Lessons Learned as a First-Year Teacher by Victor Z. StanhopeDebut author and multi-year teacher, Victor Stanhope, introduces us to his book, “The Teaching Mirror”: An Introspective and Honest Analysis of a Teacher’s First Year’s Experiences. One out of every ten first-year teachers leave the profession after that frightful first year – and author Victor Z. Stanhope knows why. Despite the expansive list of books and resources geared towards helping first-year teachers, none of them illuminate the realities of the first-year teaching experience. THE TEACHING MIRROR: LESSONS LEARNED AS A FIRST-YEAR TEACHER is the first book to explore a first-year teacher’s experience through analyzing journal entries written before and throughout the school year. This book synthesizes the author’s journal entries and experience into lessons for first-year teachers to help them better cope with their upcoming or current life as a new teacher. This book is very helpful for new teachers in that it: •Provides incoming first-year teachers with an honest and practical perspective of the experience. •Connects with and addresses first-year teachers’ emotions and worries. •Offers applied tips and exemplifies their effectiveness. •Illustrates the author’s failures, remedies, successes, and learned lessons.  Victor Stanhope (a pen name) has provided an insightful look at the work-life a first-year teacher might well expect to experience. While student-teaching and interning might ease the shock of the transition from the cocoon of academia to the harsh reality of beginning a teaching career, there is no denying the shock of the new experience in the best of situations. Victor’s story is very candid and quite engaging, I really enjoyed his story-telling style. His descriptions of his failures and successes make a great difference in the entertaining nature of his book. There are a lot of good lessons that can be applied in other situations in life. I greatly appreciate his willingness to share what worked and what didn’t. Much of life is experimenting to determine what will bring the desired results and what won’t. I award a score of 4.8 stars to “The Teaching Mirror”, the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found. You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/the-teaching-mirror https://smile.amazon.com/Teaching-Mirror-Lessons-Learned-First-Year-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-teaching-mirror You can follow the author: https://theteachingmirror.com Tags: teaching, education, memoir, biography Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
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A fictional representation of life with mental illnessMulti-volume, multi-genre author, Roberta Glacken, introduces us to her recent fictional story about mental illness in “The Fruitcake Factory”: Follow the lives of several mentally ill patients in a psychiatric facility and what life holds for them in the outside world. 100% of all proceeds will go to Mental Health charities. I just want to spread awareness and stop the stigma.  Mental illness knows no boundaries and is not a respecter of persons at any level. Mental illness manifests in so many different ways and intensities, that nearly any person could be diagnosed as mentally ill, even for a short period of time. I have known many people who are or have been mentally ill. Some recover and some don’t. I think this book does a good job of showcasing the struggles mentally ill people endure, some internal and some external. This book is quite funny at times. Without denigrating anyone, those trying to help frequently have their own struggles that can get in the way of delivering true aid. I like the upbeat ending, showing success for a couple of people even as they mourn the untimely defeat of another. The real genius is in the dialogues, the interactions with everyone in and out of the institution. I give “The Fruitcake Factory” 4.5 stars, the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Fruitcake-Factory-fictional-representation-illness-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-fruitcake-factory You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/robertaglacken robertaglacken.com/ Tags: psychology fiction, biographical fiction, mental health Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction. (The Blood Inheritance Quartet Book 2) Multi-volume, fantasy author, M. Ainihi introduces us to her latest book in the Blood Inheritance series: In this sequel to Rise, Amanda searches for the link between herself and the visions that afflict her. Unsure if the people she observes are the cause or the cure of all her troubles, she focuses on the two she feels the deepest connection with, the shy healer Emily and the brave Kiami, who can control humans with her song. For years, Emily has endured her parents’ harsh treatment without her curse showing itself, but when her best friend has an accident, she cannot ignore the compulsion to save her. She’s afraid to return home, and the wisps, glowing beings of light, seem to be her only allies as trouble and magic follow her everywhere she goes. Before Amanda knew about the seven realms, she longed to know her mother. Now her inherited gift is the very thing she fears most, and even as she fights to keep her shadow magic at bay, she can feel it growing inside her. Plagued by nightmares and haunted by a new vision of Emily, a cryptic accusation may just send her tumbling over the edge. Kiami’s magical abilities have always been nurtured by her guardians, but when she suddenly finds herself abandoned, she becomes desperate to find anyone that’s immune to her song. So when Amanda and her jinn companion seek her out for help, she agrees. As their paths intertwine, the world around them becomes increasingly dangerous. There is a dark power determined to prevent them from understanding the truth, and as the teens get closer to unraveling the mystery, it becomes clear that they will have to work together if they want to survive long enough to figure it out.  This story is getting more and more interesting as a continuation of “Rise”. The stakes are rising and the risk is for Amanda is growing. The tale is getting quite good. We learn more about many of the characters and they endure trials of various kinds. If anything, the scene-setting is lusher than the first book. The action and dialogues are improved also. I particularly enjoyed the variety of realms the author has created. Such a good story, easy to get lost in. I award a score of 4.6 stars; the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  The author has chosen this avatar to represent her.
You can buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Blood-Inheritance-Novel https://www.goodreads.com/-lost-by-m-ainihi https://www.barnesandnoble.com/lost-m-ainihi You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/m_ainihi https://mainihi.wordpress.com I have reviewed the first book in the series, here is the link: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/rise-a-blood-inheritance-novel-by-m-ainihi Tags: Teen, Young Adult, Sword and Sorcery, Fantasy, dark, Horror Copyright Mark Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction Debut author, Kate Recore, introduces us to her shocking memoir, “Brain Storm”, about being misdiagnosed as an adult-onset epileptic: “The most difficult thing about being misdiagnosed with a mental illness is the more you fight it, the crazier you seem.” At the age of twenty-three, Kate Recore began to suffer from a common brain disease. Although signs pointed directly at epilepsy, her neurologists misdiagnosed her with mental illness. For almost a year, Kate struggled against her worsening mind-altering seizures without any medical help. She lost her memory of the past, and her dreams for the future. After finally being tested and properly diagnosed, her journey through epilepsy began. Many years of failed drug therapies stretched before her. She battled against doctors who refused to consider the importance of their patient's quality of life, never changing course to help her manage her disease. Finally finding a true caregiver, Kate became well again. With a new drug and a new place to call home, she learned to let go of who she was, and love who she is. Misdiagnosis affects over twelve million people in the United State every year, and is considered the country's third-leading cause of death. While told against the backdrop of one patient's life, Brain Storm: An Electrifying Journey resonates with anyone fighting the overpriced, inadequate American healthcare system. By fearlessly adding her voice to the demand for better care, Kate Recore hopes to blaze a trail for all patients calling for help, and needing to be heard. “It seems inappropriate to call an autobiographical account of epilepsy and medical malfunction a page turner but, in fact, that is what BRAIN STORM is—a story that keeps you turning the pages. Kate Recore educates us on the reality of health insurance, doctoring, diagnosis, functional brain damage, epilepsy, and familial influence without losing the thread of her plot, a plot created from lived experience. You will read because it is interesting. You will learn because it is unavoidable. You will be inspired because you will be awakened. Don’t miss this one.” ~Dr. Lynette Louise (The Brain Broad – www.lynettelouise.com) award-winning neurotherapist, humanitarian, director, speaker, writer, brain-change expert, author of MIRACLES ARE MADE: A Real-Life Guide to Autism  I thank Kate for her bravery to reveal so much of what she went through and for sharing how to live a life without most of her memories from the past. I can’t argue with Lynette, this story kept me on the edge of my seat, just like a medical thriller! The scariest part is it’s true! Kate was on the verge of losing control of her life for so long. The fact that she was able to leverage a couple of lucky breaks provides welcome relief from the suspense of her memoir. Besides being betrayed by her brain and her body, some of the medical “professionals” were of little help, not listening to the patient. One more indictment of our healthcare system, seeking to maximize profits and minimize expenses can leave the patient hanging out in the cold. The people who were closest to her were great assets in her life. Each had an important role to play. One of the smoothest reading books I have read in a long time, I award five stars to “Brain Storm”!  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/products/brain-storm-an-electrifying-journey-by-kate-recore https://smile.amazon.com/brain-storm-kate-recore https://www.goodreads.com/-brain-storm-kate-recore You can follow the author: http://www.recoreink.com/recoreink https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-recore https://www.facebook.com/kate.recore https://twitter.com/recoreink Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction A small god, a handful of followers and the end of the world |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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