Teaching Books

...outdated, very few useful ideas, centered around elementary education, and an absurd tone of cheerfulness mixed with condescension.

When I was a new teacher I really hoped this book would prepare me for running a smooth classroom but it just steered my thinking in the wrong direction and ultimately it probably did more harm than good.

This books "popularity" is simply due to the fact that it is a fad book within administrative circles. This is because Wong goes out of his way to argue that teachers who criticize inservice and professional development activities are just bad teachers.

Very eye-opening. A truly great read for any caring educator. Time-tested and researched techniques, procedures, and rules. Even a chapter on dressing the part. Well worth every penny. I have two copies.

I would purchase a product from this seller again. This came in a timely manner.

Thanks for the book. I've searched book stores for a while and they never had it in stock. It was nice to find a new book still in it's package cheaper than any book store.

It was shipped fast and was brand new in the plastic wrap like I ordered.

I am a first grade teacher and wanted to improve my literacy program by getting away from using worksheets during centers. This book offers great practical ideas including lessons and charts to use for "reading to self", "reading to someone" and "listening to reading" which I will implement in my classroom. I currently have a fairly successful Writer's Workshop and do a lot of making words activities but the book offers ideas in these areas as well. So many books just deal with concepts of literacy but this one breaks the teaching procedures into easily followed steps that I am excited about trying out with my next group of students. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to create an authentic learning atmosphere in a classroom and get away from a "packaged" curriculum so every student can work at their reading/writing level independently.

Recieved item on time, right when we were told it would arrive. Book in very good condition.

The Sisters tell how their method evolved over the span of their teaching careers. Their method is practical, gives students responsiblity and keeps students involved in literacy activities. They give step by step procedures for implementing.

This book is a quick read with great charts and information in getting started using this approach. The daily five really streamlines the student activities/routines that are practiced during independent work as the teacher works with small groups. I plan to use this approach in my classroom next year. The best part is that it will work with any school system's standards.

WOW!!!...is all I can say. I am on my 14th day of "training." I can see a lot of pride in my students. THEY take the ownership of their learning with this fantastic program. I have found that I do, indeed, spend much less time maintaining those students that I am NOT currently working with. No "gentle reminders," "pulling cards," "deducting time from recess," etc. They are so proud of their ability to use stamina (a big word they really like to refer to)and build their mental memory.
This is my 13th year of teaching. I highly recommend using this. It is very successful with my first graders, even though others felt it wouldn't.

Practicing the Power of Now is a handy companion to Eckhart's wildly popular The Power of Now. Essentially, Practicing the Power of Now contains the same information as in the first book. However, I have to say that I prefer this format. The first book was written in a question answer format. These questions came from the author's students. He also included amalgamated questions that covered a variety of common queries. These question and answer sessions gradually took the reader from common perception through to an understanding of the illusions that we generally accept as real and the importance of the present moment.

Practicing the Power of Now is written in formalized chapters summarizing much of the material written that first book such as being and enlightenment; the origin of fear, entering the now, dissolving consciousness, etc. The best quotations, mediations, and exercises first previously presented are also included.

This is a must read if you want to change your life style. It contains material that has to be read more then once and put into practise. It will change you behavior if you follow the guidelines.

Paradoxically, in a society that desires immediate gratification, this book leads the reader to an immediate solution to the constant underlying discontent that pervades "normal" daily living. And, with this, dissolves the need for that very same gratification. Wow. The increasing degree of inner calm, peace, and contentment in my life are my measures of effectivenes with this book. I have given it (and Eckhart Tolle's book, A New Earth) as gifts over and over again. Eckhart's teaching is a beautiful blend of wisdom from many ancient teachers and many faith traditions (strong on Buddhist and Christian principles), I cannot imagine how it could ever offend anyone. It will deepen and increase the sacredness of anyone's spiritual life. The messages and the practices that are the basis of the teaching in this book are ancient...but they have been beautifully and uniquely blended and packaged for immediate application and practice in our world today. Eckhart is a very special gifted teacher and writer. I apply this same review to A New Earth, but recommend this book as a first read.

This book is a great follow-up to either The Power Of Now or A New Earth. If you were moved by these books, Practicing the Power of Now will give you more specific suggestions to continue. If you didn't "get" one of Tolle's other books, don't waste your time with this one.

Eckhart Tolle, the author of the international bestseller, "Power of Now," highlights his essential teachings and then skillfully offers effective meditations and practices, so that the reader may directly realize the true power of living in the present moment. These exercises encourage a revolutionary shift beyond the mind-made self and its waiting, worrying and fear, so that we may get out of our minds and into the heart. When we are willing to step out of time into the refuge of our timelessness, we live in harmony and peace.

Katie Davis Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment

So far, this book has been helpful. I can't really fully review it until later after taking the test. I would recommend it.

I would highly recommend this book for preparing to take the GRE general test. The review material, exercises and sample question answer explanations were very helpful in relearning math I originally learned over 20 years ago (I'm heading to grad school at age 43). To get a baseline, I took one of the sample tests before reviewing. Then I went through each math chapter carefully (but only once) (a few evenings a week over about 6 weeks). After studying, my math score on the GRE was a 750 (up from 550 on the baseline sample test). (Math was always my strong subject so it really was RElearning it for me, but it obviously worked well). For the vocabulary and essay sections, I would say I mostly used the book to become familiar with the structure of the test, which is very important. The time pressure on the test is very tight...you don't want to have to waste time during the actual test just trying to figure out logistics. The book does provide alot of information to learn how to derive the meaning of words you don't know, etc., but I honestly didn't focus on those. My degree will be math -related so I focused on maximizing my math score. The book was also invaluable for its pointing out common pitfalls found on the test (for example, don't assume a geometry diagram is drawn to scale unless it specifically states that it is. They are sometimes exaggerated to be confusing).

I bought Kaplan books along with this, and the Kaplan books were such a waste. This book is truly the ONLY book you need. The word lists are amazing...learn them!! As for the math review, I am not an overly mathematical person. After going through the entire Kaplan math review, I still was not increasing my score. A few weeks before the exam I turned to the math review here, and it saved me. I got a 600 which for me was phenomenal! Others have mentioned that the CD tests are made to make you think you are doing better (I took them all at once and got very different scores). But, make sure to take the tests ETS provides on their site. This book helped me meet my goal not only on those ETS practice tests but also on the actual GRE. I took the test only once and got into the top two schools in the nation for my program. As I said before, this book is the ONLY one you need. Save your time and money and go with this book if you want a strong, comprehensive review of everything on the exam!

Larger word bank, glossary than other GRE preparation books. Thats a good thing. Includes CD, which I have not used yet. However, my initial review is that this book is worth buying.

I read the reviews when selecting a book to study for the GRE. Based on that information I choose to purchase two books, Barron's GRE and The Princeton Review's "Cracke the GRE." I used both books to study. The Barron's book confused me, not only was it unhelpful but the "assistance" with the math section scared me. I lost sleep due to this book. Save your money and invest in the Princton Review. Not only was the math section more helpful the essay section provided several great suggestions for creating an excellent essay.

These are great books for beginning readers. My 4 year old loves them because she can read them all by herself. All the words are three letters (or less) long which makes them very easy for kids to read. The stories are also silly and entertaining.

I thought about buying these same books in a large format from Costco, but I like the small size. They are just right for a kid.

My son is 5 and getting very interested in reading. His school had these books and he talked about them a lot. Now we have them at home and he loves to read the first three books. It is building his confidence because it is absolutely age appropriate as it introduces the sounds of letters in the form of short words. Highly recommended.

I don't know that I can recommend these books enough! I bought them for my daughter's 3rd birthday because she was very interested in reading, was writing her name, asking how to spell words, etc... At first I was concerned that it was just too early to expect her to read & that it would do more harm than good - Nope! We read them to her first, then had her repeat as we read & before we knew it she was reading them on her own. Once she could easily read every book included in Set 1, she asked when the next set would arrive!
I'm extemely happy I stumbled across these on amazon & that I bought them for her when she was ready - not according to the age range listed. Don't be afrid to introduce these early - they are nice & simple enough to build confidence in their skill right away.
I absolutely recommend these. There is nothing more heartwarming then to watch a child light up because they did it all by themself!

I used the Bob Books to teach my daughter how to read at age two. Really. Being able to read helped to give her a feeling of confidence when she entered school. She knew she could tackle anything the teachers threw her way. This love of reading has stayed with her. Now I am buying the Bob Books for my nephews so they can get that early confidence. As a teacher and mother I recommend Bob Books.

My daughter is one of the youngest kids in her class heading to kindergarten next year and my wife purchased this set of books. We have read to my daughter since before she was born and now she is reading to us! She is so excited and extremely proud of her new found ability.

I was skeptical at first, but I couldn't rate it higher at this point!

This is an excellent resource for building a thoughtful yoga class or practice. Many students have issues with specific muscles and this book helps you respond with good and in-depth understanding of which poses are a good choice for them.

I was first attracted to yoga without knowing anything about it. I found that there is a profound spiritual empowerment in it. Having practiced contemplative meditation I found a great affinity with the yogic arts. I know the title of the book is called Yoga Anatomy but not to mention the spiritual side to yoga is incorrect. To use the analogy of Mr Kaminoff about the car and its engine. It is like having a great engine, steering, transmission and breaks but having no destination, nowhere to go. Remember Mr Kaminoff that we are living in a much too physical era. We have lost the link (yoga) with our own consciousness.

I am very curious about which muscles do what in my yoga poses, and why some poses hurt more than others, and what I should be doing with my back muscles in certain poses. I had hoped that this book would provide some answers, but I discovered that the book was written about yoga from an anatomy perspective rather than the other way around. I don't understand 90% of this book, because I don't know which muscles are being referenced and what the motion is that he's talking about. Adducted? Trapezius? I'm totally lost.

If I bought some kind of anatomical dictionary and used it to translate this book, I've no doubt the book would be wonderful. The illustrations are amazing, and I can tell that the text and the breakdown of each pose are thorough and not at all dry. Nevertheless, I'm going to have to ask a friend who's an RN for some help reading it. Yogis, be warned: you'll need some knowledge of anatomical terminology to understand this book.

This book is really good. It has an excellent introduction of breath anatomy and explains exactly what muscles and actions are being used in a posture. I also like how it links postures together. For example when looking at forward fold (Uttanasana) it says, for more in deptch exploration look at the sitting version Paschimottanasana. So it also helps with sequencing and linking ideas together. Chef recommends!

The illustrations in this book are fantastic! The intricate detail provides a great visual to see what is actually happening in a well executed asana. The text is useful too, but it is written with very technical language and may take a bit of extra effort to absorb. I have found some answers to questions I have had in acheiving certain poses. I would recommend this book to serious Yogis.

This book is well-written, clear and mostly complete and very helpful for a person who is a Buddhist practitioner as well as a teacher in Vipassana meditation. Especially teaching in the West requires a right blend of traditional Buddhist psychology with the western psyche and ethos. This book specially helps to comprehend the subject clearly and in presenting the subject to the western audience

This is a wonderful meditation companion and history book rolled into one. Jack Kornfield compares and contrasts Buddhist and Western pyschology while giving a wealth of stories of meditations benefits and a guide to practice.

I read several of Jack's previous books and always find his writing style easy and understandable. Probably not the best book for someone just starting their path of meditation, I'd recommend "A Path with Heart" for that, but this is a good book for someone with a few years of practice under their belt who wants to have a deeper understanding of their practice.

Highly recommended.

I am interested in and practice meditation. I am not a Buddhist, but find that the teachings of Buddhism are a practical way to live in our very complicated world, full of beauty and suffering. Jack Kornfield's book presents the teachings in a simple manner, making it easy to understand some of the more complicated ideas of Buddhist thought. I listened to the book on audiobook, as I absorb information well this way. I heartily recommend The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology to anyone who has any suffering in this life and is interested in finding a practical, meaningful guide.

This book is beautifully written and organized. It's an open, intelligent, and thoughtful integration between Buddhist wisdom and modern psychology. Actually, Jack explains some of the healthier aspects Buddhist thought. While not denying the existence of mental illness, his focus is more on mental health and how we can cultivate it as meditators. I particularly enjoy Jack's honesty about special experiences in meditation while keeping both feet on the ground of compassion and wisdom. As a meditator, I have sometimes been thrown by the smoke-and-mirrors vagueness around special experiences; I like knowing where they are on the map and how they relate (or don't) to the development of wisdom and compassion. This conveys that they are "no big deal" far more than the smoke and mirrors! I also like knowing that other people struggle with their "stuff" in meditation, and that keeping at it could lead to some freedom. I've heard teachers say that, but Jack's stories make it seem much more relevant and possible. I want to commend Jack for writing a book that is so interesting and enjoyable and that really makes sense to me! I hope it will be useful to others, as well.

Jack Kornfield richly expounds on 26 principles of Buddhist psychology.

The first of these is: "See the inner nobility and beauty of all human beings" and the 26th being: "A peaceful heart gives birth to love. When love meets suffering it turns to compassion. When love meets suffering it turns to joy."

Jack Kornfield provides the reader with a philosophical discussion of each principle and the basis of it in the Buddha's teachings. These principle are demonstrated with numerous cases from Jack Kornfield's many years of practice. Several of these are followed by practices and practical exercises, such as loving-kindness meditations.

Buddhist teachings, which as the Dalai Lama describes as "a science of mind", have had a profound influence on modern cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Neuroscience and evidence-based research increasingly validates the efficacy of Buddhist practices, such as mindfulness and forgiveness for mental health, happiness and well-being. This accessible guidebook will be of interest to any one who is interested not only in self-help, or clinical psychotherapy, but in better understanding the rich Buddhist traditions and ideas behind them.

One of the co-authors of this book (Foster Cline, M.D.) is the psychiatrist whose "attachment therapy" resulted in deaths and torture of children. (See "Advocates for Children in Therapy" at http://www.childrenintherapy.org/.) My child -- now 20 and an honors student adored by family and friends -- had oppositional and destructive behavior with tantrums. My husband and I followed advice similar to that in this book, culminating when our son became suicidal at age 8. At that point my husband and I looked at each other with the simultaneous unspoken thought: "We can't keep treating him this way." We instead relied on our own sense of how far to go. Later, when I read, "The Explosive Child" by Ross Green, I said to myself, "This man has written a book describing how we decided to raise our son!" It was such a relief to read, "The Explosive Child." Our change in approach paid off -- and the medications finally were tweaked correctly, and guess what: his behavior changed overnight from awful to excellent. It wasn't that he didn't WANT to behave like others: it was that he COULDN'T. As soon as the medications allowed him to control his behavior and distorted perceptions, all the good parenting and modeling we had done kicked in immediately. "Love and Logic" is based on the belief that natural consequences are all that's needed -- but if your child has a brain disorder that causes a distorted view of what's happening, the consequences you would have to resort to would be torture.
It's MUCH MUCH better to understand the disorder and how it is distorting your child's thoughts and perceptions, and get it treated by a board-certified child psychiatrist. Also, read, "The Explosive Child." (By the way, our son has not taken any medications in three years. The medications bought him time to mature enough to be able to make use of cognitive-behavioral techniques to control his anxiety. I also think the medications may have allowed his brain to develop normally so that eventually he didn't need them.)

There are a ton of "parenting" books available but this one is helping me a great deal. Good illustrations and easy to read; the logic makes sense and the love is there.

This is a no nonsense approach to keeping your cool while
helping your kids listen and learn about life. Even though
it might not work with all kids this book is a must read
for any parent the earlier you read it the better.

My son just turned 2 and is at a very independant age. I wanted to write this review because of one that I read about this book. One thing is that no one can go by 1 book and take it as gospel (obviously) but there are a lot of great things that make you stop and reflect with this book. I can honestly say that I can now get my son to wear a jacket and let me change his diaper because I give him choices that still get me what I want. "do you want to wear your blue jacket or your red jacket" he is so consumed with what color he wants to wear that he forgets that he didn't want to wear a jacket in the first place at 55*. As simple as it seems, it works over 90% of the time with my son. I even got my husband on board because he saw the results.
As for the "spanking" most of this book I did agree with. I will not swat my son on the butt for throwing his food on the floor, but I will if he runs into the street! Not one time in this book does it suggest spanking as a solution to anything.
It is an easy read and worth every minute.

This a an outstanding book for parents to learn those parenting skills necessary to raise happy and healthy children. Another must-read for parents is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullyingwhich is about raising empowering children who will never become victims or bullies.

I found this book to be a very good way to help my son learn to read. It is also an excellent way for a father to bond with his child. Both my son and I enjoyed the time together. One thing the author does not address is that all children learn at different speeds and that you shouldn't get frustrated if they do not learn as fast as the book says they can learn. We started the first time at the age of 4. My son did fine with the sounds, but was not able to do the writing. After about lesson 30 I was seriously frustrated with him on his writing and ultimately I forced him to give up. We put the book away for a year, and one day when he was 5 he brought the book back to me and said "daddy please teach me to read again." We were able to complete all 100 lessons before he turned 6 and I found a different way to teach him to write. My son is now 7 and just finished 1st grade in the top 3 readers of his class.

I loved this book. It's a great tool. It tells a little about how children are normally taught to read in school and spells out how to teach them to read step by step. I wish I'd known about this book before my children started school.

I loved teaching to read so much I wrote an essay about the "ah-ha" moment when it "clicked" with my 4-1/2 year-old niece. When you get to experience something like that you can't imagine letting someone else have that opportunity!

I have used this book to teach four different children (all girls). The ages at the start of the program were 2yrs 10 months (finished at 3-1/2), 4-1/2 years, 5-1/2 years and 5-1/2 years. That said, it is important to realize that every child is different. The main thing about the children I taught (individually and not during the same time period), is that they all WANTED to learn. I have recommended this book probably 1,000 times. People were so shocked that my 3-1/2 year old was reading on her own at a 2nd grade level (and comprehending it and even spelling), that I printed the title and authors on a business card to hand out - I really was stopped that often and questioned about my method. That said, please keep in mind that your child is unique, they will have good days and bad days and things may come a little slower for some than for others. After recommending this so many times, the only person I have ever heard to have trouble was a person trying to keep up with my child. It isn't a contest and it should be immensely pleasurable to both the parent and the child. I would sit on the couch and stretch out my arm and the child would come running for a snuggle and a lesson. Of course, you will want to incorporate TONS of praise. The first lesson begins with the sound "ahhh". Act astonished and say things like, "Wow! You just READ all by yourself! Wow! Do you think you can do that again?!" You know, kind of like potty-training. If there is anything that kids eat up, it is love and praise. So, don't be shy, just open your arms and heart and start lesson one!

If your child is tired, sick, cranky or antsy, cut the lesson short or skip it that day or try later. Because my daughter was so young when we started I did not do the written exercises. Manual dexterity comes a little later and you don't want to stress the child out. Mine eventually insisted on trying it anyway, but I didn't worry about it.

Good luck!

I had already been teaching my son to recognize sounds and had been introducing him to phonics. However, I began to ran into trouble when he questioned why one letter sounded different in two words; I did not know how to explain when to use long vowels, or short vowels.

The first few chapters were used as a review for my son, as he already knew the beginning sounds, but I found the chapters useful. The early chapters were great preparation for me, with regards to understanding the system.


I ran the concept by my mother, who is a retired school teacher and she said she used a similar program to teach her 1st graders to read.

We have had the book for about a month and we are on lesson 34. My goal is to the entire program completed before he heads back to school. He's really taken an interested in reading, sounds out words on signs, on passing buses and is excited about being able to read on his own. I think he's doing remarkably, considering he just turned 4.

Is this book for everyone? Perhaps not, but not every child learns the same way. The system also has to make sense to the parent, otherwise it will probably be a total waste. Like everything else, what works for one may not work for another, but we are having great success and I would recommend it to anyone interested in teaching their child to read.

I had this book once before for my oldest and then had sold it only to realize I still wanted to use it for my other children.
Excellent condition and showed up at our door in a timely manner.
Very happy!

From the first chapter, this book has had a tangible impact on my life. I grew up in a rural area but now live in NYC and had sensed, but did not fully realize how important being in nature is for my physical, spiritual and mental health. This book has re-opened my senses to the truth that I am a part of nature and even though I live in a city, I have the obligation to care for the nature around me. I also work with children and am newly inspired to incorporate nature into all aspects of education.

The only critique I have is that at times it feels like Louv is repetitive, and the directives about what can be done are sometimes broad, but the overall effect has been to inspire me to get out and DO something about the problem.

My wife and I played in the woods; we taught our kids to play in the woods; one is an environmental educator; one is an environmental biologist.

Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods
This book makes a convincing case that many of our children are suffering from a deficit of nature in their lives. He connects this nature deficit to a variety of modern plagues, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, stress, depression, anxiety disorders, and childhood obesity. The evidence tends to be more anecdotal than systematic or experimental, but the cumulation of such evidence becomes persuasive.

He attributes this deficit to many causes, including a loss of public spaces, the testing climate in public schools reducing recesses, the growth of organized youth activities at the expense of just messing around in vacant lots, parents' fears for safety, fears of litigation making cities reduce parks and playgrounds, electronic games and television, and various other ills. The causal links here are even more speculative but again, the story coheres well from an accumulation of circumstantial evidence.

Louv's solutions seem to address symptoms, not underlying causes. Many are wishful thinking - - with so many social and economic pressures taking our kids away from nature, we need a significant restructuring to get them back. I'm not sure how to do this, but this important book certainly does a good job raising the issues.

Cannot recommend this book enough whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area.

Nature is all around you as the book says, and sadly to many children have no idea what trees are in their neighborhood, or what that flower called a dandelion is growing thru the crack in the sidewalk.

If nothing else I hope the book will make parents/adults and children simply stop and look around and see what is growing or living around them. Would make a GREAT gift for any parent. So turn off the computer, tv and cell phone and get outside.

True, today's computer use by kids has in too many cases divorced them from the real benefits of being outdoors and understanding the need to interact with Nature in all its various forms.

However, the author errs when he puts forth the premise that todays activists are interfering with the kids' rights to interact with nature - NOT SO!!! Hunting and fishing will ALWAYS be with us -- and RESPONSIBLE hunting and fishing should be the core of every sportspersons' agenda. Not everyone wants to hunt and fish -- so those who just enjoy hiking and camping should be aware of and follow the rules and responsibilities of careful stewardship of the earth (bring your trash OUT of the wilderness with you-- be extra careful with camp fires, etc etc)

Not one word of his book mentions Humane Education, or the GREAT work that Humane Educators, especially the Institute for Humane Education -- are doing to re-acquaint children with the ecology (animal vegetable and mineral) that surrounds them and their responsibility toward this ecology that is EVERY individual's birthright. I would HOPE that the next revision of this book WILL discuss the great contributions of these Humane educators and organizations.

Neither does the author mention the efforts on the part of major religious organizations to make their members aware of the need to respect, preserve and maintain God's gifts of flora and fauna and verything that makes up this big beautiful earth.

Growing up in the Big City -- as a child, I visited the MANY FREE places open to kids of all ages in New York City -- namely the zoos and botanical gardens that are still there today. These organizations appeal to children and have programs specifically aimed at all children, and ARE visited on a daily basis by children who attend the local schools.

All is NOT lost -- computer can never supplant the "real Thing" -- but many children still need to acquaint themselves with Mother Earth and their responsible relationship to her. With some improvements, this book can help re-acquaint all of us to the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it (without bashing any of the groups out there who have their own specific philosophies about other living beings) and can act as a beneficial guide to parents and children alike.