An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students [Paperback]

Ron Berger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0325005966 | ISBN-13: 978-0325005966 | Publication Date: July 30, 2003

Drawing from his own remarkable experience as a veteran classroom teacher (still in the classroom), Ron Berger gives us a vision of educational reform that transcends standards, curriculum, and instructional strategies. He argues for a paradigm shift - a schoolwide embrace of an "ethic of excellence." A master carpenter as well as a gifted teacher, Berger is guided by a craftsman's passion for quality, describing what's possible when teachers, students, and parents commit to nothing less than the best. But Berger's not just idealistic, he's realistic - he tells exactly how this can be done, from the blackboard to the blacktop to the school boardroom.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“. . . an important book for our time, for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers.”–Ann Lieberman, Senior Scholar, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

“Stop everything youre doing and take the time to really read this. Not once. Not even twice, but over and over. Make your colleagues read it . . . every legislator and policymaker ought to too, so they can see when and where their favorite, best-designed, top-down mandates may actually hinder this kind of culture of high standards. But, of course, what in the end makes it such a good read is in the details, those precious and well-told stories of what the real stuff looks like.”–Deborah Meier, Coprincipal, Mission Hill School, Boston

“Ron Berger is one of the most remarkable teachers in America today. He sets incredibly high standards in his classes and his students measure up to those standards. Yet Ron Bergers authentic standards bear little resemblance to what passes for standards in todays test-obsessed America. For a reminder of what education can and should be, read this passionate book - and give it to every policymaker whom you know.”–Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“. . . passionate stories from an inspiring, ever imaginative teacher whose demands on his students are high and those on himself even higher. He writes of teaching as an ethic . . . a way of thinking . . . that is built carefully by hand, a craft that defies "scaling up" in mechanistic ways and that requires powerful, autonomous work close to the students.”–Theodore R. Sizer, Founder, Coalition of Essential Schools

About the Author

Ron Berger has been a public school teacher in western Massachusetts for 25 years. He works with the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school network, Harvard Project Zero, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (July 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325005966
• ISBN-13: 978-0325005966
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonder! A beautiful and practical book., October 26, 2003

By 

Deborah Meier (Hillsdale, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students (Paperback)

Ron Berger has put together a way of thinking about standards that surpasses anything I've read up to now.
It made me want to start school and teaching all over again, and to feel sad that none of my own children or grandchildren had him as a teacher. This is one of those rare accounts that you KNOW is true. (I happen to know it based on a visit I made to his chool some years ago.) Order it immediately.--send it to a friend amd colleague.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and practical for educators, parents & clergy, January 21, 2004

By 

Mimiinthecity (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students (Paperback)

"Teaching is hard," Ron Berger writes in this brilliant, inspiring and practical book of craft wisdom. While his primary audience is educators who focus on building school culture, his ideas for cultivating and maintaining an unwavering work ethic of excellence are gems also for parents, clergy and any one with responsibility for developing the mind and character of a child.
"It is through their own work that their self-esteem will grow," he notes citing numerous vivid examples. Berger writes with clarity, candor and humility. His stories inside and outside the classroom form a compelling narrative in support of his case that all children deserve an education that is this demanding and meaningful.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Craftsmanship is the key, August 14, 2005

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A. Sinunu - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students (Paperback)

This book is a great practical example of how to focus as a teacher. Ron Berger brings to light the trouble with current educational trends and shows ways students can be naturally engaged. His students feel mature, bright and capable. Read this book, follow Ron's example. I finished it in a day and it has changed my whole approach to teaching.