I’m new at blogging. However, I plan to use this blog site to provide strategies for educators, cooking fun with my grandsons, gardening tips and life. I love my family, enjoy cooking and gardening, and believe an accomplished educator makes the difference in student achievement. My educational passion is to support educators in their pursuit to achieve National Board Certification.

Growing Professionally: Dr. Carroll’s Book Picks

Since this is my first book recommendation; I’m sharing some of my old and new favorites. I hope you’ll hurry to your closest bookstore or online and order these for your own personal library today. Read them over the holidays and you’ll be a better person and educator because of it! Happy reading and Happy Holidays!

Gordon, J. (2007). The energy bus. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  I have the privilege of serving on the local Literacy Advisory Council. At a recent meeting, Mary Jane Brockinton , principal, shared that her faculty members are reading and discussing The Energy Bus. Quickly, I ordered the book and began reading it. The enlightening and inspiring writer provides ten helpful tips for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment – at work and at home. This is an excellent book for educational group settings and personal growth goals when facing challenges and how to overcome adversity in creating a more positive energy.

Palmer, P.J. (1998). The courage to teach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Parker Palmer believes the premise that good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.  I, too, believe that the best impact on student learning is the teacher – it’s not the newest whiz-bang-whatzit program – it’s the integrity of the teacher. Good teachers are deeply engaged with the students and their subject and they know how to weave the complex connections of their own experiences with the interests and experiences of their students. Parker Palmer provides a useful and engaging tool as teachers learn the individual stories of their students and provides a platform for teachers to equip all of their students with best practices. I highly recommend this book for educators at all ranges of experiences.

Daughety, A. & Faulkenberry, G.F. (2012). At home for Christmas. Minneapolis: Summerside Press, Inc. My good friend Gwen Faulkenberry and my new friend Annalisa Daughety have written two heartwarming holiday stories.  Both stories are set in Arkansas and are filled with friendships, healing and tenderness. Annalisa is originally from Arkansas and Gwen lives in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas (her husband is an educator with the Ozark School System and is a National Board Certified Teacher!). These stories are fictional but I hope you’ll enjoy a fun read for the holidays!

Ellis, A. (2007). The gentle art of hospitality: Warm touches of welcome and grace. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. Alda Ellis lives in Little Rock, Arkansas and has devoted her adult life to creating heartfelt hospitality.  Alda and her husband, Buddy, own Magnolia Hill in Little Rock where she hosts parties, weddings, receptions and more. She’s a delightful woman and a gracious entertainer. I was privileged to attend a luncheon at Magnolia Hill and was the recipient of her gracious hospitality from iced lemonade on her covered patio to the release of white doves representing peace and friendship. Since my home will be filled with family and friends during the holiday season, I find Alda’s writings very helpful for a more stress-free entertaining holiday time. I hope you do, too.

Zolotow, C. (1957). Over and over. NY: HarperCollins Publisher. Charlotte Zolotow’s daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon, spoke at the Arkansas Reading Association conference held in Little Rock. Crescent read her own version based on her mother’s children’s book, Over and Over. Charlotte Zolotow is ninety-seven and her fifty-nine year old daughter, Crescent, writes about how time can be deceptively simple through the cycles of life. I hope you’ll read Over and Over to your young child or grandchild and for yourself read Crescent’s version of Over and Over at the Horn Book website. Over and Over is a classic.

“A classic, by definition, endures.” Crescent Dragonwagon