servemethesky's review against another edition
4.0
This book was hilarious, charming, and fun. I enjoyed every word. It's written as a series of emails between a witty new teacher and an ex-coworker and friend at the engineering company he was laid off from. As we hear about Jack Woodson's first year of teaching terrors such as Satan (spelled Sa'Tun) and kind-hearted kids such as Rejoice, we begin to cheer Jack on in his work. There were many moments when Learn Me Good actually made me laugh out loud. All in all, a really enjoyable read.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
John Pearson earned a degree in Engineering from Duke University and then worked for nearly four years in Dallas, Texas as a thermal design engineer before being laid off. He decided to go back to college to be certified as a math teacher and found himself at the beginning of the next school year standing in front of a class of 3rd graders in an inner city school as their Math/Science teacher. This book is the journey of that year of teaching told through a series of emails to his friend, Fred Bommerson, who still worked at Heat Pumps Unlimited. The emails are full of sarcasm, a touch of despair, a huge helping of tenderness and respect, humor, and, ultimately, a lot of love. Pearson comments that he traded in conference calls, product testing, and business cards for parent-teacher conferences, standardized testing, and report cards while noting that the maturity level of the people surrounding him didn't significantly change. After reading about the 40 3rd graders that Pearson taught every day--two sections of 20--I was amazed to discover that they reminded me quite strongly of the college students that I teach (harass, conjole, perform for, etc.) every semester. His third graders have the same limited attention span, urge to get off subject, lack of respect for authority, behaviorial issues, family problems, procrastination, and indifference to detail (wait, I have some of those qualities too)as my college students and I have the same affection for my students as the author has for his. While students of any age can drive educators to distractions (and sometimes substance abuse) there are those moments when you realize why you gave up the big bucks to spend your time in the classroom. One of my favorite moments in the book was the last day of school when all of the students are on the buses pulling out of the school and the teachers "were waving, clapping, dancing, and shooting off pistols into the air. I think that I even saw someone hold up a sign that read 'John 3:16'." And then comes the realization that he's already looking forward to the next school year. I know the feeling.
spidergirl502's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable anecdotes, though it started to feel repetitive. Personally, I'm not a fan of the email/letter format in a book, so that probably affected my reading enjoyment. I could relate to the author's stories, as I once worked (for a very short time) as a teacher's aide. I have a lot of respect for teachers and this book shows a lot of what they deal with (the good and the bad) on a daily basis.
rachelleahdorn's review against another edition
4.0
This was an enjoyable quick read about a teacher's first year.
The book was funny and reminded me of my own real life experiences as a teacher and a parent.
The format is strange: a series of e-mails to an ex colleague. But the format makes the read quick and gives some more variety than a simple diary or journal or memoir of events. Though you don't read the replies, the e-mails reference them and give a sense of a two-way conversation.
The author likes his puns and jokes and funny names. I think they set just the right tone for this book, but beware, they were groaners. This should be read for fun, not for tips or life changing revelations. (Though I did notice techniques used by the teacher/author which were also described in [b:Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College With DVD |7811877|Teach Like a Champion 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College With DVD |Doug Lemov|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275687357s/7811877.jpg|10825901])
The book was funny and reminded me of my own real life experiences as a teacher and a parent.
The format is strange: a series of e-mails to an ex colleague. But the format makes the read quick and gives some more variety than a simple diary or journal or memoir of events. Though you don't read the replies, the e-mails reference them and give a sense of a two-way conversation.
The author likes his puns and jokes and funny names. I think they set just the right tone for this book, but beware, they were groaners. This should be read for fun, not for tips or life changing revelations. (Though I did notice techniques used by the teacher/author which were also described in [b:Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College With DVD |7811877|Teach Like a Champion 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College With DVD |Doug Lemov|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275687357s/7811877.jpg|10825901])
lbough's review against another edition
4.0
Whether you have ever been a teacher or not, these little tales are pretty funny, told from one friend to another via a chain of emails. Pearson frequently made me cackle, and so got me plenty of strange looks from other people in the room. And really, that's what reading is all about, right?
boipoka's review
3.0
The book started out pretty strong, the witty sign-offs being my special favorite. Jack's kids are hilarious, his frustration entertaining, and his love for teaching shines through it all. Reading about the American elementary education system is also fascinating (it's so much more laid back than India!). I also love the format - quirky emails are so endearing!
But at about three-fourths of the way, the style and content started feeling repetitive and the school year was stretched thin to increase the page count. By the end, the author seems to have run out of all ideas - the award ceremony at the end of the school year read like it had been copy pasted from 'Learn Me Good'.
I would have given this book a 3.5stars, but 4 is too much for it. So 3 it is!
But at about three-fourths of the way, the style and content started feeling repetitive and the school year was stretched thin to increase the page count. By the end, the author seems to have run out of all ideas - the award ceremony at the end of the school year read like it had been copy pasted from 'Learn Me Good'.
I would have given this book a 3.5stars, but 4 is too much for it. So 3 it is!
beccabudd's review against another edition
5.0
Quick read - made me laugh out loud regularly. Loved it.
claudiaswisher's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, true-to-life, with an authentic voice. Often I get impatient with first-year teachers' memoirs...too cute, too smug...too Esme. But this is a hoot. Maybe it's because it's written as emails to a friend--a snarky friend. Pearson entered teaching after he was laid off at his old job. But I never doubted his six city and commitment to his students...
His stories about his students are ones every teacher can smile at, nod his or her head at....we recognize his fear of parent conferences, his sick humor, his frustrations over the testing culture...
The book covers Pearson's first year, ending with the month-long testing frenzy that is Texas third grade...he covers the seasons, the celebrations, the revolving door that public schools are...kids in and kids out...one girl entered his class the day before the testing, and he was held responsible for her scores...
His affection for even the most challenging kids is clear, his desire to be a better teacher is evident. I really like Jack Pearson!
His stories about his students are ones every teacher can smile at, nod his or her head at....we recognize his fear of parent conferences, his sick humor, his frustrations over the testing culture...
The book covers Pearson's first year, ending with the month-long testing frenzy that is Texas third grade...he covers the seasons, the celebrations, the revolving door that public schools are...kids in and kids out...one girl entered his class the day before the testing, and he was held responsible for her scores...
His affection for even the most challenging kids is clear, his desire to be a better teacher is evident. I really like Jack Pearson!
bookworm_mommy's review against another edition
5.0
Engineer turned 3rd grade teacher...what's not to love?
I thought that I might struggle with the format. The entire book is written as emails from teacher, Jack Woodson, to a former coworker at the engineering firm. But that only added to it's appeal.
I literally laughed out loud at many points. As a previous junior high teacher, I could picture so much of it in my mind.
I appreciated how even the frustrating aspects of teaching can be looked at through the lens of humor.
Witty. Sarcastic. Real. A must read for any teacher. A should read for any person.
I thought that I might struggle with the format. The entire book is written as emails from teacher, Jack Woodson, to a former coworker at the engineering firm. But that only added to it's appeal.
I literally laughed out loud at many points. As a previous junior high teacher, I could picture so much of it in my mind.
I appreciated how even the frustrating aspects of teaching can be looked at through the lens of humor.
Witty. Sarcastic. Real. A must read for any teacher. A should read for any person.
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