Book Review: The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck--101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark

 

Synopsis: Ron says he is a schoolteacher, with the heart of a parent. He's made it his mission to make a difference in the lives of all of our children. He traveled all over the country, visiting schools in all 50 states, seeking out remarkable teachers who inspire our children to greatness, in searching for successful strategies to instill in his Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.

Along with the great, he witnessed classrooms that had no energy, filled with struggling students , and teachers in desperate need of inspiration. These “Molasses Classes” broke his heart. So he left his classroom in East Harlem, New York, and devoted his time his dream: to create a revolution in our country, starting from the ground up, by changing HOW our kids are taught.


The heart of this change is a school full of passion, creativity, energy, and an unparalleled freedom to do whatever it took to lead every child to success. The parents and teachers of this school would forge a true partnership with the intent of providing the best learning environment possible. His school in Atlanta is the dream come true, a revolutionary school. This book contains the 101 most successful strategies they  have used to help uplift their kids and enliven their classrooms.


Now hear from Paul himself:





About the Author: Ron has been named "American Teacher of the Year" by Disney in 2001, and was Oprah Winfrey's pick as her "Phenomenal Man" in 2008.Since he founded The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, more than 10,000 educators from around the world have visited it, to learn about the extraordinary ways that teachers and parents of RCA have helped children achieve great success. In 2006, Ron's story was turned into a TNT Johnson and Johnson Spotlight Special Film, starring Matthew Perry (The Ron Clark Story).

Review: Prior to reading this book a friend and I were discussing how the generations have changed and how the WWII generation was the 'can do' generation and did SO much with their lives, and how even though we have more technology, the current generations seemed to have lost the 'can do' ness. We had a long discussion on whether the breakdown of the family unit was more at fault, or if it was government taking over the schools (aka 'teach the standardized test') and taking the creativity and energy from them, or if it was a dependence on technology, that was creating kids who would be clueless what to do without their electronics. If you want proof, go through a hurricane and no power for 3 weeks, and see how absolutely batty your kids would get. Add in the lack of kids wanting to be involved in scouts/camp fire, and you can see where a lack of reintegration of morals and standards gets lost.

So I was interested to read Ron's book and see if he made any type of assessment, now that his school has been around long enough to see successful students. By instituting core vales and principles, they set a standard that has held fast and provided their students with a FOUNDATION in which to have much greater intellectual growth. They don't just teach kids, they send out well rounded individuals, something all schools should be aiming to do.

A lot of the solutions in this book could be Parenting 101, or I should say, SHOULD BE. Examples like (with parenting definitions by me):

• Give all you have to your children, even though you will often receive nothing in return. This one ought to be called the Golden Rule. It's called unconditional love. It's what makes you a parent!
• Teach children to believe in themselves, and don't destroy the dream- do what you can to make it happen! It may not make sense to you, but if your child feels it is THEIR future, support it and urge them to be the best they can to achieve that goal.
• Uplift other adults who play a role in the lives of our children. When we put down adults in our childrens presence, we take from them. Kids may see a totally different side of an adult than you do. They see the teacher that helps them understand math problems and keeps them from getting bullied. 
• Don't get you kids a video game system, unless you want to be a prison guard. Ok you know you just raised your hands in acknowledgement of that one. You know you have to be the timer/enforcer. I don;t even need explanation on it.
• Create lasting traditions. This goes back to the discussion my friend and I had- our parents had get togethers with their extended families at the holidays and there may have been 50 people there. When we decide that going skiing is more important than keeping a tradition, what are we saying to our kids? 
• Remember that children are literal thinkers, and as adults, we have to spell out what we mean- You know this, how many time have you had to rephrase/repeat to get your kids to understand something?
• Make learning magical. I bet you ALL remember that one teacher who made class SPECIAL, who came in costume for a certain topic, who brought in objects to punctuate the lessons with. Kids who senses get involved will see the magic of learning new things! You can do this at home too!

Ok, so now think about those applied to your children's schools and classrooms. How many of you can raise your hands and say ""YES, my kids attends a school that does this. Their teacher believes in my child and uplifts them this way!" ?

If you said YES, then congratulations! If you said NO, then GO GET THIS BOOK and read it and talk to your school/teachers, see how things can be changed.  This is an inspirational book and I'm glad we got to review it!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from FSB Associates, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.