Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood [Hardcover]

Phillip Done (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2009

A twenty-year veteran of the classroom, elementary school teacher Phillip Done takes readers through a lively and hilarious year in the classroom. Starting with the relative calm before the storm of buying school supplies and posting class lists, he shares the distinct personalities of grades K-4, what he learned from two professional trick or treating 8-year-old boys, the art of learning cursive and letter-writing, how kindergartners try to trap leprechauns, and what every child should experience before he or she grows up.

These charming, sweet, and funny tales of Mr. Done's trials and triumphs as an award-winning schoolteacher will touch readers' hearts and remind them of the true joys of childhood. We all have that one special, favorite grade school teacher whom we fondly remember throughout our adult lives - and every teacher also has students whom they will never forget. This is the perfect book for teachers, parents, and anyone else who is looking for a lighthearted, nostalgic read. (2009)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Once again, author and veteran California school teacher Done (32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny) shares his unique, joyful view of childhood with gentle humor and penetrating insight. Going through the school year month by month, Done offers humorous vignettes, student profiles and phenomena unique to the third grade, peppered with memories of Done's own childhood, which only get better as the book goes on. Done's style is straightforward and fast-paced, expertly recreating his adventures as the sole adult in a room of eight-year-olds. Culled from decades of experience, Done's text illuminates the enormous commitment and generous humor needed to get through 25 years of teaching ("After learning their names, I gave them the Keep Your Zippers Up Speech in my best Judge Wapner voice"). Alongside dry wit, Done also delivers heartbreak and wisdom relevant to anyone with memories of a childhood classroom.
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Review

"The great strength behind Mr. Done's adventures and his unique storytelling style is that he never just celebrates how great the teacher is--he celebrates how great the children are. Joyful, honest work that will fortify both the veteran and novice educator." (Esme Raji Codell, author of 'Educating Esme' and 'How to Get Your Child to Love Reading' 2009)

"There isn't a story Phillip Done tells that we cannot all relate to that validates our profession. You will laugh yourself silly and concomitantly be proud that you are a teacher. This is a must read book." (Harry K. Wong, author of 'The First Days of School' 2009)

"More important than knowing how the curriculum works or how the testing works, after 25 years in the elementary classroom Phillip Done knows how kids work. Not only will this enlighten beginning teachers, it will open more than a few parents' eyes as well." (Jim Trelease, author of "The Read-Aloud Handbook" )

"Phillip Done gets it--he gets how kids think, he gets how kids learn, and he gets how to inspire them to do both. His comical, warm, and insightful memoir brings you right into the classroom, following his incredibly colorful class of characters through an entire school year, capturing the magic and wonder of being a kid." (Erin Gruwell, author of "The Freedom Writer's Diary" and "Teach with Your Heart" )

"Done shares his unique, joyful view of childhood with gentle humor and penetrating insight. Going through the school year month by month, Done offers humorous vignettes, student profiles and phenomena unique to the third grade, peppered with memories of Done's own childhood, which only get better as the book goes on. Done's style is straightforward and fast-paced, expertly recreating his adventures....Alongside dry wit, Done also delivers heartbreak and wisdom relevant to anyone with memories of a childhood classroom." (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; First Edition/First Printing (stated) edition (September 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599951487
• ISBN-13: 978-1599951485
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phillip Done knows it is a child's birthday without looking at the calendar, that broken candy canes do not taste as good as unbroken ones, that peanut M&Ms spark in the microwave (Peeps do not), and that measuring the diameter of an Oreo cookie is more fun than measuring the diameter of a coffee can lid. After pumping up his 500th red rubber ball, he decided it was time to write it all down. Hence, 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny and Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood were born.

A veteran of twenty-plus years in the classroom, Done is a five-time champion of the staff watermelon-eating contest and was nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award. He took a pie in the face at the school talent show and was honored as a Teacher of the Year in California. When not searching for envelopes for newly pulled teeth or making rain parkas out of Hefty bags on rainy field trips, Phil accepted the prestigious Charles Schwab Distinguished Teacher Award from Charles Schwab himself. (He refrained from asking Mr. Schwab if Intel was a good buy.)

Born in San Jose, California, he grew up in Sunnyvale, attended Fremont High School, and studied music and education at San Jose State University. His passions are teaching, old movies, and garage sales. Phil's writing and teaching advice has also appeared in The New York Times, Real Simple, The Chicago Tribune, Instructor, Parent and Child, and NEA Today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, touching, beautiful storytelling, August 21, 2009

By 

Alex Mallory (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood (Hardcover)

Thirteen years ago, I shouted "I got Mr. Done!" as I read my name off a list posted on the walls of my elementary school. Every weekend of fifth grade I would go over to my best friend's house and regale her family with the most recent stories he had told us, which she asks me to recount to this day. "Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind" reminded me of how enchanting a good story can be, whether you're ten or twenty-two (which is as far as my life memory goes- but as another reviewer demonstrates, these enchanting stories do not end at twenty-two, either).

This book made me wish I was a teacher, to get to witness those moments of discovery and absurdity in hundreds of children's lives, year after year. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, but Phil Done's vivid writing allows me to live vicariously through his experiences. I also wish I could go back and be in his class again, and I only hope that my children's teachers understand teaching and children as deeply as Phillip Done.

Reading the book on the subway in New York City, I laughed out loud and cried multiple times. Even when I knew when the next joke is on its way, the punchline was always funnier than I expected because, as he shows time and time again, you can never anticipate what a child is going to say.

If you have ever wanted to be a teacher, have children, want to remember what it's like to be eight years old, or just want some masterful storytelling, read this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Grade Relived is a Good Thing, August 28, 2009

By 

Wendy S. Lego "teacher Hawk" (Sioux City, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood (Hardcover)

I just finished Phil Done's latest book and it didn't disappoint. As a 37 year veteran of a third grade classroom, I can verify that Phil understands third graders and other teachers like no other author I have ever read. From field trips to teaching how to fill out a bubble test form (and how perfectly right on he was in that chapter!), his observations could have been mine. It's as if he was standing in my classroom and not his. I laughed, I cried and I had to share "good parts" with my husband. This is a sign of a good book.
Mr. Done's students are so lucky to have him as a teacher, and we are so lucky that he is able to share his life with us through his writing. This is a perfect gift for a teacher, and I'm giving it as a gift to a student teacher. You should do the same.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Puts a smile on your face, and warms your heart!, August 15, 2009

By 

Jennifer Andrade (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood (Hardcover)

As a mother of 3 ( my middle child is entering 3rd grade this year) and former teacher I smiled and laughed throughout the book, saying to myself, "that is so true!" Done's impressive skills at turning many daily events into teachable moments, amazes me!

My husband, who's read both books as well, read Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind ahead of me mentioned the "Angel" chapter was sad. My husband isn't much of an emotional person, so I had to skip ahead to find out what he meant. Amid all the light-hearted chapters, this one gave a heavy dose of reality. I was touched on how eloquently Mr. Done wrote on a very heartbreaking event that occurred with one of his students, I really felt a connection with the author more than ever.

Having read Mr. Done's first book, 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching, I had said that if I were to read one author's books for the rest of my life, Phillip Done's books would be them!