Lessons for Professionalism, Partnership and Practice

Bullough and Hall-Kenyon focus on preschool teachers as people, what they do, and how they are affected by what they do. Highly politicized and hotly debated, preschool today is increasingly focused on comparatively narrow views of school readiness and academic outcomes which are generally in opposition to the broader view of readiness proposed by NAEYC. This powerful book, based around interviews and data drawn primarily from Head Start programs, illustrates the profound humanity of this profession and underscores the pressing and insistent need for greater investments in teachers’ well-being.

Stories and Studies from the Field

Bullough and Hall-Kenyon focus on preschool teachers as people, what they do, and how they are affected by what they do. Highly politicized and hotly debated, preschool today is increasingly focused on comparatively narrow views of school readiness and academic outcomes which are generally in opposition to the broader view of readiness proposed by NAEYC. This powerful book, based around interviews and data drawn primarily from Head Start programs, illustrates the profound humanity of this profession and underscores the pressing and insistent need for greater investments in teachers’ well-being.

Preschool Teachers’ Lives and Work raises the curtains on a decade of Head Start reforms for the educators charged with their daily implementation. Drawing on a rich trove of interlocking observations, interviews and surveys, Bullough and Hall-Kenyon illuminate preschool teachers’ assessment of current policies and the impact on their practice and well-being. The authors use multiple theoretical perspectives drawn from psychology, organizational development, and social theory to challenge readers to examine their assumptions about issues such as the motivations of Head Start teachers and the team nature of preschool teaching in the context of these reforms. This is a provocative and essential read for all committed to improving early childhood policy and practice.” Marcy Whitebook, Director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley

Introduction to Play and Development

An accessible, comprehensive introduction to play and development from birth to age 8 years that introduces readers to various play types and strategies and helps them determine when intervention might be needed. Skillfully addressing both typically developing children and those with special needs in a single volume, this book covers dramatic play, blocks, games, motor play, artistic play, and non-traditional play forms, such as humour, rough and tumble play, and more. Designed to support contemporary classrooms, this text deliberately interweaves practical strategies for understanding and supporting the play of children with specific disabilities (e.g. autism, Down syndrome, or physically challenging conditions) and those of diverse cultural backgrounds into every chapter. 

 

Zelda, one of Social Media’s Favorite Cats

‘Curiosity is more than a desire to discover. It’s a lifestyle, and a purrvilege. It’s hours of observing a fly on the wall. It’s entering the sock drawer just before it closes. It’s sniffing the lampshade one more time . . .’

Such is the wisdom of Curious Zelda: social media star, agony aunt, yoga teacher, cat. In The Adventures of a Curious Cat, she gives insight into her view of the world and dispenses unparalleled wisdom. Zelda explains, in her unique voice, how to handle humans, how to communicate with furniture, and most importantly how to live a life curiously. It’s the ultimate self-help guide for any cat, or indeed, their human.

A Practical Guide

Rebecca Stenn and Fran Kirmser have spent decades supporting and encouraging young dancers. They know that in addition to the immense passion and commitment that a dancer needs, working knowledge of the financial and practical aspects of a life in dance are equally important. With A Life in Dance, Stenn and Kirmser give you resources to help you book rehearsal space, obtain a legal representative and a taxpayer, find auditions, apply for grants, acquire health insurance, meet photographers, agents, publicists, and consultants, pay off student loan assistance, and begin financial planning. 

There’s no Business like Show Business

Veteran performer and choreographer Tina Paul dispels myths and delivers the inside scoop about achieving your dream of dancing on Broadway. Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, and eleven other dancers join Tina in sharing their diverse experiences to help you make the right choices, avoid embarrassing mistakes, and prepare for the challenges that lead to a Broadway career. All of them agree—they love theatre and that love got them over many hurdles. Through tips on survival, discipline, and protocol, these professionals offer encouragement, bolster determination, and guarantee that you will be one step ahead in your quest for the lights and life of Broadway. 

Stories from a Life Lived Along the Border

Living in El Paso, just a mile from the Rio Grande, Octavio is a skinny brown kid on the border, riding his bike out into the desert, growing up among those who live there and those passing through on their way North. Rituals of childhood and rites of passage are remembered as singular, dramatic events, moments of trauma, and transformation with life-changing reverberations. 

“To enter into this book is like walking into a shrine, walls lined with beautiful paintings . . . Some you will stand in front of for a long time, and others are brilliantly uncomfortable and can make you weep if you linger too long.” Daniel Chacon

The Ballet Maker

The foremost contemporary choreographer in the history of ballet, George Balanchine extended the art form into radical new paths that came to seem inevitable under his direction. He transformed movement and dance in classical and modern ballet, on the Broadway stage, and in the cinema.

George Balanchine chronicles the life and achievements of this visionary artist from his early, almost accidental career in Russia, where his lifelong collaboration with Igor Stravinsky was forged, to his extraordinary accomplishments in America. The editor and writer Robert Gottlieb, one of the most knowledgable dance critics in America, offers a superb and loving portrait of a genius who, though married many times to many ballerinas, remained truest to his greatest love, Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of dance.

“I’d recommend Gottlieb’s book for its authority, completeness, and articulate excellence.” Benedict Nightingale, New York Times Book Review

What is so Special About Special Education?

Providing a thorough examination of the basic concepts of special education, a discussion of specific exceptionalities, and constructive responses to common criticisms of special education. Whether you’re a teacher, school administrator, teacher-educator, or simply interested in the topic, you will learn just what special education is, who gets it or who should get it, and why it is necessary. The second edition of this brief yet powerful primer will help you build the foundation of a realistic, rational view of the basic assumptions and knowledge on which special education rests.

Intervention Techniques in OT

Building upon the strengths of the first edition, this pocket guide is a useful quick reference of occupational therapy terms and interventions regarding specific diagnoses and conditions. Occupational therapy is an evidence-based health care profession that uses scientifically based research to justify the clinical practice. Interventions in hospitals, clinics, and community and school settings continue to evolve based on scientific evidence. These interventions are intended to prevent injury and maintain or improve client function.