“Excellent book. I teach, have so for many years to both children and adults in colleges, high sc hools and m iddle schools as well as non profit programs. The greatest difficulty has been teaching not only core subjects but also "life skills" A HUGE component of life skills I've discovered over the years breaks down to social class and the rules that each class structure has. Most people stay in poverty/poor not due to lack of intelligence but due to a lack of training in these transversing skills---the students I've had from middle class homes, even lower middle class 30k a year and above, are better able to "change their minds" around learning, education, work, social rules vs. those who haven't had the same level of social/home mentoring training. I'm currently teaching at Columbia and this books was one of the tools I picked up after looking at how some first year students were on track and others weren't. Where the first few weeks I "stumbled" or didn't feel in a teaching rhythm with the students, after reviewing myself/my curriculum and adding in a component explaining to them that there are different rules now, I was able to synch in to the class and most importantly raise the bar of the material I was teaching (almost a "grade" level or two higher than where they're at) but they understand how and why it is difficult and arrive better tuned in to the challenge. My teaching ability has grown exponentially from just having the social class chart in mind and education strategies when I'm talking, explaining, teaching, etc. with my students.
Also I would add that it has improved my own self-perception---as during the course of my childhood, my family went from poverty to upper middle class and how I was able to evaluate som e of my "mixed" messages and skills that have served my improving to the level of teaching/work after achieving degrees. I'm able to see myself better/differently/deeper and to correct my own blindspots and enhance areas where I have implemented changes that work and understand why. I understand the "hidden rules"---now much clearer because of this book and the skills or knowledge I need to look to obtain to the next level.”
KylePhoenix wrote this review Thursday, November 12 2009.
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