The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow wrote the book entitled, "The Last Lecture". The book has been broken up into six parts and reflects much of what Randy Pausch shared with his audience during a lecture series. In the past, this lecture series was called, The Last Lecture and selected college professors were asked to give a lecture as if it were their "last lecture". Throughout this lecture they would share their wisdom, successes, and council to those who attended the lecture. For Randy Pausch, this wasn't merely a frame to build his lecture around, it was reality. Randy Pausch was diagnosed with Pancratic cancer and given a short time to live. He looks, sounds and acts like your average healthy man but he is on the slippery road to death. Throughout the book, he provides his readers with simple, yet profound advise. This book is one I would highly recommend for men. Randy's comments, humor, humility, and humanity brings the reader to the place where things really matter....the moments we spend with those around us, specifically those we love.

Randy past away during the month of July (2008) and left behind a lovely family and a lasting legacy. He is a man who used his last months on earth to make a lasting impact on his family, friends and those still on earth. Continue to dream and seek to fulfill that dream.

If you have not read his book or seen Randy's lecture on You Tube, I highly recommend it. His book and his last lecture will occupy space on my book shelf, occupy space in my computer, and be shared in my leadership classes. May everyone who encounters his book and/or lecture benefit in a life changing way.

A Man Named Dave

David Pelzer's book, "A Man Named Dave" is the third book of his biography triology. The first book, A Child Called It, covered David's life from about five to the age of twelve years old. During this period of time, David was physically, mentally and emotionally abused in unimaginable ways. His inner strength, his dreams, the smiles, kind words and self-determination gave him the strength to survive day after day. At the age of twelve, he went to school with sever chemical burns on his body and it was then when his teacher, the nurse, the principal and the police officer risked everything to save David.

Mr. Pelzer's second book, The Lost Boy, recalled David Pelzer's years between the ages of 12 and 18. He traveled from foster home to foster home and ended up at the Turnbourgh's. Although David was out of the house where "The Mother" lived, her hand stretched out and touched his life on a daily basis. David could not get away from his mother's touch or ice cold touch. He longed for the day when his dad would contact him (i.e. in person, by phone or letter); however, his communication was extremely limited. At the age of 18, David Pelzer joined the airforce.

A Man Named Dave is the third book of Mr. Pelzer's biographical triology. This book takes us through his first marriage, the birth and youth of his son (Stephen), his years in the air force as a cook and pilot, his early years as an inspirational speaker, his divorce, and his second marriage. For those of us who have read the first two books, this book provides the answers to many of our questions about how David Pelzer turns out.

MY TWO AND A HALF CENTS:
I highly recommend these three books in their entirety for all teachers, social workers, principals, school personnel, and any other profession that works directly with children. These books provide the reader a window into the life of an abused child. The books are difficult to read due to the severity and harsh conditions David Pelzer was forced to live through. However, David is an inspiration and provides hope to all who face the unimaginable as a young child.

After reading all three books I am walking away with five main points I hope to never forget.
1. David had a dream, a vision. It was this dream, this vision that kept him focused and gave him hope.
2. David prayed to God regularly. He sought God for strength.
3. Although David was a victim, David did not fall into the victim trap. He did not wallow in self-petty. David knew that if he was going to be somebody or get somewhere, he had to make it happen.
4. The odds were against David, yet, he did not let that stop him. David pressed on despite the lack of encouragement or support. David remained laser focused. David persevered. He did not give up.
5. In order to accomplish a task, good or bad, David broke it up into manageable steps. Although he had is eye on the big picture, he knew the best way to complete the picture was one step at a time.

David, thank you for your courage and willingness to share your life's experiences with those of us who work with children. You have opened the eyes of many and have given hope to many more.

These three books will remain on my professional bookshelf for years to come.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks: From the Back of the Bus to the Front of a Movement is a biography written by Camilla Wilson for Scholastic Incorporated. This biography was written for students who read at the fouth grade level. Ms. Wilson did a fantastic job researching the life of Rosa Parks and sharing it with her young readers. The bulk of the 73 pages were spent on Rosa Parks earlier days in Montgomery. Early in her life, Rosa was involved with equal rights. This biography takes the reader through her yearly days and reveals the strong, determined woman behind the Montgomery bus boycott.

MY TWO CENTS:
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. This was a journey into the life of Rosa Parks in the years before the Montgomery bus boycott. I enjoy these types of biographies because they tend to give the reader a picture of the individual's life before they became well known. Rosa Parks did not live a simple and easy life. Her life was filled with pain, suffering, and fear. However, her life was also filled with determination, focus, and compassion. The one thing that struck me the most as I read this biography was Rosa Parks' work ethic. Rosa Parks worked a full-time job as a seamstress, answered phones on her hour lunch break, and participated in a number of politically related organizations after work (i.e. she would type, take notes, contact people, organize the meetings, etc...). When the day was done, she would go home and start all over again. In addition to her work as a seamstress and her volunteer work, she also had to take care of her husband and her parents. I practically buckle thinking about all the responsibilities Rosa Parks had on her shoulders, yet, she carried on. I am thankful she did not give up. I am thankful she did not get out of her seat on the bus. I am thankful she found the energy to carry on. Rosa Parks is a person to be admired and emulated in many ways. All people should be treated equally and there is no one race more superior than another. We all need to eat, we all need to sleep, we all bleed, we all breath, we all love, we all want a better life for our children. Although Rosa Parks took a seat, she stood for all.

Gary Paulsen: Real-Life Reader Biography

Real-life Reader Biography: Gary Paulsen was written by Ann Gaines and published 2002.

This biography was written for the elementary age reader who has become interested in the distinguished writer named Gary Paulsen. The book begins with Mr. Paulsen's experience in the Iditarod. Three of the chapters cover his younger years and the years as a struggling writer. The last chapter skims through the 1990's when his career as a writer skyrocketed. The children's author by the name of Gary Paulsen became well known by the students and teachers connected to the grades 6th - 10th.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH
As a young reader who wants to know more about the life of Gary Paulsen, this is a great introductory book. In fact, although I have read other biographies and autobiographies on Gary Paulsen, there were a few new bits of information I either didn't read before or simply skipped over them in the past. For example, I did not know the first book he wrote was The Special War. Now that I know this information, I will search for a reasonably priced hardback book. As of this writing, I have been unable to locate a hardback copy available.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham was the Newbery Medal award winner in 1956. The book is a biography about the man who uncovered and made available the secrets of sea navigation to the common man. Without Mr. Bowditch's efforts and determination, the mysteries of navigation would have remained mysterious and elusive to the common man. Knowledge is power and strength. Thanks to Mr. Bowditch many sailors were given practical knowledge about navigation (and mathematics) and with that knowledge they attained power and strength to become what they dreamed....Captain's of their future.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a detailed biography of the life of Nathaniel Bowditch (a.k.a. Nat). The authors takes you through his childhood well into his adulthood. At an early age, Nat's family realized he would not follow the footsteps of his father and grandfather. A sailor needed to be big, strong, and healthy. Nat was none of those. He was good with numbers but his parents could not afford to have him go to school. His family was poor and struggled to put food on the table and cloth the family members. At the age of twelve, Nathaniel was indentured to two men with a shop in town. He was to be their book keeper as well as work the store for a total of nine years.

During his time as an indentured servant, Nat learned how to use his talent with numbers. His love to learn and discover was the fuel that taught him to read, learn Latin, learn French, learn astronomy, and learn everything there was to learn about ships at sea.

Soon the shop was sold and with it his indenturedship. The new owner kept him through the end of his term. When his service was served, Nat was becalmed. He didn't know what to do. As time passed, he found himself on a ship as the ship's navigator. Soon Mr. Bowditch learned to take lunar readings on the sea. As problems with taking lunar readings presented themselves, he began to resort to the logic's and consistencies math provides. He discovered a new way to take a lunar without occulting the moon. This new discovery continued to fuel the fire of learning new ways to keep sea-traveling men safe.

As Nathaniel travels on the ships, he utilizes the sextant to take readings but during the remaining hours he would study the "Moore" charts as well as teach the deck hands how to take readings. Nat was consumed with numbers and verifying that the charts were accurate. During his voyages he discovered many errors and these discovers bothered him to the core. When Nat was not studying the charts or taking a reading, he was graciously spending his time with those deckhands who "wanted" to learn how to take readings. These men took to learning as a thirsty traveler takes to water. They were thirsty for practical knowledge.

Eventually, Mr. Bowditch gained enough experience to command his own ship. He traveled to ports on the other side of the world to buy and sell cargo. His knowledge of sea routes, navigation, mathematics, French, astronomy, Latin, and deep understanding of human behavior were valuable assets in his travels.

Mr. Bowditch traveled around the Cape and into the eye of a hurricane at sea. He navigated his ship up stream with head winds. He even traveled home in fog thicker than pea soup through areas that have been littered with ships at the bottom of the sea. These feats were all done because of his extreme faith, his extreme belief in the benefit of math. He was a man who saw the power of mathematics. It is consistent, dependable, and reliable. One does not need to see if he/she knows his math. One can simply get from point A to point B if he/she simply follows the mathematical path and does not resort to his/her vision or feelings. Mathematics and the love of learning filled the sails of Nathaniel Bowditch.

TWO CENTS WORTH:

It's no secret, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was a biography of a man who faced a wide variety of obstacles, yet he overcame them humbly and purposefully. Here was a man who could have gave up early in life and many would have justified his actions. At an early age it was already determined he would not follow in the family footsteps of becoming a sailor. His mother passed away and he was indentured at the young age of 12. Nat's talent with numbers was noticed by many influential people but he was never able to attend a prestigious school (i.e. Harvard). His first love married another man, his first wife passed away, his brother's died at sea, and many of the sailors did not like him. All of these things he overcame, he kept pushing forward.

Mr. Bowditch was a master teacher. He took difficult concepts and made them simple and easy to understand. The common sailors, whom were viewed as unable to learn, were his students. many of them learned to navigate and soon became valuable members of other ships. He was a man who knew if he could teach these sailors to understand navigation, he could teach anyone. Soon he wrote down what he taught so that anyone could navigate a ship utilizing the reliability of math. The book is still used today and can be found in many captain's personal as well as professional libraries. The American Practical Navigator or the Sailor's Bible is the name of the book Mr. Nathaniel Bowditch wrote.

This is a book that can be used in the classroom of any math teacher as well as any teacher trying to communicate to their students (especially those who are faced with multiple economic and social barriers) that with dedication, determination, tenacity, and a love of learning will have a positive impact on your personal, professional, and social life.

I highly recommend this book. It is a journey well worth the time and effort to take. May the wind always come from behind and fill your sails. However, if the wind stops and the fog sets in, the laws of mathematics may be your path to safety.

P.S. There were a ton of tier 2 and tier 3 words. As I read through this book, I kept a dictionary close to my side. The tier 2 words were easy to identify and the context in which they were embedded assisted me with their definition. However, the context that surrounded the tier 3 words did not help much. Although the dictionary was opened frequently with some of the tier 3 words, I still had to consult a few sea-worthy individuals to bring those words to life.

AR QUIZ: 100%

Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen: Real-Life Reader Biography was written by Ann Gaines. This biography is simple and appropriate for many of our young readers. This biography took the reader through Gary Paulsen's iditarod experiences in Alaska, his childhood, his early years on his own, some of his struggles, and lastly the fame. For a student who has just begun the journey of reading Gary Paulsen's material (i.e. Hatchet, Mr. Tucker, Night John, Winter Room, Soldier's Heart, etc...) and wants to get to know a little bit about the author, this biography will open the door to the world of Gary Paulsen. After one reads a biography or Mr. Paulsen's autobiography, you begin to see him in each of his stories.