Customer Reviews

Black Ants and Buddhists

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have just finished one of the best books about teaching that I have ever read. It is written by a teacher of first and second graders, but the work she does with these culturally, linguistically,and economically diverse children goes far beyond the work covered in most high school AP courses. Whether you are a teacher or not, whether you teach first grade or graduate school, I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.

I own this book and used it during my master's classes in education. It is a wonderful text to get you thinking about the different ways social studies and the world can be presented to your students while still meeting standards. I highly recommend it just for the sheer joy of the love of teaching Mary Cowhey teaches us!

I am learning so much about learning styles and how to really help the kids to understand what you are teaching. It's great.

This is a great book, hard to put down!!! She writes mainly about her days, and important things to keep in mind as a teacher.
As a teacher myself, reading this book gave me new insight into various lessons and children's thinking. It also was an affirmation piece, which I feel is important to teachers once in a while to remind us that we are doing the right things.

I would recommend this book to anyone teaches or works with children. This such an inspirational book with great ideas. I think every superintendent all the way down to the para-professionals need to read this book. It will totally change your way of thinking... for the better.

There are definitely elements of this book I like: her use of field trips, her ability to build collaborative relationships with parents and then bring them into her classroom for projects and lessons, her creative projects and many attempts to make her children feel empowered. I also really liked the way that she reads a picture book once a week that she feels will encourage some kind of lively discussion about the world - friendship, courage, social issues, etc.

BUT, I agree (and I am super liberal and very interested in anti-bias education) that much of her teaching was *deeply developmentally inappropriate and actually very biased (just with the opposite bias than the "traditional" ones of textbooks twenty or thirty years ago). Her book is super preachy and I was left wondering what the children did all day besides have intense conversations about how horrible Jefferson is because he owned slaves. I'm all for re-thinking our historical myths (e.g. that the Founding Fathers were some kind of saints), but I personally believe peace work, which the author is obsessed with, more comes from being able to listen and understand another's perspective in a way that doesn't cast them as villains, even if some of their actions look pretty horrible from our modern lens.

I really was not a fan of this book overall. It made me feel that the author really should have stayed in her former job of political organizing rather than using her job as a teacher of young children to politicize them. She may not realize it, but she is actually doing the same thing as the teachers of long ago did to her, which she bemoans at various points. She is quite actively pushing a particular political agenda on *6! year olds. I really was left just wanting to hear that she reads her kids Shel Silverstein and Winnie the Pooh occasionally, too. I hope that she does.

I am currently a student teacher and this was an amazing book to read to give me some hope as a "newbie" in this market. It made me feel inspired that I should have the confidence to teach in my own way with experiences that may be new and different to the traditional methods. Cowhey is conversational, empathetic and a bit of a hippie, if you will. But she is an amazing, honest and realistic teacher. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in education and the molding of young minds!

One of my education professors suggested this book, and I fell in love instantly! This woman is able to create the environment that I dream of having, inclusive, thoughtful, and critical. The book is written in an easily accessed way with lots of examples straight from her students. If you too believe teaching is the greatest tool for social justice, get this book!

I have really enjoyed reading through this well-written, easy flowing text for my pre-service teaching course. Author has reminded me that teaching is not only a job but has responsibilities and privileges to be embraced. While the specifics may not be replicable in a classroom, the ideals are. I recommend this book highly to those wanting to embrace strategic thinking in the classroom, and how to integrate the everyday into lessons, planned or spontaneously.

First, it is clear that Mary Cowhey is a passionate educator who has woven her way into the hearts of her students and their families and has made an undoubtedly positive different in her community.

As an elementary teacher I was also impressed with the way Cowhey draws on community 'experts' and resources to enhance her curriculum with authentic guest speakers and field trips. Most traditional field trips, as she reminds us, are static, artificial, and booked six months in advance.

I do though have some reservations about the political content and agenda embedded into much of what Cowhey teaches. Cowhey seems to do an outstanding job of using historical examples and critical thought to promote tolerance and acceptance of all people. She seemlessly uses the natural open-mindedness of her students to address racial, gender, and sexual discrimination. When she moves to topics such as labor unions, however, I do think she is pushing an agenda on impressionable six and seven year olds without teaching them the other side of the story. She does this under the guise of 'peace'; however, if you are to be a true critical thinker, you must consider multiple perspectives equally. I found the writing samples she shared to infer that this is not how she began her units.

I also have reservations about her attitudes towards other educators at her school and the lack of collaboration between colleagues. Her book is somewhat self-righteous and often has a holier than thou tone. I understand the initial school climate was not always collegial when she began teaching; however, it does not seem that she has made an effort to ingratiate herself with her teammates. She talks about going against the grain to make a difference, but after researching her community's demographics I found that only 4% voted Republican and that there are 535% more homosexual citizens than average ... so really, how against the grain is she?