From the halls of Congress to dinner tables across the country, our educational system and how to improve it has long been the subject of debate. Catherine Iaccarino, a veteran teacher of both young students and instructors, shares various strategies for departing from the text. Instead, she focuses on methods for teaching children how they can learn along with what to learn. In Memoirs of Teaching; The Good, The Bad and The Inappropriate with Strategies for Teaching to Children Not to Tests readers will see what makes Noah Webster spin in his grave, short vowels so sad, and how Shakespeare's wild and crazy "Henry V" and "Hamlet" inspire and motivate fifth grade students. Through the kinesthetic approach readers observe how fingers can compute the sounds of letters into words. Forget about the box and learn to think in a circle This book is divided into two parts. It humorously highlights teaching situations with outcomes that span from the good, to the bad and the incredibly inappropriate. Readers may feel free to snicker at the faux pas, cringe at the irony of laws and orders, or relate to an experience that warmed their heart to a teacher. The book then moves on to provide successful instructional methods to bring the joy back to learning and teaching. Often, the lessons learned are much more valuable than the intention of the lesson planned. Recognizing these teachable moments is when true learning takes place. Iaccarino's insightful teaching experiences are wittily narrated, appealing to teachers, parents, and those interested in the learning process The strategies portion of the book has focal points that run through each academic skill section. Each promotes teaching through the senses - the sense of humor, wonder, accomplishment, and, of course, common sense. The strategies used are tailored to be incorporated into the classroom or at home. With modalities and association methods, the author crafts learning techniques that are easy to understand, implement, and adapt to students' grades and ages without any additional cost, paperwork, or requirements. They also provide a loose structure where teachers are free to alter, enhance, or omit according to their teaching situation or style. You can't win the war against ignorance with an army of students who don't care about the battles and a regiment of teachers who don't know what they're fighting for. Our educational system has drifted toward teaching for the test content and higher scores, which in turn has left many students undereducated with their individual needs and learning styles not addressed. The most common complaint from teachers is that the joy of teaching is gone. They are often left frustrated with compromised time and energy. The reporting, regulations, mandates, and constantly changing requirements hinder educators from reaching their students and instilling in them the love of learning. Rediscover that it is possible to reach and teach the student and bring joy back to the learning process for both the student and the teacher. Teaching; The Good, The Bad and the Inappropriate by Iaccarino is an entertaining read filled with valuable insights and techniques to enhance learning in any of us.
About the Author: Catherine Iaccarino was a special education resource room and inclusion teacher in grammar and middle schools for over thirty years and continues to teach summers at the Center for Coastal Ecology. Teaching special education in an urban setting along with continuing to prepare and present unique programs for the regular classroom, tutoring for mastery testing, and substituting has enlightened her to more effective methods not necessarily explained in textbooks. These personally developed insights combined with her intuitive, witty approach, make for a useful compilation of ways to pique a child's curiosity, effectively reach his or her desire to learn, and actually enjoy the process. She has appeared on locally televised "Classroom Connections" and presented lectures and workshops at schools and universities here, as well as in China. She currently lives in Connecticut.