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Rise Up!: Life and Literacy in an Urban First Grade
This is an account of an ethnically and racially diverse classroom of funny, endearing, and often poignant six-year-olds in a Seattle inner-city elementary school. The author, their volunteer literary coach, describes the classroom, their heroic teacher, a number of clever teaching modules, and the evolution of this school toward excellence. The children's confidences, essays, and poetry sparkle with humor, and the unexpected viewpoints of childhood. Eight captivating students are profiled and featured for us in line drawing illustrations.
In the final chapters some startling school district data is introduced as well as three common-sense recommendations to give all kids a fair chance in school. Having learned so much about the realities of public elementary education in her five years in the classroom, the author wanted to share the good news of what is possible with others who might otherwise view this as a grim subject.
In the final chapters some startling school district data is introduced as well as three common-sense recommendations to give all kids a fair chance in school. Having learned so much about the realities of public elementary education in her five years in the classroom, the author wanted to share the good news of what is possible with others who might otherwise view this as a grim subject.
160 pages, Paperback
Published March 6, 2017
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June 24, 2017
I'm afraid I'm incapable of not liking this book, a collection of anecdotes from a volunteer in a first grade classroom. First off, Ms. Linda, as the kids call her, is married to a friend of ours. Second, my daughter is a second grade teacher in a similar socio-economic community, so I am extremely sympathetic with grade school teachers and their young students. Third, the school is located in the quadrant of Seattle where I also live, so I feel quite neighborly towards the students and their families. Of course, there is also the fact that Ms. Linda writes well and has some heartwarming stories to share.
Rise Up! is set in Hawthorne Elementary School, located in one of Seattle's less prestigious zip codes. Ms. Linda describes her experiences as a classroom volunteer, introducing us to a lovely collection of young'uns. (The stories you're about to read are true, but details have been changed to protect the innocent.) She takes us on a journey throughout the school year, sharing in the joys, sorrows, and struggles of these little scholars. At the end, she vents a bit about what's wrong with the education system and offers ideas for improvement, all with an eye on helping our kids.
Rise Up! is set in Hawthorne Elementary School, located in one of Seattle's less prestigious zip codes. Ms. Linda describes her experiences as a classroom volunteer, introducing us to a lovely collection of young'uns. (The stories you're about to read are true, but details have been changed to protect the innocent.) She takes us on a journey throughout the school year, sharing in the joys, sorrows, and struggles of these little scholars. At the end, she vents a bit about what's wrong with the education system and offers ideas for improvement, all with an eye on helping our kids.
Displaying 1 of 1 review