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Doc: The Story of Dennis Littky and His Fight for a Better School

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How previously successful principal Littky retired to a cabin in the Appalachian mountains and was persuaded to help revitalize failing Thayer High School, Winchester, N-H. He did well, but not everyone in town was happy; then the drama started. A fascinating account of one man trying to put into practice many of Ted Sizer's progressive ideas (see Horace's Compromise, Horace's School and Horace's Hope) and the resistance he ran into.

I couldn't put it down. Littky decided to take the challenge and try to put his ideas into practice. He was accused by some of using the school and its students as guinea-pigs for his "grand experiment" in psychological manipulation, his grab for power. Many disagreed with his ideas and his vision; some were persuaded, some were not, even after seeing what he had done with the school. People disagreed with what the "evidence" showed, or even what it was!

Susan Kammeraad-Campbell does a great job of taking us behind the scenes and observing how Littky went about convincing both turned-off students and cynical staff members to stay on, tune in and get involved. The task was monumental, and many had failed before him. Did Littky succeed? Many would say he did, but not all would agree.

Littky seems to have a gift for making learning and teaching fun. But it's not all about pedagogy or classroom techniques: it's also about building the right environment, both physically and emotionally. How does one set about practically breaking down the artificial walls erected between school "subjects"? How does one persuade teachers to go along with this plan and actually make it work? How does one set standards that require meaningful learning, and not just measure the amount of hours spent in school? And how does one persuade teachers and parents to support this venture? Well, here's the story of how Littky set about it. It also tells what happened when people disagreed with what he was doing, who disagreed with his "liberal ideas", people both in and out of the school. The story is an excellent reminder of just how much cooperation is required to make a school a success.

Although the book is obviously sympathetic to Littky, Susan Kammeraad-Campbell does try to get into the heads of those who opposed him. However, it seems she was not able to spend as much time with them or persuade them to talk to her to the extent that Littky and his supporters were, and they don't come out of the story very well. Campbell tries to answer the question, can a successful school story like Thayer's sustain itself after Littky leaves? Or is it always a matter of personalities? The afterwords by Campbell and by Littky himself try to answer these questions, but inevitably it seems Littky's personality was a powerful and vital ingredient in the mix.

As a postscript, here's a quote from Sizer's book "Horace's Hope": "During 1983, while I was writing Horace's Compromise, I accepted a number of speaking engagements with school people to test my ideas and the directions in which they might lead me. At the conclusion of one such gathering in Massachusetts, I was confronted by a smiling, balding, red-bearded, plaid-shirt-wearing character who bluntly said, 'You talk about it. We do it. You better get your butt up to my school.' He was Dennis Littky. I went to his school..." Thayer Junior/Senior High School was the first to join Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools.

So, I didn't read this book. I was fortunate enough to have had Dennis Littky as my principal in 1972-1975, prior to the time period of the story in this book. "Doc" was probably the most amazing educator that I've ever come across, and both of my parents are educators. What he did that was so amazing is to bring life into school! It was a hands-on approach to learning, and a lust for learning, that I can tell you is most rare!

So, I will be buying this book because I want to re-live those experiences, and learn from Doc all over again!

This book has inspired my boss, just like I knew it would. Great book, great price, everyone in education could learn something from Doc!