A+ Teachers [Paperback]

Erika V. Shearin Karres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Educational leaders and parents agree that parents must be involved in their children's education for them to reach their potential. But even students whose parents are actively engaged in their education can underachieve if their teachers aren't focused on the right things. What should parents do then?A+ Teachers empowers parents with the knowledge needed to ensure their kids get the best education they can right now. The book walks through the basic teaching skills every teacher must master to be successful and then gives parents the tools needed to analyze how their kids' teachers measure up. This groundbreaking book then provides the steps for working with teachers, the school administration, and the PTA to ensure that all teachers in their local schools acquire these critical skills if they don't possess them already.Parents will learn how to assess and encourage improved performance in their children's classrooms by uncovering:o What's really involved in effective teachingo How to better support their kids' teacherso Strategies for raising the level of instruction for all kidso How to be more education-committed parentso How to inspire their children to fulfill their academic potentialThere is not another book available that emboldens, empowers, and enlightens parents about what really goes on in today's classrooms. With A+ Teachers as their guide, parents will be armed with the ability to quickly evaluate their children's teachers-and then foster high standards within their schools.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After all those report cards evaluating kids' performance, now it's parents' turn to grade the accomplishments of their children's teachers. Educator Karres offers the opportunity not only for parents to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers, but also to encourage better study habits in their kids. A concluding note to each chapter also suggests how mom and dad can become exemplary parents who foster excellence in both teachers and children. The book, which draws on Karres's 35-plus years of teaching experience, begins most chapters with an in-depth description of a certain skill (e.g., organization). Next it presents suggestions on how to observe teachers to determine their effectiveness, followed by a yes/no quiz in which readers evaluate whether or not teachers fulfill detailed aspects of the virtue. It's an unusual check-list approach to education, and while some parents might bristle at the notion of critiquing their children's teachers, most should find value in Karres's passionate pleas for parents to work with school administrators and parent-teacher associations. The book's mini profiles of model teachers could be of value to educators, too.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Erika Shearin Karres Ed.D. is a renowned educator who has earned numerous awards for outstanding teaching. She used her more than 35 years of experience teaching children and teachers to write Violence Proof Your Kids Now and Make Your Kids Smarter: 50 Top Teacher Tips. Erika also lectures and leads seminars nationwide on education improvement. She lives in North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740735233
• ISBN-13: 978-0740735233
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,741,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An EXCELLENT Empowerment Guide for parents and kids!, August 13, 2003

By 

Marjorie (Northern New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A+ Teachers (Paperback)

As an experienced parent, middle school and elementary teacher, and independent empowerment coach/consultant -- someone suggested
I read this book and I just finished it. IT IS EXCELLENT -- a well-written and well-organized approach for parents, caregivers, and children/tweens/teens to get a handle on what really happens in the teaching/classroom and overall educational communications process(es)...and it has chapter by chapter explanations and guides to direct and help parents and students to open up positive, compatible, and successful doors for improved teacher/student relationships to improve the learning and classroom experience IN ANY GRADE. I like the way the author, Ms. Karres, ( who is obviously very scholarly in the field of education), writes in such a down-to-earth manner and has such a clear understanding of what all parties (teacher, parent, and student) go through sometimes -- she pinpoints realistic problems and gets to the bottomline with simple fair advice for solutions.
I recommend this book -- and think it's a new,unique, and both logical and sensitive guide to help parents and kids through any school year...and improving the relationship between the parenting community and their local educators...to help our youth. You won't be sorry you grabbed a copy!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read Book for Educators!, October 3, 2003

By 

Laura O'Brien (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A+ Teachers (Paperback)

I highly recommend Dr. Karres' book, A+ Teachers, as a teaching tool for educators themselves. While this book was written to help parents discover ways to empower their child's teacher, I found this book to be eye-opening and equipping for myself as a teacher. The book is filled with valuable teaching tips, checklists, and surveys, which teachers can use to assess their own performance and ensure they are measuring up to higher standards of excellence in the classroom. Not only does Dr. Karres' book offer practical wisdom from her 35 years of teaching experience, but the book is filled with new ideas that many teachers may not have considered in their teaching practice. In addition, this book is a bridge builder between parents and teachers, providing both with strategies to see that we help our children succeed inside and outside the classroom. A+ teachers was clearly written by an A+ teacher herself. I feel her book has inspired and encouraged me to become a the teacher depicted on the pages of her book. It is simply a must-read.