Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an Accomplished Middle-Level Teacher

Josh was living a great life — he knew how to get around who his friends were. In the middle of the school year, though, his family turns that all upside-down by moving to a new neighborhood. Suddenly he has to deal with new kids, a new school, and a nasty bully who makes fun of the way Josh learns. But when the bully needs help, it’s Josh who can save the day.

In a sequel to The Gift-Giver, Doris reluctantly starts helping Yellow Bird, the class clown, with his reading problem. To her surprise, Doris finds that in caring for and helping Bird, she develops a new friend.

Part of the “Psychology in the Classroom” series, Teaching for Thinking addresses higher order thinking processes. The book helps teachers understand teaching strategies to enhance thinking, understand the role of questioning, helps teacher focus on teaching and evaluating creative insight skills, and understand the basic principles and pitfalls in the teaching of thinking skills.

Author Rondalyn Varney Whitney, a pediatric occupational therapist, is the mother of Zac, a child who suffers from nonverbal learning disorder, or NLD. By definition, NLD is a neurological defect in children who are unable to recognize the nonverbal clues that make up 50 percent of communication. In Bridging the Gap, Whitney seamlessly weaves practical professional advice throughout the account of her passionate involvement with her son. She writes, “I believe that NLD, now thought to be as prevalent as dyslexia, is a difference and not a flaw.” She also warns parents and teachers that kids with NLD are likely to be misdiagnosed as lazy or defiant, so she urges readers to consider both the strengths (high intelligence and advanced verbal skills and memory) and weaknesses (low visual, spatial, and motor skills and deficits in social communication) of these kids.

This inspiring resource shows parents of children with disabilities how to obtain the educational services their children rightfully deserve. It examines the internal workings of the education system, reveals the challenges that await, lists the services that are available, and discusses the rights that are federally guaranteed. Complete with a resource list, directions for filing a complaint, and explanations of relevant legislation and regulations, this powerful handbook can make a difference for parents as well as educators.