Soul: Secrets of Ultimate Lionology: Tenacious Tales from Too Cool Schools

By Brenda Isaacs

This is the authors second book in six years, the first having been a work of fiction entitled The Baroness of Bakersfield, published in 2006. This one, however, is mostly true, although some names have been changed with respect to confidentiality and privacy issues.

SOUL: Secrets of Ultimate Lionology is the authors idea of a smorgasbord, replete with a variegated spread of anecdotes, relationships, snippets and vignettes all related to Brenda Isaacs experiences in the educational arena over the last 30-40 years. Once called a Renaissance Woman by South Bend (IN) Tribune reporter, Frank Ramirez, Isaacs has managed to maneuver through a gauntlet of school connected scenarios including public and private schools, alternative school, Sunday school, college and the library. This tell-all book was written to delight, entertain, support and surprise all fellow educators and their friends across America, and around the world. An interactive book, Isaacs invites readers to give her feedback through social media. She plans to use remarks garnered in a follow-up book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477287989

Brenda Isaacs

Brenda Isaacs has lived in Bakersfield, CA for 12 years. Prior to that, she and her family lived in Northern Indiana for 6 years by way of Los Angeles, which is home base. She lives with her husband, James, who has been the local pastor of the Church of the Brethren for the past 10 years. The Isaacses have three adult children, two of whom live in Bakersfield and one who lives in Germantown, MD. They have six grandchildren.

Book preview

SOUL

Secrets Of Ultimate Lionology

Tenacious Tales From Too Cool Schools

Brenda Isaacs

US%26UKLogoB%26Wnew.ai

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2013 by Brenda Isaacs. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/19/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8799-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8798-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

1 AN OPTIMIST IS SOMEONE WHO GETS TREED BY A LION BUT STILL ENJOYS THE SCENERY.

2 I’M A MEAN OLD LION…

3 I-I-I HOPE MY STRENGTH HOLDS OUT…

4 I NEVER THOUGHT MUCH OF THE COURAGE OF A LION TAMER. INSIDE THE CAGE HE IS AT LEAST SAFE FROM PEOPLE.

5 YOU MUST TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE CIRCLE OF LIFE…

6 I WALK ON THE WILD SIDE. I LAUGH IN THE FACE OF DANGER.

7 LOOK AT THE CIRCLES UNDER MY EYES. I HAVEN’T SLEPT FOR WEEKS.

8 ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE…

9 WHAT’S A MOTTO? NOTHING. WHAT’S A MOTTO WITH YOU?

10 HAKUNA MATATA

11 LIVING AND LOVING ‘BETWEEN THE LIONS’

12 COME ON AND EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD…

DEDICATION

This book is affectionately dedicated to all the Jays in my life: James, Johannah, Jelani, Jayden, Jael, Joelle, Joshua, Jeremie and Jaylon; also to a K (Kevin), a T (Tiphanie), a C (Cleo) and an M (Matthew). Additionally, I dedicate it to all my family and friends in the educational arena—across the nation and around the world.

Brenda Isaacs

10/26/12

Bakersfield, CA

INTRODUCTION

I got the inspiration for the title of this book from Patience and Fortitude—the two stone lions guarding the entrance to the New York Public Library. I really like the image of strength and power protecting a vast body of knowledge, which is what the two lions symbolize. However, I am happy that the lions are stone because I cannot imagine myself entering a library between two real lions. On the other hand, the lions’ names give us a perfect clue as to what is needed to succeed in education, whether you are an administrator, teacher, support staff person, student or parent; you need patience and fortitude . . . the more the better.

I have mentally been working on this book for two or three years. But I first started setting it down about 5 weeks ago. Wouldn’t you know it? About a week after I started, I fell on a concrete walkway in my front yard and fractured my wrist. I have had a long cast on my right arm for three weeks now. Thankfully, I can still type with my left hand and two fingers of my right hand that are sticking out of the cast. I have to wear this cast until November 15, and then they will cut if off and give me a short one to wear for another 3 weeks. Patience and fortitude is what I need now… more than ever!

I want to give my family, friends and colleagues a glimpse of what life has been like for me Between the Lions. I have devoted much of my life to education, in one form or another, and I will always be a dedicated life-long learner. That’s what this book is about!

Brenda Isaacs

10/26/2012

1

AN OPTIMIST IS SOMEONE WHO GETS TREED BY A LION BUT STILL ENJOYS THE SCENERY.

—Walter Winchell

For me, the world of education has been a lot like Disneyland. I have been to the Southern California theme park dozens of times, but no matter how many times I’ve been there, I have never seen it all.

Having been born into an educational family (my parents were both teachers) I learned from an early age to live for the first day of school. My brothers and I got new clothes, new shoes, new school supplies, etc. It was almost like Christmas.

Wouldn’t you know it? I grew up to be a teacher too, and a librarian! And even now, although I am past my prime so-to-speak, I always look forward to the first day of school with great excitement. I still like to get new clothes and new shoes—for myself and my grandkids.

During my 40-year career so far, I have had assignments in elementary school, middle school, high school, alternative school, college and in the library. This is where the Disney simile comes into play. The park has many lands: Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. School has just as many lands—perhaps more. I have experienced the Land of Total Darkness, the Land of Complacency, the Land of Extreme Danger, the Land of Boring as Heck, The Land of I Can’t Do It, The Land of Uproar and the least visited lands of all—the Land of Model Schoolroom Decorum and the Land of Learning Fever. You have to be strong, brilliant and flexible to negotiate these lands. You also have to be appreciative.

The Land of School Today is no place for the faint of heart. You have to have the tenacity of a jungle animal—a lion—to make it through most days. You have to be very cunning and employ a variety of strategies to bring students to the brink of learning. On many occasions I have taught high school students, and their main objective is to get through with the assignment as quickly as they can so that they can have time to goof off at the end of the period. When the class starts, I always explain the assignment, write it on the board, give a few examples of what I am looking for and then challenge them to go to work. They always want everything to be repeated, so most times I will repeat it. Then they want to know what they can do after they have finished everything. They mostly want to talk.

I will say, It’s going to take the entire period to finish this if you do if carefully and correctly. I am more interested in those results than I am in speed.

Then they’ll say, What if it doesn’t take the whole period? What can we do then? Here comes some strategy:

I’ll say, If you finish everything and still have 15 minutes left, you will have to write a 750—word essay on What is the meaning of the American Dream? What does it consist of?"

In the past three years of working with high school students, I’ve never had a taker yet. The assigned work mysteriously seems to last until the end of the period every time.

The things that happen in high school are sometimes incredible. One day a science class was working on writing themes about