Leanne Oakes- The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers

      The book I read is called The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers by New York Times bestseller Ron Clark. I chose this book from the small library near my home, not sure if it would be a good choice or not. Upon reading the preface, I knew that it would be an easy read because it was already full of personal and heart felt stories. With that said, I think that there are better books out there for the new and inexperienced teacher, this felt like more of a quick easy read full of heart felt stories rather than a helpful book with many resources and ideas.

Summary:

      This book is written from the perspective of author Ron Clark. He lists 101 solutions for parents and teachers to help enliven classrooms. Through the use of many personal stories (at least one for every number 1-101), he offers up suggestions and tips for making your classroom a more lively, fun, and exciting place for students to grow and learn. The stories and examples found throughout the book are quite inspiring and have made me feel excited to one day have my own classroom where I can implement many of the tips I have read in this book.

Useful classroom and teaching solutions from the book:

Solution 1.Teach children to believe in themselves and don't destroy the dream- we need to inspire our students and help them to believe in their goals and dreams. If a student wants to be a professional athlete, show your support by attending their games.

Solution 4. Uplift other adults who play a role in the lives of our children- show your appreciation for parents and teachers and there will be improvements all around. Show mutual respect to parents and teachers, because the students are at the centre of these relationships.

Solution 7. Get to know your students in nonacademic settings- developing relationships with students is the key to getting them to work hard and show respect in your classroom. Another suggestion from the book is to read comics and books that your students are reading, as this serves as a great conversation starter.

Solution 10. Be excellent!- setting the bar high for ourselves as teachers will also set the bar high for our students. Our level of performance will rub off onto students whether high or low. The book suggests to not gossip, show up on time, pick up litter around the school, use correct grammar, and dress your best.

Solution 16. Use music to excite, motivate, and inspire. Using music in the classroom lifts the spirits of students and teachers. Making up songs and chants can help students to remember and learn new information in a fun way.

Solution 23. Love what your students love, whether it's iCarly, Twilight, or the NFL- showing an interest in our students hobbies and lives will help us get closer to them and allow us to have conversations about things they care about. Even if you do not like the genre or type of book, tv show, or sport team, you may find something of interest especially knowing that your students do.

Solution 27. Realize the power of gratitude and appreciation- this is actually from the section for parents, but is useful for teachers as well. Clark (2011) writes “When people feel appreciated and that their efforts are noticed, they work harder and do a better job” (p. 127).

Solution 38. Believe that every child can learn, regardless of ethnicity, learning disabilities, emotional or behaviour problems, or the economic situation of the family- as teachers we need to see potential in every child and truly believe that they can all learn, so that they will believe it themselves.

Solution 51. Don't constantly stress about test scores. We have to stop sending the message to our students that the purpose of learning is to take a test- this is an American book, and I do believe that they take more standardized tests than here in Canada but the point still stands. Treating end of year tests and exams as a celebration of learning is one way to prepare students for tests. We want them to show off what they have learned throughout the year instead of stressing about tests, so we should not show that we are stressed about tests either.

Solution 55. Realize that kids need to move! Bring education to life with kinesthetic learning- we know this is important for multiple intelligences and different learners, but actually implementing hands on and kinesthetic activities into daily lessons can be a difficult task. Norway boasts in the fact that for each hour they have 45 minutes of instruction and 15 minutes of physical education, this may be why they have such a great education system and lower obesity rates. We cannot expect our students to sit for 6 hours straight everyday and still have the focus and attention to listen.

Solution 74. Fake it to make it- some days you will wake up and not feel like teaching, but you need to fake it to make it. Exude confidence, joy, and passion even if you do not feel them, and you will quickly begin to have those feelings.

Solution 80. Build strong bonds with parents- it is important to make parents feel like they are part of their children's education. Making home visits to families of students who are having trouble in your class is a positive way to include parents in education. It also makes parents feel important because you took the time to visit.

Solution 94. Realize that you never truly know all that is going on in the life of a child- Clark (2011) tells the story of a student who had no power in his home, so could not properly do his homework. We will never know everything that is going on in our students lives, so we need to make our time with them special and help them as much as we can.

Critique:

      Many of the stories and tips pertain to American culture, values, and educational processes. This does not mean that the examples and ideas are not useful, we just have to remember that the book is written from an American perspective, and that our Canadian educational system as well as our values and beliefs may differ. As a teacher candidate, I have found many useful tips in this book as well as some that I would likely not use. Every teacher will have a different style and way of going about things, so I think that there is something useful for everyone in this book. There is a lot of what comes off as self promotion by the author Ron Clark throughout the book. He did, after all, open up his own school called Ron Clark Academy, and writes about how Oprah showed up to the opening ceremony. Throughout the book I felt that he was continuously bragging about his school and accomplishments, but looking past that, there was a lot of useful information. This book is definitely geared towards elementary and middle schools, but some points could be implemented in high schools as well.

      Ron Clark truly strives for excellence both in himself and his school. He believes that we should be raising the bar for teachers, parents, and students; not lowering our expectations, which seems to be the norm these days. Some of his ideas may seem harsh- only giving cookies to students who do well, special trips for high achieving students only, hating on video games, give parents your cell number, and never give students second chances on tests or projects. These are some points that may seem tough or harsh, but when expanded upon they do have a lot of validity. With such high expectations for his students, it is no surprise that most go on to live well educated lives when many have come from problematic backgrounds.

      The most important point I have taken from this book is that as teachers we need to strive to reach out to our students and help them to believe in themselves, and encourage them to reach their goals and dreams however big they may be. 

Clark, R. (2011). The end of molasses classes: getting our kids unstuck : 101 extraordinary solutions   for parents and teachers. New York: Simon & Schuster. 

List of 101 Solutions: