Gee! This is exactly the kind of book I wish I had written myself. Well, I did, sort of, I guess. A special thanks to the authors who provided their work for this exciting collection of essays about culture, diversity, and agency.

My curiosity about the Amish allowed me to really enjoy this book. The author mingles two years of actual diary entries written in the '70's by Amish friend, Sarah, with experiences in areas she shares with Sarah - gardening, quilting, cooking/ recipes, and writing. By the end of the book I felt I knew something about Amish community interaction, and the life of a wife and mother skilled in and married to the home arts.

The author relates getting to know Sarah and Amish life as somewhat spiritual and shares her introspections. I couldn't drum up any spirituality. My reaction was simply 'How like us they are, and yet, how different.' If you're curious about the Amish wife and mother's day-to-day, the book will interest you.

I loved this book. A good book is like a comfortable friend; this is one of those books. It takes us back to a time when 'mundane' tasks were considered both important and of value. This is such a soothing and gentle and genteel book. Sarah is hardworking and can master more in a day than anyone I know (I wish I could be more like her)....yet considers her own fragility -- she calls it 'feminine weakness' when she compares her abilities to that of her husband. In a short paragraph she speaks volumes about the loss of her mother. 500 people attended the wake/funeral service.....and yet, how the family is left 'in its sorrow.' Everyone is equal in Amish society; no one is viewed 'above' another -- so when the author mentions personal traits she views as superior, Sarah just looks at her, unimpressed. This to me is much more appealing than our competitive, fast-paced society. This is truly a delicious book, not full of fluff, but rather more the wisdom I wish our society still embraced.

This book is dull. For a potentially interesting topic, it was like chewing grits without salt, little substance and no flavor. It was a waste of time and money. I threw it into the recycle sack where it could be put to better use.

This remarkable book explains that teachers need to be just as accomplished performers as are successful artists - actors, orchestra conductors, dancers, or singers. It discusses how this need could be dealt with in teacher preparation programs. It will be heartwarming for teachers who already know this; it will be an eyeopener for anyone who believes that teachers require only knowledge of the subject to be taught. I believe that the problems of teacher quality will not be resolved until the observations in this book are widely understood and acted upon. Moreover, this book is very timely. The issue of teacher preparation and teacher quality has now become central to education reform nationally, thanks to pressures from teachers themselves, from their unions, from the existence of the National Board on Professional Teaching Standards, and from a growing political focus on teacher quality. Another eyeopener is "The Teaching Gap" by James Stigler and Jmaes Hiebert, which explains how and why teaching is different in Japan from what it is here. (The differences are partly due to a visit to Japan by John Dewey early in this century.)

She has valid things to say, but seems more intent on demonstrating her intellegence with grammatical gymnastics. I have to read this for class, and it has been an excruciating experience. Very disorganized thought, poorly edited.

After reading and then re-reading this book, I am impressed only by Ms. Greenes ability to ramble on for 134 pages without making a point.

This book is easily the best and most important book that I have read since I started going to graduate school in 1996. It has truly changed my way of seeing certain things. Dr. Green's vision of freedom is presented by examples from books and other media, and makes the subject both understandable and affecting. If a teacher were to follow her vision and her suggestions, his or her classroom would be the most dynamic one in almost any school. If one is a teacher, or if one merely likes good writing, get this book. It is truly visionary.

Boring -- Don't waste your money folks! I thought I was going to read some great things in critical pedagogy! The title should have been "...and unfocused rantings." She tries to make these "words" or "phrases of wisdom" and all they are is nonsense. They are so high falutin' I didn't get it and this is my favorite subject!!! or were they just stupid rantings. I can not express how terribly dissapointed I was. I'll never pick up another book by her. One star is the lowest I could go, if there was a 0 rating I would have used that!