Customer Reviews

Schools of Fish!

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FISH! A REMARKABLE WAY TO BOOST MORALE AND IMPROVE
RESULTS by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen
has become one of my favorite business books . . . so when I saw
that the principles have been applied to education in a book, SCHOOLS OF
FISH! by Philip Strand, Christensen
and Andy Halper, I knew that it was something that I had to read.

And am I ever glad that I did, in that it inspired me with its ideas and
techniques for better classroom management . . . though all the
many examples were from grades K-12 situations, I do believe that
they could be related to any level of education--up through and
including graduate school.

One quote from the book says it all: "We're very serious about
learning; play is just how we feel while we're doing it."

It got me thinking about the fact that education should be more
fun . . . for the teacher, as well as the student . . . you don't
have to be a rocket scientist to make this happen . . . just utilize
some of the methods that have worked for others, apply them to
your situation, and you'll be all set.

There were several memorable passages; among the ones that
I especially liked were these:

* That duality also transfers to adult relationships. As daily pressures
compete for our attention, it's amazing how people can seem rude
or, equally, how simple gestures stand out. For example, a certain
principal never answers his phone when talking with a visitor. "It
will ring and the other person will say, "It's OK if you get that," he
explains. "I tell them, `No, you're more important to me right now.'
They're always surprised," Why? Possibly because it's such a
powerful statement of respect and commitment.

* When it came to dealing with parents, Puntenney wanted to make sure
she not only called home to discuss problems, but also to congratulate
students. She sent good-news postcards home, and sometimes she
just called parents to tell them about their child's success.

"Some parents were in disbelief when I called," she says. "They
said things like, `Are you sure you have the right student?' One
said, `Nobody from school has ever called with good news before!
Thank you."

* At Avon Intermediate School, there's room at the table for everybody.

"Recently I bought furniture for the staff dining room--four tables with
four chairs for each table," says principal Scott Raftery. "The next day,
when I came in the dining room, the teachers had pushed all the tables
together to create one huge table so they could eat like a big family."

The above is just basic stuff, but it works . . . if you're looking for the ideal
gift for any teacher (past, present or future), then you won't go wrong
buying SCHOOLS OF FISH!

I happened across this book completely by chance in a bookstore. I was looking for new ideas for my elementary classroom. I remember thinking that the title seemed funny. Once I picked it up though, I was literally hooked (pardon the pun)! I couldn't put it down, and it has inspired a great many new ideas for me to use in the classroom. The advice and examples are so practical and inspiratioal. As a philosophy, it is a perfect fit for the classroom setting. It intends to make school what it should be... a place we all enjoy going and spending time.

This book is concise and well organized. It is inspirational no matter what the age of your students.

Heather Hanson, D.D.S.
Dental Practice Management Consultant
Former Junior School Teacher

I bought this book as my daughter has just started teaching and I love the philosophy in it. We have been using it in our school in Australia and it guides the way we teach and communicate.

I bought this book after a teacher at a conference shared how the Fish philosophy improved her work climate. I expected the book to be more like typical teaching books with concrete examples of how to implement strategies in the classroom. Instead it is more of a collection of inspirational stories from teachers who have followed the philosophy.
I then went to the website listed in the book for curriculum ideas, only to find that I have to pay for them.
Overall, it was an interesting and rejuvenating read, except for the constant plugs for their video, which of course can be bought separately on their website.