32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching [Hardcover]

Phillip Done (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2005

Phillip Done fixes staplers that won't staple, zippers that won't zip, and pokes pins in the caps of glue bottles that will not pour. He has sung "Happy Birthday" 657 times.

A witness to the joys of discovery, Done inspires readers with the everyday adventures and milestones of his 32 third graders in this irresistible collection of bite-sized essays. From the nervous first day of school to the hectic Halloween parade to the disastrous spring musical, Done connects what happens in his classroom to the universal truths that touch us all. He reminds us of the delight of learning something for the first time and of the value of making a difference.

32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny is for anyone who has ever taught children -- or been to third grade. It is a testament to the kids who uplift us -- and the teachers we will never forget. With just the right mix of humor and wisdom, Done reveals the enduring promise of elementary school as a powerful antidote to the cynicism of our times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Phillip Done reminds us of the excitement and joy of learning." -- Hal Urban, author of Life's Greatest Lessons and Positive Words, Powerful Results

"Phillip Done is the voice of the veteran teacher who knows who he is working for; his love for children shines on every page." -- Esme Raji Codell, author of Educating Esme and How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

"Every so often, a book surfaces that has such unabashed charm you want to praise it from the rooftops. 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny is such a book. Simply put, it is an unexpected pleasure and richly deserves an A+." -- Tucson Citizen

"...funny and thoughtful" -- San Jose Mercury News

"Teacher's school tales are hilarious, poignant...Done is on his way to becoming to teachers what Erma Bombeck was to mothers - someone who can turn the mundane into hilarity." -- The Gazette, Colorado Springs

"He so simply captured the thoughtfulness and creativity of teaching" -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Phil Done's experiences as a third-grade teacher qualify him a humorist, essayist and will-you-be-my-new-best-friend? kinda guy...you're in for a treat." -- The Dallas Morning News

"Mr. Done is charming and funny...(He) brings back many memories that most of us have long forgotten." -- The Washington Times

"...touching and hilarious." -- Sunday World-Herald (Omaha)

"Delightful...a good book for anyone who ever went to third grade." -- Lincoln Journal Star

About the Author

Phillip Done won the Schwab Foundation Distinguished Teacher Award. Nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award, he has taught elementary school for twenty years. He lives in Mountain View, California.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (July 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743272390
• ISBN-13: 978-0743272391
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Educators

More About the Author

Phillip Done knows it is a child's birthday without looking at the calendar, that broken candy canes do not taste as good as unbroken ones, that peanut M&Ms spark in the microwave (Peeps do not), and that measuring the diameter of an Oreo cookie is more fun than measuring the diameter of a coffee can lid. After pumping up his 500th red rubber ball, he decided it was time to write it all down. Hence, 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny and Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood were born.

A veteran of twenty-plus years in the classroom, Done is a five-time champion of the staff watermelon-eating contest and was nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award. He took a pie in the face at the school talent show and was honored as a Teacher of the Year in California. When not searching for envelopes for newly pulled teeth or making rain parkas out of Hefty bags on rainy field trips, Phil accepted the prestigious Charles Schwab Distinguished Teacher Award from Charles Schwab himself. (He refrained from asking Mr. Schwab if Intel was a good buy.)

Born in San Jose, California, he grew up in Sunnyvale, attended Fremont High School, and studied music and education at San Jose State University. His passions are teaching, old movies, and garage sales. Phil's writing and teaching advice has also appeared in The New York Times, Real Simple, The Chicago Tribune, Instructor, Parent and Child, and NEA Today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is magic!, July 20, 2005

By 

Debbie Schugg (Pacific Grove, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching (Hardcover)

With great wit and heart, Phillip Done shares an insider's view of life in an elementary school classroom. "32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny" give an honest and hilarious account of what really happens at school. This book is magic! I could not put it down. It made me laugh out loud, it made me cry and it made me think. Mr. Done's opening chapter, "I Am a Teacher" is destined to become a classic and may soon find itself on a Hallmark mug that he does not yet have. This book is a celebration of what's right in American schools. I have told everyone I know about this wonderful book. I have already bought several copies to give to my children's teachers in the Fall and have even sent one to my own third grader teacher, whose lessons have been an influence on my life for more than thirty years.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, August 12, 2005

By 

K. Constantino "kcteach" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching (Hardcover)

This is a must read book. I laughed and laughed and couldn't put it down. I found myself shaking my head YES! YES! and relating to the things written. I matters not what grade you teach this is worth the time to sit down and read.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-crafted book on 32+ levels!!, September 17, 2005

By 

Roving Writer (W. Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching (Hardcover)

Done has done good. Oops, I mean done well.

What a terrific read!! I know so many people in education who speak poignantly of the obstacles they must hurdle to teach childen, and this book will be a comfort and inspiration to each one. This is no puff piece, but great and accessible writing about essential issues or early childhood education and the policy supporting it (or not...) Done covers everything from inadequate classroom supplies (that a teacher must cover out-of-pocket), discovering and tactfully handling parent illiteracy, the problems of labeling and separating "gifted" children from those ridiculously-labelled as "non-gifted," and finally...explaining why the class girl bunny produced all those wittle wabbits after it spent the weekend with a 3rd-grader whose pet was a boy bunny. But while absorbing all this , the reader never realizes that s/he's devouring anything more than pure enjoyment, as Done makes sure it's all executed with objectivity and almost a hint self-deprecation that makes him and his students such characters of empathy.

I am a childless classical musician, not even an educator. Yet I can see that those who only KNOW anyone with an elementary-school-age child will love this book. Done is a teacher, a man , and a grownup sometimes frustrated with the resources of an underfunded school district (even in relatively-"monied" Silicon Valley.) But most of all, I finished this book with the indelible impression of Done as a human being who cares deeply about the future of children and education. Buy it, read it, then give it to your friends, whether parents or not.