Kindle Read - "One Day, All the Children..."

Image Source: Amazon

 
Although this book isn't a Kindle Read, I still wanted to post a short review on it since I found it very interesting and inspirational.  I actually found this book on my company's book exchange shelf. I probably never would have read it (or even know about it), had I not just happened upon it as I was perusing the books while my lunch was heating in the microwave.

It's no secret that I LOVE school. Sometimes I still think that teaching might be in my future...

So I was really interested to hear how a recent college grad, Wendy Kopp, created one of the country's largest teaching movements, Teach for America. I didn't know much about Teach for America prior to reading the book and personally only know a couple of people who have been involved (including Kimberly Michelle).

I enjoyed reading about how Teach for America started and the struggles and triumphs of these young college grads in building a national non-profit core of teachers from the ground up. It was so inspiring to hear how Wendy and her team persevered through times when they almost couldn't secure enough fundraising money to make payroll. They were all so committed to making sure that children in low-income areas received the same educational opportunities as children in more well-to-do areas that they weren't going to be knocked down that easily!

I think my favorite chapter by far was one where Wendy traveled to different schools to see Teach for America teachers in action. By doing this, she was able to see what set some teachers apart and made them (and subsequently their students) more successful. She noticed that to be a good teacher, you needed to be a good leader. Someone who could set goals and motivate students and their parents to help him/her meet those goals. A teacher needs to work relentlessly to achieve the goals they have  set and constantly assess their effectiveness and improve their teaching techniques over time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading inspirational book and who is interested in education.

Do you have any inspirational books (educational or not) that  you would recommend?