The Queen of Education: Rules for Making Schools Work

LeeAnne Johnson's rules for education are thoughtful, well-presented, and a product of someone who has actually been in the classroom. She is a hands-on educator. As a special education teacher, I found myself wanting to shout, "Right on!" This book should be read by every administrator, school board member, teacher, and teacher wannabe. I look forward to her next book.

I feel compelled to point out that the title essay Queen of Education is a SATIRE. That means it was not meant to be taken literally, but rather was a way of making a point. This essay is brief and does not represent the rest of the book which has a varied content and is definitely worth reading. It includes a chapter on Scotopic Sensitivy, a chapter on the effects of poor nutrition on our children, some of the documented dangers of ADHD medications, actual letters from actual students and teachers, suggestions for administrators who want to retain their new teachers, and an explanation of why punitive detention programs don't work. And the most important chapter - the epilogue which is an Open Letter to Teachers, a sincere thankyou from the author to the many teachers who devote their lives to helping children and receive little recognition. Here are some selected excerpts from the book: From Chapter 9 (Scotopic Sensitivity): "...black print on a white page creates very high contrast and people with Scotopic Sensitivity find such contrasts distracting, uncomfortable or even painful. Fluorescent lighting often increases the discomfort..by placing a colored overlay on the page many people can read without eyestrain or headaches--even some people who hae a long history of problems with readin. 'I know a lot of people are skeptical about the overlays," says Madden [a school principal]. 'They want something real challenging and difficult as a solution to reading problems. And had I not experimented yeas ago, I would have thought, This cannot be. But those overlays have really helped some students who used to earn 30's and 40's and are now making 90's and 100's on their work. In one year our school went from 75% passing the state test to 89.4% passing.'" From Chapter 10 (The Big Fat Problem): "The optimum ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 EFA's is 2:1...but when the ratio surpasses 20:1, we have trouble because of the molecular structure and behavior of the EFAs. When Omega 6's are present in much higher ratio than Omega 3's, the Omega 6's will actually block the gaps between the molecules of Omega e's, canceling the transmission of electrical impulses in the brain which directly relates to the ability to think, focus and concentrate. In clumsy, unscientific English: eating too much of the wrong kind of fat makes us stupid." From Chapter 11 (Why I Wouldn't Give My Own Kid Ritalin): "In 2002 I came across the abstract from a research study that a group of scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York conducted, titled 'Methylphenidate and Cocaine Have a Similar In vivo Potency to Block Dopamine Transporters in the Human Brain.' I was incredulous. Could this possibly be true? I wondered....So I went to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) web site and searched on the word methylphenidate. What I read on the DEA web site increased my concern: 'Methylphenidate, a Schedule II substance, has a high potential for abuse and produces the sa

Even though I am a student not a teacher I really like this book. My mother bought it for my teacher but I read it and I wish Louann Johnson was my teacher. She cares about kids just like in the movie Dangerous Minds. If the president would listen to her I think we would have better schools insted of just a bunch of stupid tests. I want to go to that dream school. If my school could be like that it would be really great.

I love the Queen's royal edicts, especially the part about making the U.S. Congressmen and women enroll their own children in the poorest public schools in their districts, and making all the public officials teach in the school system with the curriculum available and living on a teacher's salary. They made me laugh out loud when I read them, but after I thought about them for a while I realized they were good ideas. Johnson's fable is a winner, too. I enjoyed reading the letters from students because it gave me some insight into the kids I deal with every day. The Open Letter to Teachers brought a tear to my eye. I skipped ahead to the end and read that letter first. Read this book!

Louanne Johnson has my vote for Queen! The ideas in this book are logical, intelligent and humane. Why can't we create student-centered schools, as she suggests, instead of designing everything to make life easier for adults? I have read Dangerous Minds and The Girls in the Back of the Class, so I knew I would find interesting anecdotes and practical advice. But this book has much more-- information on scotopic sensitivity, essential fatty acids, and why detention programs don't work. But I like Johnson's humor as much as her serious writing. I especially enjoyed the fable in this book, and the quirky drawings. But because I am a teacher, the last chapter, An Open Letter to Teachers really hit home for me. It made me cry. It made me proud to be a teacher. I think every politician and school administrator in this country should have to read this book and spend ten minutes talking to the Queen.