Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie Authors with marketing. Marketing is probably the biggest task authors have, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this far and wide with your social media followers. Below please see my review of They Call Me Mom: Making A Difference As An Elementary School Teacher by Pete Springer.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
Who Will You Inspire Today? Teachers face this challenge and responsibility each day, but in the process, the author discovers that his students can also have a profound influence on him. Pete Springer takes you on his memorable thirty-one-year journey in education as an elementary school teacher and offers the many valuable life and teaching lessons he learned along the way. Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the humorous and memorable experiences that all teachers face, feel inspired by the inherent goodness of children, and appreciate the importance of developing a sense of teamwork among the staff.
Learn valuable tips for working with children, parents, fellow staff members, and administrators. This book is ideal for young teachers, but also a reminder to all educators of the importance and responsibility of being a role model.
BOOK REVIEW
Pete Springer looks back on 31 years as an elementary school teacher and provides memories, tips, and encouragement for other teachers, both those already established and those just beginning. I am not a teacher, but as a parent and grandparent, I loved some of his suggestions. His idea of rewarding productive behavior with play money, working with a bank to get bank books for the kids’ money, and then staging auctions to spend it is inspired. The kids had to do the math during the auctions while bidding on the prizes and then write a correct check for the winning bid. What a great way to teach math and life skills! This is just one of many smart tips Pete has for teachers.
Pete also shares some funny, memorable, and sad moments from his time as a teacher, and the fact that many of them accidentally called him “Mom,” because a teacher can be like a Mom in a way. He talks about working with administrators and other teachers, and shares some of his biggest frustrations about the job.
This is a great resource from an expert–someone who did and loved their job for 31 years. Teachers and parents will enjoy, benefit from, and maybe relate to Pete’s experiences. Highly recommend.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(In his own words) I’m a retired elementary teacher (31 years) who will always be a strong advocate for children, education, and teachers. My favorite thing to do as a teacher was to read to my students, and now I’m following my heart and writing children’s books for middle grades.
BUY LINKS
BEFORE YOU GO
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter (X), Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
Sounds like a great book and teacher! My favorite teacher of all used fascinating and fun techniques to teach rather than all the traditional (yawn) ways:)
I pretty much stayed in the background in high school. I was from the poorer part of town and we were treated differently at my high school. This was back in the early 80s. I had one history teacher who made it a point to talk with me during class and make me feel a part of things. I never forgot that.
A good teacher can be the difference between some students going down the right or wrong path. Educators are primarily responsible for creating a safe and loving environment. The educational part component happens because a teacher has created a supportive classroom. As educator, Rita Pearson stated, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Having fun with your students creates part of that feeling. I loved running around with my students at PE and recess.
Getting rid of some boring traditional techniques is an important first step, Gail.
I hope there are more and more teachers are like you, Pete. After all these years, I still treasure my 8th grade teacher, Miss Brush, and both my kids still treasure Mr. Byrd in 6th grade. Like you, those are the teachers who gave us strength, confidence, and acceptance as well as knowledge, never to be forgotten. Although I do still remember my history teacher in 10th grade who made history about as boring as watching a sack of potatoes rot. Thankfully, I loved it too much for him to sway me (historical author…lol). Your students will always treasure you.
Thanks very much for the review, Bonnie. I’m at that place in life where I’m trying to pay it forward to the next generation of teachers. I just passed on some of my teaching materials to one of my former 5th-grade students who will be starting her first year teaching in the fall.
Wow! That’s a real circle of life. Even though you are retired, your teaching will go on through her.
[…] Sunday I reviewed “They Call Me Mom” by Pete Springer for Indie […]
It is so wonderful to see Pete and his book here. Pete was an incredible teacher and it’s so wonderful that he has written this book for other teachers to learn from.
Yes I think teachers and parents would benefit from reading it.
Thanks for the kind comments, Darlene. Way to go with You Can Take the Girl from the Prairie. It was a pleasure to read your memories growing up.
Delighted you enjoyed it. Thanks for the great review.
Wow, Bonnie! This sounds really educational, and interesting!
I think teachers would find it helpful
It breaks my heart to see the nationwide teacher shortage that has developed in our country, T.W. We should be doing what we can to keep talented teachers in the classroom, but instead, we’re creating more obstacles.
Pete’s students were very fortunate to have had him as a teacher. In addition to its usefulness for new teachers and parents, it could also serve as a primer for school administrators to create the right environment and conditions for their teachers to excel at their jobs. I heard on the news last night that K-12 schools in New Hampshire aren’t fully-staffed with teachers for the fall. Teachers have been leaving the profession in droves.
I’m hearing the same thing out west. It’s not like we couldn’t see this problem coming, Liz, which makes it all the more disheartening. My former school just lost its principal due to stress-related issues. The sad thing is he was one of the good ones.
While teacher pay is one factor, I sense that mental health and a lack of support are equally important issues. My wife told me about a district that one of her friends works in where the teachers act as custodians for their rooms at the end of the day.
Do you see any way of reversing the trend–or are the public schools dealing with so many social problems and political fallout that It’s pretty much a lost cause for the foreseeable future?
This reminds me of many other societal issues. We’re slow to act, but eventually, we get around to recognizing and dealing with the problems. The current situation will implode unless everyone starts going the charter school or home school route. I suspect governments will eventually wake up and deal with this mess. It’s just unfortunate we’ve let it get so bad. In the short term, I see that standards will be lowered, and less qualified candidates will be able to get teaching credentials to fill the need.
New Hampshire’s already gone the “less quality” route for math and special education teachers. I advised students in the alternative certification route, and I was appalled at how low the certification standards were, for special education in particular. I had previously assumed that the children with the greatest needs would get the most qualified teachers. Boy, was I wrong. I hate to think of all the children and young people who will end up with a totally inadequate education while the policy makers get their act together.