thebookishlibrarian's review against another edition
This book is the encouraging story of how Nadia Lopez, a life long educator, opened and became the principal of her own Brooklyn school. She was inspired by her students to create the school, and suddenly found herself in the national spotlight while she met with President Obama and the beneficiary behind a campaign to fund the school. All it took was one post on the popular site Humans of New York for her to get noticed. This book is the story of how Mott Hall Bridges Academy came to be.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Adults tend to hold kids to higher standards than they have for themselves, and teachers are no exception. This is a theme I return to over and over as a principal, because I see it over and over. We all take children to task for things we overlook in ourselves.When Lopez opened her school, she was up against seemingly impossible odds: because a school that had been scheduled to close remained open, she had only a fraction of the number of students (and considerably less funding) than she should have; her students were overwhelmingly poor, with huge gaps in their education; she had to scramble to find qualified, interested teachers. But Lopez persevered.
When I send out an informational e-mail to my staff every weekend with a respond receipt tag, not everyone confirms their receipt, and probably even fewer actually read the e-mail. But I'm going to be consistent and send out the e-mail anyway. I'll never forget when my grandmother passed away, a teacher who had heard the news from another teacher came into my office to say he had just heard and to express his condolences.
"That's interesting," I said. "Because it was the first line of the e-mail I sent out to the staff last week."
As I said, I'm perfectly fine being brutally honest.
When my teachers get upset that kids didn't read the assignment they put in the homework packet, I remind them that they don't read the letters I send. (43)
There are a number of takeaways here, but the short of it is that perseverance and caring go a long way—'caring' including things like taking the time to figure out exactly what is going on with a student (academically, socially, personally) that is getting in the way of them being able to succeed. For the most part the teachers in the book aren't really fleshed out—it's Lopez's story—and I do wonder if the school would manage to do half what it's doing now were she not there. With any luck, of course, it'll be a long time before that's a consideration, but it's the sort of thing that can go either way—it can be evidence of the way even one person can make a difference, or it can be a reminder of the risk of a single person being a linchpin.
My rating is lower than the average here, and that's not about what Lopez is doing—it sounds like she's doing hard, necessary work and succeeding. As a book, I didn't find it exceptional; I'd have loved to see more of the people fleshed out and brought to life, the students especially. That said, it's a quick read and puts a spotlight on things that those of us living under other circumstances don't think about enough.
amysutton's review against another edition
5.0
I am so inspired by Ms. Lopez's passion and dedication. I can't say that I would be able to do the same things she has done, but the payoff and reward of seeing so many lives changed must be so incredible. I can only hope to be sparked by her drive and work toward a similar legacy.
I received a copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
I received a copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
rockshaw22's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the book. More importantly, I love everything this woman stands for in education. I wish that all people (including myself) could go walk through the halls of Mott Hall Bridges Academy and attend any professional development she provided. What a beautiful environment she has created for scholars and teachers alike. Wow.
rykeser's review against another edition
5.0
This isn’t a “how-to” for fixing or creating stellar schools for our kids. But it is an insightful look as to the obstacles that educators face, how unrelenting the pressures are from both state standards and the reality of our students’ lives. She captures quite perfectly what it feels like to be a principal and then she shows you what a principal who is committed a 1000% looks and feels like. A story worth reading for sure.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
The country needs many more principals like Nadia Lopez, who fights tenaciously for the children in her NYC middle school. It seems fortuitous that the story of Mott Hall Bridges Academy was brought to light in the blog Humans of New York, because Ms. Lopez has a lot of practical advice for helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed. And she also has some helpful thoughts on what constitutes progress in students' lives, and that some successes are not measured by standardized tests. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the education of children.
megs2kool's review against another edition
4.0
Inspiring! What Ms. Lopez does for her students is above and beyond, but those students deserve everything she can give. Teaching her students that they can belong in this world, and should think beyond the neighborhood they've grown up in, is such a powerful message.
cmg629's review against another edition
5.0
This was such an awesome read. It was so good that I will likely buy it, and I don't purchase books very often.
Nadia Lopez and her middle school (Mott Hall Bridges Academy) gained worldwide notice when they, through a student named Vidal, were featured on the Humans of New York Facebook page.
What moved me about this book was how plainly written and brutally honest it was. So much of what a young person accomplishes in life is determined by their drive and persistence. But it's just as important to have access (information, opportunities, etc.), experiences outside of your neighborhood and examples to model oneself after. It was a foregone conclusion that I would go to college, even though we didn't have much money to speak of. I did well in high school, and my brother went to college before I did, so he was my example to follow.
But what do you do if you are the first in your family to attend/finish middle school? Or if the school system has failed to address your needs? Or if you've been told countless times that you don't matter or you'll never go to college - and you start to believe it, because you don't know any better? This book details the struggles and obstacles that Nadia and her staff faced, and also highlights the positive gains and hard won successes they've had over the past 7 years with her Brownsville scholars. I highly recommend this to anyone as a worthy read.
Nadia Lopez and her middle school (Mott Hall Bridges Academy) gained worldwide notice when they, through a student named Vidal, were featured on the Humans of New York Facebook page.
What moved me about this book was how plainly written and brutally honest it was. So much of what a young person accomplishes in life is determined by their drive and persistence. But it's just as important to have access (information, opportunities, etc.), experiences outside of your neighborhood and examples to model oneself after. It was a foregone conclusion that I would go to college, even though we didn't have much money to speak of. I did well in high school, and my brother went to college before I did, so he was my example to follow.
But what do you do if you are the first in your family to attend/finish middle school? Or if the school system has failed to address your needs? Or if you've been told countless times that you don't matter or you'll never go to college - and you start to believe it, because you don't know any better? This book details the struggles and obstacles that Nadia and her staff faced, and also highlights the positive gains and hard won successes they've had over the past 7 years with her Brownsville scholars. I highly recommend this to anyone as a worthy read.
kc1005us's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group/Viking for the chance to read & review "The Bridge to Brilliance".
Ms. Lopez is "that" Principal. The one who loves her students unconditionally & will pull for them with everything she has. A moving story detailing how she began her school for the children who were falling through the cracks, the underprivileged, those who needed her most.
A must read (in my opinion) for any educator, parent, person interested in helping ALL students reach their full potential.
Ms. Lopez is "that" Principal. The one who loves her students unconditionally & will pull for them with everything she has. A moving story detailing how she began her school for the children who were falling through the cracks, the underprivileged, those who needed her most.
A must read (in my opinion) for any educator, parent, person interested in helping ALL students reach their full potential.
bookwormmichelle's review
4.0
I first saw this story on Humans of New York, like most people, and was so inspired then by Ms. Lopez and her school. Even though I am always a little afraid of being "Three Cups of Tea"d when I read this sort of book, I can't really find anyone who DOESN'T think this is an amazing story. If we could clone this woman we could improve education by leaps and bounds. Love the story, love Ms. Lopez. My only concern--she admits to doing almost nothing but work--every day, all day, into the night. This doesn't necessarily seem like a sustainable model that can be reproduced across the country. Still, an amazing story. Not to be missed.