http://www.amazon.com/Doing-The-Right-Thing-Teacher/dp/1460225481
“David Greene has written an honest and courageous book that tells the truth about teaching today. Those who teach, those who want to teach, and those who appreciate good teachers will enjoy reading it.”
– Diane Ravitch.
“I need a book like this to keep me going. David Greene describes, explains and persuades us that it’s still possible to create great school experiences that matter. At long last, after a generation or two, we’re hearing again from classroom teachers about what it means to stick to it and thus learn the job over the many year it takes. David Greene writes wonderfully about his discoveries in a way that both teaches and entertains. It will enlighten parents, teachers, and would-be policy makers.”
– Deborah Meier-.
“Dave Greene, one of the best teachers I have ever met, has written the most useful book about teaching I have read in the last ten years. Dave, who taught and coached at the Bronx’s, Adlai Stevenson High School, before he moved to do the same at Woodlands and Scarsdale High Schools, has unparalleled experience as a program developer and teacher educator as well, having been involved in the WISE Program for high school seniors, and having mentored Teacher for America Corps members at Fordham University. When you add to this his role in founding the Save Our Schools movement, you can see what a depth of knowledge Dave can draw upon.
This book has incredible chapters on theories of pedagogy, what makes the best teachers effective, and how effective assessment is a logical outcome of the accumulated knowledge of our best teachers and administrators. Dave tears up the latest fashions in education reform, showing their unfortunate resemblance to Frederick Taylor’s models of factory administration and has a brilliant critique of Teach For America’s approach to teacher training and pedagogy based on his extensive experience working with TFA corps members in inner city schools.
You will come away from reading this book enraged at the powerful forces reshaping public education, but you will better understand what makes a better teacher. This my friends, is an unbeatable combination.”
– Mark D Naison
“Doing the Right Thing is quite a collection of nimble, poignant proposals and stories that will strike a chord with educators, students, and parents. Pulsing with brilliance, David Greene carefully comments on the issues that will define the battles over school reform in America.”
—Nikhil Goyal
“Dave Greene unravels education reform with the sharp eye of a lifelong educator. And from the threads of his own experiences he weaves a guide for anyone who wants to understand what makes a classroom work. Greene has worked in tough schools and knows what works. His experiences as a mentor for Teach For America corps members are revealing. School reform would look very different if we listened to real experts like Dave Greene.”
– Anthony Cody
“David Greene has captured the most important aspects of the most important profession.”
– Harry Phillips, Regent, University of the State of New York
“David Greene is an experienced educator who cares deeply about our children and the schools in which they learn. A fresh, reasoned perspective on education. This book is worth reading! “
-Peg Tyre, author of the Good School
“Dave Greene’s book slams educational policy gone awry with boots-on-the-ground realism. He captures the reader from the onset with page-turning directness, gripping exemplars, clarity mixed with his unabashed writing style that holds nothing back, rich description and research, that blends data with his lifelong experiences in education. This book is a powerful read. Dave challenges the rhetoric on educational policy and debunks reform measures that tout testing, alternative pathways to the classroom, particularly, Teach For America, and a business model and comes off as a blend of investigative reporter, seasoned academic, and outraged citizen.”
-Dr. Barbara Torre Veltri, Assistant Professor,Northern Arizona University. Recipient of 2011 Research and Creative Activity Award: “Most Significant Scholarly Work” from Northern Arizona University For the book: Learning on Other People’s Kids: Becoming a Teach For America Teacher (Information Age Publishers, 2010).
“David Greene offers a brilliant and honest composite collection of the various issues emerging from corporate education reform’s encroachment upon the teaching profession and our public education system; a composite which diverges where and when necessary to honor the complexities of teaching and learning, while holding together a central theme grounded in what matters most, as the prophetic first sentence in his first chapter states, “Let’s start with kids.” Greene deftly blends together theory and practice, past and present, problems and alternatives, research and wisdom, statistics with personal narrative, and humor and pain. The power of this book lies with its unflinching challenge to the rhetoric posed by corporate models of reform such as Teach For America, and charts a vision for change which we all must heed so that we do not, as Greene writes in his final closing words, “kiss our future goodbye.”
– Morna McDermott McNulty. Associate Professor, College of Education Towson University
“The so-called education reformers should read this book and find out what a REAL education reformer knows. Dave Greene has laid out a prescription for reforming our education system using tried and true values of supporting and respecting teachers and the teaching profession. His passions for teaching and extensive classroom experience are in abundant display here. Teachers will find this book to be a breath of fresh air because here is someone who really understands them and knows how to make their classrooms exciting places for children to grown and learn.”
– Gary Axelbank. Host of BronxTalk, the Bronx’ flagship TV talk show
“Just got your book based on Diane Ravitch’s recommendation. Loved it. The chapter on TFA is perfect. I’ve been teaching in LA for 30 years. I got my first Masters during my third year of teaching. My thesis was written about how and why TFA was wrong. Wrong on so many levels. I saw it with my own eyes. 1990, South Central LA. Our school received a large group of TFA teachers. I experienced much of what you describe in chapter 2 of your book. I had always wanted to be a teacher, majored in Education at Boston University (where I got an outstanding preparation for life in the classroom), then moved to LA where I began teaching at 22. 30 years later, my MD always remarks that she doesn’t have a patient who has consistently loved their job as much as I do. I have a Masters in Administration, but find that I am happiest in the classroom.
Your book resonated with me. I just bought three more copies to give to friends/colleagues.”
Thank you,
Carrie
DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing 