Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood »

Phil Done is a 20-year-plus veteran of the California school system and has received the prestigious Charles Schwab Distinguished Teacher Award, was nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award, and has been honored as a Teacher of the Year in California.

A twenty-year veteran of the classroom, elementary school teacher Phillip Done takes readers through a lively and hilarious year in the classroom. Starting with the relative calm before the storm of buying school supplies and posting class lists, he shares the distinct personalities of grades K-4, what he learned from two professional trick or treating 8-year-old boys, the art of learning cursive and letter-writing, how kindergartners try to trap leprechauns, and what every child should experience before he or she grows up.

These charming, sweet, and funny tales of Mr. Done's trials and triumphs as an award-winning schoolteacher will touch readers' hearts and remind them of the true joys of childhood. We all have that one special, favorite grade school teacher whom we fondly remember throughout our adult lives - and every teacher also has students whom they will never forget. This is the perfect book for teachers, parents, and anyone else who is looking for a lighthearted, nostalgic read.

Publishers Weekly

Once again, author and veteran California school teacher Done (32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny) shares his unique, joyful view of childhood with gentle humor and penetrating insight. Going through the school year month by month, Done offers humorous vignettes, student profiles and phenomena unique to the third grade, peppered with memories of Done's own childhood, which only get better as the book goes on. Done's style is straightforward and fast-paced, expertly recreating his adventures as the sole adult in a room of eight-year-olds. Culled from decades of experience, Done's text illuminates the enormous commitment and generous humor needed to get through 25 years of teaching ("After learning their names, I gave them the Keep Your Zippers Up Speech in my best Judge Wapner voice"). Alongside dry wit, Done also delivers heartbreak and wisdom relevant to anyone with memories of a childhood classroom.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.