How to Use This Book?
The birth of the idea for this book came while I was working on the book
Guiding Stars-‐ Strategies for Working with Students with Challenging Behaviors. I contemplated over the thoughts of sharing with parents and teachers about what is happening in education from the viewpoint of the classroom teacher. As a result, I structured this book in a way that communicates the following points as they relate to the characteristics of a chameleon-‐ one of my favorite creatures: Part I-‐ Assimilation, teacher vs. students Part II-‐ Acclimation, students vs. the learning environment Part III-‐ Adaptation, the learning environment and the content/outcome Part IV-‐ Acculturation, teacher vs. parents
Each part of the book has seven chapters. Each chapter starts with the way
each of the aforementioned relationship takes place and shape in our schools, and then branches off from there. Someone once asked me, “What do you intend to achieve by writing these books?” As always, I hope the content of what I wrote encourages dialogue, opens conversations, and even push readers to take actions to change the way that education can be effective in today’s society. I want each chapter and each part of the book to work as a launch pad from which to cause change, fire passion from within, and to stretch imagination. Each chapter ends with the following discussion points:
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Suggestions for Parents: Instant tips and ideas for parents who are ready to polish their skills to work with children.
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Action Points for Teachers: Strategies and suggestions on how to fine-‐tune teachers’ craft and bring about change in the classroom.
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If You Happen to be a Student: For readers who are students (whether at the k-‐12 level or higher education level), here are some points to ponder and to enlighten your understanding.
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Chameleon Dialogues (變色龍互動區): For those who think of themselves as chameleons, this is where active conversation takes place to influence one another’s behavior for the benefit of the children.
As a reader, you may decide to read each part or each chapter independently
from each other. To have somewhat of a timeline for reading, the book was structured so each part can be completed within the seven days of a week. For study groups, choose one part to focus on and take time to read each chapter. One way to really delve into learning will be to assign one chapter per group and have each sub group report back to the whole group about their assigned reading. If there is only one study group, read one chapter a week and resume to expand on the four discussion points at the end of the chapter. The study will last for seven weeks. If a school intends to use this book as part of the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) training, use Part IV of the book and create a series of workshops.
For professional development purposes, use Part I-‐ Part III, depending on the
area of focus. Each part can be a stand-‐alone topic to be introduced during a one-‐ day workshop (Chapters 1-‐3 in the morning, 4-‐7 in the afternoon, for example). For stakeholders who are highly interested and motivated to learn the content of the book, each chapter is about 6-‐8 pages and can be easily read in a day. One can then finish reading the entire book within a month and then begin looking at the discussion points in the chapters that fit a particular career background or need.
In a perfect world, children come to us (school) highly motivated, well
nourished, and expertly prepared. If that is the case in most classrooms, then many of us (teachers) would be out of work, because there will be no need for teachers to exist. However, the reality is that, students often come from broken family, they lack basic background knowledge, and are not driven to take risks and give all they’ve got. It is up to the adults in their lives to be willing “chameleons” to assimilate and adapt, to help get them acclimated and acculturated, in order to meet their full potential and explore their intelligence. I stopped complaining about my students after my fifth year of teaching when I realized that, I could change, I could motivate, and I held the keys to the students’ success. With such noble tasks, I had no time to complain but to kick into action. I must continue to learn, so my students will continue to learn. When that mindset altered my teaching behavior, my students rewarded me with uncompromised determination to learn, unrelenting pursuit for excellence, and unceasing enthusiasm to reach their goals. Whether you are a policy maker, a parent, or a fellow teacher, may I invite you to be an action-‐
taker during the next 28 chapters to see education from a different perspective? On behalf of the students that you will influence, we thank you in advance. Wendy Huang, Ed. D. January, 2015