing, frustrating and sad. I absolutely cannot believe that a certain English teacher portrayed in the book is allowed to sexually harass (and bash) male students at will. This woman's story totally reminded me of a teacher I experienced in high school who was always a **little** too friendly with the boys. In lieu of all the PC talk and sexual harrassment policies running rampant in classrooms today,isn't this instructor afraid of getting slammed with a lawsuit? And what a nightmare to be expected to function in a class where the teacher grades on "quantity, not quality". This kind of educational "reform" makes it that much harder for kids to succeed in the collegiate world, or the "real world" for that matter. It's one thing to want to be well-liked. It's entirely another thing to sacrifice a student's education to get your ego stroked. The fact that there was as much back-biting and game playing going on in the faculty meetings as there was in the lunchroom was astonishing and sad. Maybe some of the staff should have their own "therapy" sessions to get their giant egos under control. And I think it's telling that some of the reviews of this book that were written by former Prior Lake students are riddled with grammatical errors and typos. So much for "feel-good sessions". When you leave high school you won't be rewarded for inadequacies - unless, of course you surround yourself with a community that embraces them. And for those who knock Eli Burkett's research method...errr, isn't she a trained journalist? But then again, the owner of the construction company always knows best, right? UGGHH! This was such a fascinating, frustrating, insightful, sad, funny, sweet and well-written read. I think the scariest thing about it is that Minnesota is supposed to have one of the best educational systems in the nation; I shudder to think what California has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Description of High School and Pop Culture
Review: Great style, wonderfully written, and dealing with urgent, relevant themes, Another World gets four, not five, stars. Why? Because it seems that too much that is explored here is already known or somewhat obvious to many: That students, divided by cliques, are caught up in pop culture craze and have contempt for education. That teachers have egos and frailties that often impede their careers. That there is no coordination between teachers, parents, and students, so that the school system is in chaos. If you are not familiar with these developments, then this book is a real eye-opener.
Rating:
Summary: yes
Review: i also attended Prio Lake high school when this book takes palce. I am not in the book but i know most of, if not all, of the kids she writes about. And i think that it is a very accurate representation of what school was like. I am sure that just about every school in suburbia is just like ours too. I have never been much of a reader but this book has something about it. I cant seem to stop reading it. Maybe its just me, But i would reccomend this book for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Watch for the Biased Reviews
Review: I am giving this book 5 stars even though I think it probably deserves 4. It appears as though a large portion of the negative reviews were written by students who were upset not to be included in the book. Also, one review appears to be duplicated, and I suspect that 4 1-star reviews were written by the same person - the atrocious spelling gave it away.I am not too many years out of high school (I graduated in 1996) and this book brought back a lot for me. Yes there are plenty of kids who do just fine, and yes there are some kids who just don't care and no matter what you do for them, they still won't. But what about everybody else? I myself had a bad time in high school. I graduated with a C average (a mix of A's in the classes with inspiring teachers, and F's in the classes with the other kind of teachers) and went on to graduate from college Summa Cum Laude. What would have helped me do better in high school? What would have helped me care? I don't know. Neither does Elinor Burkett. She doesn't offer any answers, probably because there isn't one simple answer, other than the fact that we need more well qualified, engaging, inspiring teachers who truly love what they do. They are out there - I have had some, and boy does it make a difference. But what person of that caliber is going to take a job that pays so little? One reviewer said don't let your kids in public school no matter what. The simple fact is that is not a financial reality for many people. I don't think that is the answer. We can't run away from the problem. I thought the book was very well written. It was a very quick and engaging read. I was drawn in by the characters, and I identified with so much of what they went through. I think one of the problems with high schools is simply a lack of maturity of the students. I felt myself wanting to reach through the pages to tell the students "hang on, it will get better. This is not real life, and this is not the way it will always be."
Rating:
Summary: teacher-student disconnect
Review: I enjoyed this book and, as a high-school teacher, appreciated particularly its descriptions of the tensions and conflicts within the faculty at the Minnesota High School the author visited throughout the 1999-2000 school year. I liked especially the concise critique of the self-esteem movement and the descriptions of the faculty's struggle over the desirability or feasibility of setting high academic standards. The book focuses largely on the divide between the administration and faculty, who want to keep order and run things their way, and the lives and desires of their students, who bear the onus of dealing daily with the strictures and pressures they feel from teachers, administrators, parents, and peers. Interesting reading, and a different vantage point from most of the adults-revisit-high-school literature.
Rating:
Summary: Amused
Review: I have to admit, I'm pretty amused. The reactions to this book are exactly what they predicted they'd be. In general, suburban schools tend to escape critical examinations by any sort of media because, on paper, they look great compared to their more poverty-stricken counterparts--especially when compared to one-size-fits-all state standards. When someone does come in and examine the issues inner city schools get nailed on all the time, many suburban faculty members and kids flip out because they're so accustomed to receiving nothing but praise for their above-average graduation rates, test scores, etc. They shrink from truly critical examinations that take into account the fact that they could be doing better than they are because they start out with more advantages than other schools. Often, this criticism takes the form of accusing the author of only interviewing the "non-mainstream" kids. Yet what the students don't realize is that even some of the most "mainstream"-seeming kids have hidden problems and concerns that no one knows about, problems that only come out under extensive questioning. Also, everyone has a different definition of the "mainstream." I think this book does an excellent job of reflecting the not-always pleasant and positive world of a real suburban high school-warts and all. In a school of hundreds, there are literally hundreds of conflicting viewpoints. To expect these viewpoints to be uniformly "positive" is unrealistic, especially since teenagers, in general, tend to be highly critical of life, in general!
Rating:
Summary: An answer to Columbine? Control = anger
Review: I think this is a WONDERFUL book! I am a parent of a student in the class of 2000 in Prior Lake. Yes, it does use real names and real situations, and many of our staff members are not portrayed the way I, personally, would want to be portrayed if I were an educator, but I believe it also shows the real care, concern and dedication that some of our teachers have on a daily basis. Ms. Burkett shows the frustration of many of our students by an administration that uses control and intimadation to "control" our children. These are young people who are suppose to "obey' their teachers until graduation day in June, when they are suddenly suppose to think for themselves as adults. Maybe some of the anger in schools would lesson if we start treating students with the same respect that administrators expect. Ms. Burkett and her husband were a welcome addition to our community and I think it is a shame that she is getting bashed by the same administration who invited her into our school because she told the truth.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Planet: A poor account of high school
Review: I was a senior at Prior Lake High School when Eli Burkett was there to research for her book. I feel that our school and community was cheated by the guest we allowed into our school. By no means is this an accurate account of an American highschool. She talked with the so called "rebels" of the school and did not include anything from your average mainstream student. The book is full of one sided views that do not properly represent our high school. Save your money, because this book is not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: rebuttal to review #1
Review: I was also a senior at Prior Lake Senior High when this book was written. Although I am mentioned slightly in this book, I was by no means a class rebel or outcast. I was the average student, who happened to be in a gifted-and-talented program in high school. My question to whoever wrote review #1 is....who do you consider the "mainstream" student in our high school? I agree that the students who were given a great deal of print in this book were the Synergy (gifted students) and the FOCUS ("remedial" students), but I thought the author did a pretty good job getting representation from an assortment of the different "groups" in American high schools. But be realistic here, there is no way that every "type" of student could have been given extential print in this book unless it was extended by a few hundred pages. Even then, because of the complicated social structure in high schools, not every "group" would be represented. The author chose certain students who typify the American stereotype of several "well-known" high school groups: cheerleaders, jocks, nerds, drama students, band students, partiers, student council (i.e. "leaders"), goths, etc. Maybe the reason reviewer #1 doesn't feel that the "mainstream" student was not represented is because it is an impossible category to define. The "groups" listed above could be described as sub-categories for the mainstream group, because many of the mainstream kids are jocks, but maybe not the stars of the team; band members, but they don't throw their lives into music; partiers, but only on occasion; straight-A students who weren't labled as "gifted"....you get my point. I believe the author hoped that by displaying the students who were clear-cut representitives of certain high school groups, she would also include many of the "miscellaneous" students who reviewer #1 might describe as mainstream. I really enjoyed the book and the message it sends to educators about what really could be done to reform schools. I believe that anybody who is pursuing a career in secondary education get their hands on a copy of this book. It really gives the "inside story" of what teachers (and administrators) may deal with, and gives a good lesson in the social hierarchy both among the students and the faculty. Elinor Burkett pulls no punches, and says things as she saw them. The book reads much like a novel, but the academic side to it is not lost. If education reform is something that interests you, pick up a copy of ANOTHER PLANET.
|
