Customer Reviews

The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Children

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is Ron Clark's third book (the others also available on Amazon), and the least "specific," least detail-oriented of the three. He states what he believes is necessary for good teaching in eleven short chapters: (1) enthusiasm, (2) adventure, (3) creativity, (4) reflection, (5) balance, (6) compassion, (7) confidence, (8) humor, (9) common sense, (10) appreciation, and (11) resilience. Clark describes these traits of good teaching and parenting with many entertaining anecdotes.

I think that that Ron Clark is a good writer, very gifted teacher, and excellent public speaker. I thought his book was more entertaining than "useful," however, to those in training or already in place in their schools, and that Clark's methods rely on Clark's genius, which is substantial.

The book belongs to the genre of (romantic) "teacher lit," which emphasizes warm ideas about so-called gifted teachers who can overcome all obstacles to reach all children (somewhat like Jaime Escalante, Jonathon Kozol, Marva Collins, and so forth). That is why I give the book only three stars, even though I enjoyed it.

"Essential 55" is a hard act to follow but Clark has written a book that every teacher should read before school starts, just to get the mind more focused on these important characteristics. However, he must have used up his best stories in his first book because this one just doesn't have the can't-put-it-down and must-share-with-colleagues quality that his first did. But it's good none-the-less.

Bestselling author Ron Clark is right on target again with his newest book "The Excellent 11". In it he enumerates the eleven qualities shared by students who love to learn and how these same qualities in a teacher make learning an adventure. Each of the eleven qualities gets its own chapter where he details not only what defines that quality but provides examples of how to use it to teach children. The eleven qualities are enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance, compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation, and resilience. This is a highly recommended read and should be read by anyone interested in teaching children whether it is in the regular school system, home schooling, church school, leading children, camp counselors, or any other similar venue.

Though I never had the personal pleasure of having Ron Clark as my
teacher, he is quickly becoming one of my favorites--in part because
of his first book, THE ESSENTIAL 55 . . . then recently, I enjoyed
a film about his life (THE RON CLARK STORY) on TNT.

And so when I saw that he had another book out, THE EXCELLENT
11, I naturally got hold of it as quickly as I could . . . its subtitle
particularly caught my attention: QUALITIES TEACHERS AND
PARENTS USE TO MOTIVATE, INSPIRE AND EDUCATE CHILDREN.

What if there were ways to motivate children? Even better,
what if they could be learned by reading a book?

So I attempted to answer these questions by reading Clark's
latest and am happy to report that I did come across several
tidbits that should prove helpful to any teacher . . . in spite of
the fact that he taught on an elementary level, what he has
to say applies to almost any age.

Also, I liked the author's many examples in THE
EXCELLENT 11 . . . he not only describes a quality, but he
also shows countless real examples of how he used it in his
teaching.

For example, there was this one: Don't be afraid to abandon
a set plan or to scrap a lesson if an opportunity for
learning presents itself that will be to the child's advantage.
This is applicable whether you are a parent or a teacher, or both.

Clark also says that as a parent or teacher it's also important
that we remember not to take ourselves too seriously at time.
We may have to laugh, dance, sing, make funny faces, or do
the unusual, but we have to be willing to let down our guard and
have fun with education. Sometimes it takes creativity, something
different, something dramatic to catch the attention of students,
to earn their admiration, and to get them to respect what you have
to say.

Lastly, what Clark has to say has relevance to life outside the
classroom, too. In talking about his friend Bith, he mentions
how she always talks about how there are "good dinner guests"
and "bad dinner guests." She says good guests will show
up empty-handed. They always have a dessert, flowers, wine,
or some other item to show gratitude. As soon as the meal begins,
she says, good guest will immediately make a comment about
the quality of the good. Bith says she is always nervous that they
won't like what she has prepared, and the longer she has to sit there
without their telling her they are enjoying the meal, the more anxious
she becomes. The best guests, Bith adds, will even say they enjoy
something so much they would like to have the recipe.

The relevance of that last point to education was when Clark
taught his students to go out of their way to show appreciation to
those that help them. That is why he would always invite
custodians out for a special lunch prepared just for them by
the students.

That's a great idea that can be implemented in just about any
school!

With all of the talk about test scores and negativity in education, Ron Clark's "The Excellent 11" is right on target. I found uplifting, informative, and full of ideas and nuggets of wisdom that both parents and teachers will find helpful. My favorite section (Compassion) was especially touching, and I almost cried at a story Clark tells of his mother teaching him to ride a bike. The type of enthusiasm his mother had while raising him is the same type of energy Clark uses in his classroom and is exactly what is missing from so many classrooms in America today.
This is a winner for new teachers eager to get their footing, for veteran teachers who need to be reminded why they are in education and for parents who are constantly looking for ways to get their children excited about learning.

I thought the title was misleading by including "parents." While I suppose any concept about teaching and motivating students in general can be applied by parents who want to inspire and motivate their children, I do not think this book is useful for parents. Most, if not all, of the anecdotes pertain to his classroom experiences, and his points are general in scope (as others have asserted), so it leaves parents, or at least this one, scratching their heads as to how to actually apply his ideas.

I think there are definitely books out there more specifically geared for parents. And I also think the author and publisher should delete "parents" from the title if they cared at all about being accurate. I'm not holding my breath, though.

After adopting the 55 rules and procedures in my own classroom that Ron Clark outlined in The Essential 55, I was very eager to read The Excellent 11. I was not disappointed. Ron Clark hits the mark once again with his latest book. His conversational writing style and humorous anecdotes are inspiring. After reading The Excellent 11, I find myself thinking, "I can't wait to get back to the classroom."

We are trying to get an Alternative High School up and running again and I wish we could clone Mr. Clark to teach all students. The next best thing is to have all of our teachers read and follow his map to help our students achieve success.

Teachers have tremendous power to shape their students -- I can still remember my teachers from elementary school, and the impact some of them had on my life. It's a shame that some of today's learning environments are not as patient, nor as tolerant as they should be. The book, "The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Children" is a book that all parents and teachers should read, and should be used as a guide in all classrooms.

This book was written by Ron Clark, who previously wrote "The Excellent 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child." Ron won Disney's Teacher of the Year in 2001, and if you haven't been one of his students, I'm sure this book will help explain why he was chosen. As soon as I began reading this book, I knew it was something special. Ron institutes ideas and behaviors in his classrooms that he admits he first learned from his parents. He has written this book as if he were speaking to a close friend -- from his own experiences to his students' experiences...he shares all the wonderful and necessary qualities that it takes for a parent and teacher to help children believe that they can be the best they can be. He sites specific examples of his teachings -- when they worked and when they didn't. He also describes what he could have done to improve on his own behavior. Providing his students with positive outlooks on life and feelings of self-worth and confidence are qualities that all teachers of children should strive to achieve.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends this book to all parents and teachers -- it's hard to put this book down! You'll feel inspired, encouraged, and learn that it really isn't that hard to pass on these positive qualities to your children. I can remember a few teachers in my past that provided me with these positive experiences, and can only dream that my child's future teachers possess many of these qualities as well.

This rather dull book is supposed to inspire teachers. Instead the author uses most of it to brag about himself and comes up with little more than common sense advice in dealing with students.

His "11" in the title include such "innovative" topics as "enthusiasm," "creativity" and "compassion." Most of what Clark says has been said hundreds of times before and the only reason to read the book is that he does give some of his own classroom examples that some teachers may want to adopt.

The biggest problem is that this guy has convinced himself that he is incredible--and he never lets the reader forget that. He doesn't talk much about his mistakes or what led him to create some of his classroom "games," but he does seem to have the philosophy that his job in the classroom is to entertain while educating. He glosses over some very serious issues and in the end is rather unconvincing in regards to his own amazing abilities.