Customer Reviews

Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As Education Director at an alternative high school for American Indian students, I find this book a valuable and useable resource. In a succinct fashion, the authors lay out a philosphy for creating school environments that reclaim students at risk. The Reclaiming model integrates traditional Native American aproaches to discipline and child development. The book does a nice job of explaining and illustrating each of its principles. The book offers an intuitive and very old model as well as a rationale for implementing it. For its accessibility and ideas, Reclaiming Youth At Risk should be read by everyone working with young adults.

This book is wonderful in guiding teachers and administrators in developing an atmosphere that promotes the positive development of all children. After a large section devoted to describing the wrong-doings of Americans and the decay of our value system (at times a little extreme,) the latter part of the book gives great strategies for the development of positive classroom management and a "reclaiming environment." Worth a read.

This is a great tool for people working with youth. It is a simply written book that avoids any of the modern jargon in this area; it also deals directly with the issues facing adults and youths and their involvement with each other. It attempts to redirect our way of thinking about troubled young people and works on showing a way to restore their relationships with themselves, each other, adults and the 'real' world. This book isn't bogged down in goobledygook and aims to show a way to create restorative relationship practices and includes much well worn wisdom.

This book holds many nuggets of wisdom that are worth pondering and finding ways to implement. However, it is poorly organized and often stops short of drawing actual conclusions and suggesting practices. At times it feels more like it should be a daily calendar of child rearing tips rather than a cohesive argument with guidance for implementation. Contrary to its own assertions, the book heavily renounces current systems without proposing wide ranging alternatives. It is difficult to translate a holistic tribal approach in which an entire community is dedicated to the education of youth into our current day systems. Are we to see our classroom or community center as a microcosm in which to implement these theories? But we only have access to the children for a small percentage of their weekly hours. Are we to build a commune, escaping the current system entirely and rebuild from the ground up? The implications of this book need to be drawn out further to include new organizational structures and policy suggestions that would fit our modern, urbanized world.

I just finished reading Reclaiming Youth at Risk. I had my doubts at first. It uses Native American child-raising philosophy in helping create redeeming environments for our youth today. It has caused me to have a much deeper respect for the native american people as well.

A quote from poet Edwin Markham:

He drew a circle to shut me out.
Heretic, rebel a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win.
We drew a circle that took him in.

I recommend this to parents, teachers, and leaders everywhere.

The best minds of the future can be lost to the pressures of life. "Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future" is a guide to help parents and educators reach out to children and help them overcome their problems and stay on track for a better life. Blending traditional native American wisdom with proven philosophy, "Reclaiming Youth at Risk" is a powerful tool for parents and educators who want to go the extra mile.

I took a class in college and my professor was the one who wrote this book. It's a great read, and has good info in it that actually makes sense. Highly recommended for school as well as for someone who just wants a good read and to understand life a little bit better.

So often we read books that don't contain useful information. This one does. Our entire school district is making this our Special Education focus this year. We are also trying to mesh it into our regular classrooms. With so many suspensions and much frustration in dealing with "at risk" behaviors, this Native American philosophy takes us back to the basics of community and caring for one another. It reinforces the idea of having students become responsible for themselves along with the support of the community; be it a small or larger group. An appealing and easy read that will remove many of today's frustrations in dealing with all youth and turning our viewpoint of what education should be to a new outlook with hope.

I have taught high school in regular and alternative settings, currently I teach at a university. I love this book. Every class I teach I have my students read this book. I realize there is a lot of cultural biases in it, but the principles are true. Honestly it makes no difference where, or who you teach. Everyone can benefit from this book. I have even had students tell me they sent their book home to their parents to help with a sibling. Again the principles are true, don't get caught up in the culture.

As someone who works with at risk youth I think this book is a must read. Especially for anyone who has never worked with at risk youth before. I wish that I had known about this book when I started, it would have made a huge difference in how I approached the children and my work. I highly recommend it and if you get the chance to speak to the authors they are incredibly insightful.