Featured Books

Peter Reynolds

• The North Star
• He Was Me

Howard Gardner

• The Disciplined Mind: Beyond facts and standardized tests, the K-12 education that every child deserves

The first two selections can be read and viewed online and are wonderful thought provoking stories. Because of the reflective nature of these stories, I have provided a place where you can go and record any thoughts that you might like to share with the community after experiencing these stories. Just click "edit page" and add your comments to the wiki. This is meant to a fun collaborative reflection on the journey of teaching and learning as experienced in our own lives as we follow our own North Star, help others find theirs and search for the inner child in each of us. Enjoy the fun!

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I came across these wonderful children's stories during an online discussion with the author and had to pass them along. The first is "North Star" which was inspired by the author and his twin brothers journey through the formalities of education and one teacher that dared to be different and encourage them to follow "their own North Star". It is an allegory that should touch the soul of every educator. The other is "He Was Me" which encourages us to look at the child that still lives within each of us. Below you will find links to the stories on-line as well as the author's comments as made during his presentation in Tapped In.

North Star Story | Author Talks about North Star Story | Your Reflections

Review by
Dr. Jane Goodall,
Scientific Director The Jane Goodall Institute
Everyone will fall in love with The North Star, as I have. It is an inspired fable about our journey through life...and the pleasures to conform that are exerted on dreams when they run counter to the expectations to society. It is a book for those who know, or will eventually realize that what they are doing is not what, in their heart of hearts, they want to do. It is for parents and other educators who seek to develop the unique potential they see in every child. And, with its utterly magical illustrations, it will enthrall the children too. If only every individual could find and follow his or her own star and be encouraged to do so. How different the world would be. The North Star moves us in that direction.

Book Description
The North Star from FableVision Press, is a hardcover book of 120 pages, filled with magical watercolor illustrations and text by Peter Reynolds.

The North Star is the story of a young boy's journey through life. It is an allegory that raises questions about which road we take, and how to seek out our own unique path through life. The magical illustrations and gentle text reveal the empowering wonder of navigating our true potential.

The North Star celebrates the individual. It invites us to rethink curriculum, career choices and other critical life decisions in a way that respects who we really are and our own unique gifts. It has inspired children, teachers, parents and people from all walks of life.

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This is a short (4 minute) video story about our inner child. It is very touching and powerful. Watch and enjoy. The text below is from the authors site at www.fablevision.com

He Was Me is a quiet story about the inner child in all of us, and the eternal struggle to retain our sense of self in a busy world. In the film, as a man waits at a bus stop in the rain, his inner child is brought poignantly to life as he reflects on his past and ponders his future.

As Peter shares, "This is a gift to you - to educators and caregivers. My hope is that if we can all remember what it is like to be a child, we will be able to listen to the children around us better - to serve them better. If children see that we have not lost our own child spirit, they'll be more likely to join the learning party."

He Was Me (4 min) | Your Reflections

The New York Times Book Review
A must-read for every educator, parent or anyone who cares about our children's future. (Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence)

Book Description
In The Disciplined Mind, Howard Gardner argues that K-12 education should strive for a deep understanding of three classical principles: truth, beauty, and goodness.

Such an understanding requires mastery of the major disciplines that human beings have created over the centuries. As powerful examples of his approach, Gardner describes an education that illuminates the theory of evolution, the music of Mozart, and the lessons of the Holocaust. Far from the standardized test mentality that has gripped both policy makers and the public, Gardner envisions an education that preserves the strengths of a traditional humane education while preparing younger generations for the challenges of the future.