What School Should Be is snapshots of great education in practice. Ackerly, a writer who has spent over fifty years as a teacher, principal, parent and grandparent, shows children, teachers, parents and principals in action illustrating the elements of school culture necessary for delivering good education. Over and over, for or more than a century, “blue ribbon” task forces have been formed to improve America’s public schools. All these efforts have failed –and in some cases made things even worse—because of a failure to understand children and mistaken notions about education. The delivery system for education is not curriculum, standards, textbooks, or the shape of the classroom. The delivery system for education is the culture of the school and the culture of American Schools hasn’t changed much since Mark Twain said, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Ackerly’s stories of teachers, students and principals at work show what good education looks like and lay out the elements of good educational cultures.

What School Should Be is snapshots of great education in practice. Ackerly, a writer who has spent over fifty years as a teacher, principal, parent and grandparent, shows children, teachers, parents and principals in action illustrating the elements of school culture necessary for delivering good education. Over and over, for or more than a century, “blue ribbon” task forces have been formed to improve America’s public schools. All these efforts have failed –and in some cases made things even worse—because of a failure to understand children and mistaken notions about education. The delivery system for education is not curriculum, standards, textbooks, or the shape of the classroom. The delivery system for education is the culture of the school and the culture of American Schools hasn’t changed much since Mark Twain said, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Ackerly’s stories of teachers, students and principals at work show what good education looks like and lay out the elements of good educational cultures.

Genius is not just about intelligence and aptitude, it's also a word that embodies our inner soul, nature, or character. In this illuminating book, a former principal and father shares heartwarming stories and wise advice that offers a rare insight into children and the process of education. "The Genius in Every Child" celebrates the moments in the lives of children, their parents, and their teachers. The stories of unique characters in action illustrate some of the principles of education and the disciplines we need to be good stewards of our children's character and intellect. The vignettes provide both delight and enjoyment in the miracle of it all, and perspective and solace in the difficulty of it all, encouraging parents and teachers to work hand-in-hand. This book urges parents to focus on the long run, entrusting the trials, struggles, and sufferings of the short run to the kids. It proposes a shift in focus from test scores to enthusiasm, from perfect behavior to learning from mistakes, from measuring up to making something of yourself, from independence to interdependence, from goodness to integrity, from fear to love. The value of this experience to hundreds of children, parents, and teachers derives from the depth of Rick Ackerly's perception and the subtlety of his understanding. He offers perspective and guidance on a wide range of challenges faced by parents of today's school-aged children, including: self-confidence, discipline, boundary-setting, building character, integrity, taking responsibility, facing challenges, handling disappointment, peer pressure, reading, testing, homework, academic achievement, failure, and success. Excerpt] Mr. Rick's Words of Wisdom Children need teachers at school and parents at home.

• Failure is at least as powerful an educator as success.
• Kids need consequences "and" they need forgiveness
• We put our kids at risk by trying to engineer their success.
• Our children need us to have confidence in them.
• The core of building "character" is taking responsibility.
• If we are open to the surprise, we can let them educate us.

Rick Ackerly has over 40 years of experience working with students, teachers, and parents as a principal, father, and consultant. The stories and advice in his first book THE GENIUS IN CHILDREN reveal a rare wisdom about children and the process of education. The value of this experience to hundreds of children, parents, and teachers derives from the depth of his perception and the subtlety of his understanding. He offers perspective and guidance on a wide range of challenges faced by parents of today's school-age children: First Day of School Self-confidence Discipline Boundary-Setting Building Character Integrity Taking Responsibility Facing Challenges Separating from Parents Getting into Trouble Handling Disappointment Friendship Bullying Peer Pressure Harassment Reading Testing Homework Academic Achievement Failure and Success Dyslexia and ADHD. The GENIUS IN CHILDREN is a must-read for parents who want to discover how to bring out the best in their children.