Powerful Language for Reluctant Learners: Jeremiah’s Journey from Reluctant to Renowned Scholar “A Powerful Memoir”

By Gary A. Hughes

Gary A. Hughes takes you into the mind of reluctant learners and shares how to help them succeed in this resource for educators.

As a veteran teacher, Hughes has a wealth of experience helping reluctant learners, and he’s gained even more experience as the father of Jeremiah Hughes, who was a reluctant learner in his early years of school. Gary A. Hughes was also once a reluctant learner himself as a high school student.

In looking back at how he’s helped his son and others succeed, he shares how to:

help students build self-esteem;
appreciate the impact that spoken words have on reluctant learners;
use words that celebrate and affirm student academic life;

He also breaks down the categories that reluctant learners typically fall into, shares four common reasons that students are reluctant to learn, and explores how to break down barriers so students can bolster achievement.

Moreover, he highlights the importance of simple things, such as getting the names of students right, telling them the truth, and making sure they know they’re valued.

Build trust with students, help them overcome a fear of failure, and encourage them to embrace learning in this invaluable resource.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Feb 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781480887503

Gary A. Hughes

Gary A. Hughes has been teaching in Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland for more than twenty years. As a teacher at James Madison Middle School, he started a male mentoring program that became Startin’5 Mentoring & Consulting Services, a nonprofit organization, which he serves as president. He regularly presents workshops throughout the United States centered around the “whole child” and can be contacted via email at [e-mail] for inquiries about presentations, workshops, and keynote addresses.

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Copyright © 2020 Gary A. Hughes.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-8749-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8750-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902074

Archway Publishing rev. date: 2/25/2020

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 Who Is a Reluctant Learner?

Chapter 2 Four Reasons Students Are Reluctant to Learn

Chapter 3 Address the Reluctance, and Bring the Reluctant Learner Out

Chapter 4 Positive Communication to Engage Reluctant Learners

Chapter 5 Powerful Language for Academic Achievement

Acknowledgments

I want to acknowledge the following people for inspiring me to share my knowledge. I will start with my parents: Rosalie Hughes, Will Hughes, and Andrea Phillips Hughes. They have poured into me time and time again in a plethora of ways. There is not a day that goes by that we don’t talk, and I thank God for them. I would also like to thank all my family and friends for all your support, advice, and encouragement throughout this writing process.

Jeremiah definitely would not be in the position of success today without his mother, Lori Stevenson. She is a constant, nurturing stabilizer in his life who has and still goes beyond the call of duty to create a complete and fulfilled life for him.

Lastly, this book would not be in your possession if weren’t for Jeremiah Hughes. Thank you Jeremiah, for allowing me to share some of your early academic challenges to the world. Your academic development and growth allowed me to understand why having empathy as an educator is needed for maximum development of all students.

Introduction

W hen I decided to step in the classroom as a provisional teacher in 2000, I would have never guessed that twenty years later I would be writing a book about my experiences as a teacher and parent. I will never forget what Principal Bruce Tyler told me early in my first year as a teacher: "Mr. Hughes, the students naturally like you, so use that to your advantage in