"Out-of-School Tales of a Reluctant Educator" ... is a brilliant, insightful, vivid, heartwarming narrative of a reluctant teacher's attempt to navigate the sometimes treacherous and rollicking waters of adolescence. Page had never wanted to be a teacher. She was out of work, there was a teacher shortage, and Milltown High School needed a teacher. She had no training, no coursework, knew nothing about adolescents, and, besides teaching world history and American geography, she was charged to teach first and second year Spanish even though she could barely speak a word. "Out-of-School Tales," starting with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, spans forty-two years of poignant, unexpected, sometimes scary, and mostly hilarious events; the adolescent escapades might remind you of your own. At the same time, woven throughout is historical context and a portrait of how a teacher develops her ability to teach. From Billy giving her a very strange gift that he had crafted in shop class, to Page joining her neighbors in chasing two fat pigs down a country road in Vermont, there isn't a dull moment. It's history, it's sociology, it's education, it's all about adolescents. It might make you laugh and it might make you cry a little. www.marilynmonkspage.com _________________

A young girl recalls the day her grandmother took her for a ride on the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden. An afternoon of colorful observations follows, along with a little magic.