Book Review for Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher

Because of my love of reading and writing, I always had a soft spot for my language arts teachers. Mrs. Jones was the first one who got me involved in public speaking during my freshman year of high school, and by junior year I had come out of my shell enough to place in drama competitions across the state. I fondly remember the time she took to stay after school and coach me, nor could I ever forget Ms. Eury, who put in a personal call to the admissions office of my first-choice college to ask them why they decided to put me on a wait list. Those teachers took more interest in my success than my own parents did at the time, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Book Review:

Reading Breaking the Silence brought back a flood of memories, and I couldn’t help but wonder if my own teachers had to deal with the conditions teachers face today. Reading the journal entries of Hernandez’s final forty days teaching eighth grade in Manhattan was heartbreaking, from the lack of bathroom breaks to the misconduct investigation she had to endure, over something I could never imagine one of my children’s teachers being charged with.

What I enjoyed reading about the most in this book was the interactions between Hernandez and her students— and I’m not talking about things like proctoring a standardized test in a classroom. For example, one day she played the song “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys for her class and asked the students what dreams they had for their own futures.

“In this moment of my teaching career, I realize we are so busy teaching a curriculum that is so scripted, test-heavy, and inauthentic that we have lost the opportunity to connect with students on a personal level,” she writes.

Another story she shares is how she coached the painfully shy valedictorian of the class after school until he had the confidence to deliver an impressive speech at the class awards brunch. Beneath all the frustration of working within a broken system, Hernandez remained intent on teaching her students not just school subjects but also important life skills, such as public speaking and dressing appropriately, because they often didn’t have parents at home to guide them.

While Hernandez is no longer teaching in the public school, she still works passionately toward education reform, teaches at the college level, and works as a writing coach and content strategist. She encourages those reading the book not to be afraid to leave careers that are making them unhappy, and shares resources not only for the educational community but also for those seeking reinvention in their lives. It’s a great read for anyone—not just educators, parents, and school administrators.

Paperback: 166 pages

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Mill City Press, Inc. (August 7, 2014)

ISBN-10: 1626529620

ISBN-13: 978-1626529625

Breaking the Silence is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indie Bound.

WOW! Women on Writing is giving away a print copy of Breaking the Silence. The contest ends tomorrow, so visit the link here to enter!

About the book: 

America’s public school system is broken and M. Shannon Hernandez knows why, firsthand. After fifteen years in the teaching profession, three gut-wrenching realizations forced her to recognize that she must leave the career she loved so dearly. She knew that if she continued to work for a failing system, she would also continue to lose a little piece of her heart and soul every day.

You are invited into Hernandez’s classroom for the final forty days of her teaching career to understand the urgent need for school reform, clearly demonstrated in each story. You’ll witness the intelligence, vulnerability, and humanity of her students, and the challenges teachers like Hernandez face as they navigate the dangerous waters between advocating for and meeting students’ needs, and disconnected education policy.

This book is not only a love letter to her students, her fellow teachers, and to the reformed public school system she envisions, but also a heartfelt message of hope, encouragement, and self-empowerment for those who feel they are stuck in soul-sucking careers. It is an essential read for each citizen who is seeking a life comprised of more purpose and happiness, as well as parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers who know our nation’s education system is in desperate need of an overhaul.

About M. Shannon Hernandez:

M. Shannon Hernandez is the founder of The Writing Whisperer, and her mission is to help heart-centered entrepreneurs and heart-centered authors find their brand voices, share their unique stories, gain more visibility, establish themselves as experts, and create authentic marketing messages, all through the use of smart content strategy and engaging copywriting. The Writing Whisperer was named one of Top 100 Websites for Writers by The Write Life in both 2014 and 2015, and Shannon has been featured as a content strategy and copywriting expert on many prominent podcasts and websites. She is a leading voice in the world of authentic business writing and heart-centered education reform, and she writes regularly for The Huffington Post. Shannon’s memoir, Breaking the Silence, chronicles her exit out of public education, after 15 years, and provides readers an intimate view of her journey to business ownership, finding happiness, and reinvention.

Find out more about this author by visiting her online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWritingWhisperer

Twitter: @WritingWhisper

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/m-shannon-hernandez/61/98/731

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/writingwhisper/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCahp5D25vJus2mn_9P7S59Q

And now here's my two cents on education for our children . . .

I firmly believe that no matter what type of school our children are in (mine happen to be enrolled in a public charter school) we can't just send our kids in every day and expect their teachers to cover off all their educational needs. Learning may begin at school, but it should continue in the home. It is up to us as parents to ask our kids about what they did at school, check the backpacks, help with homework questions, read their assigned books with them (for the elementary grades), practice their play/performance lines, and check in with their teachers throughout the year to make sure there aren't any problems that need to be addressed. 

Today's world is hectic. Let's face it--we're all busy. Sometimes the last thing we want to do is sit with our kids and read their literature circle book, or double-check math problems when the way we learned to solve them isn't relevant today. (I may sometimes have to ask my 5th-grader to assist me in explaining solutions to my 2nd-grader, but whatever works, right?) However, these are our children. We need to make time for them, because they are important. They matter. Showing them that we care about their education will set them up for a lifetime of self-confidence and love of learning. It's worth the time and dedication it takes to show them we care. Period. And their teachers will appreciate our efforts more than we'll ever know.

I'm curious. What do you think is the most important thing missing in public education today? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Benefits of Guest Blogging

Settle in at your favorite coffee shop and start writing!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post at WOW! Women on Writing about guest blogging to grow your platform. I was researching some blogs for an author I was helping and came across so many opportunities I'm sure many writers don't know about. The majority of the time, guest blogging doesn't pay, but it does give you the chance to submit a bio where you can promote your writing, books, or products and services you offer. Plus, it's a great networking tool! Be sure to study all guidelines carefully as they vary in the types of topics they are seeking and word counts.

Check out the original post for five places you can submit guest posts, and I've included a few more below.

Writers on the Move
http://writersonthemove.com
Karen Cioffi welcomes articles on the topics of writing, author interviews, and book reviews. Posts should be 350-600 words, and Writers on the Move does not accept reprints.

Memoir Writer's Journey

http://krpooler.com

Author and blogger Kathy Blogger accepts guest posts on a variety of writing topics. She says she likes "to think of her blog as a kitchen table and the weekly posts as invitations to to join the conversation around the table." Posts can range from 500-1,000 words.

Women's Writing Circle

http://www.susanweidener.com

Susan Weidener accepts essays of 900 words or less. She prefers essays on the topics of memoir, fiction, poetry, writing techniques and tips, social media challenges and benefits, etc.

Have you had experiences guest blogging to grow your platform? If so, feel free to tell us where and share a link!

Book Review: Authorpreneur by Nina Amir

If there's one thing I've realized over the past few years, it's that writing a book is only one way to earn income, and unless you're a New York Times bestseller, it doesn't necessarily pay enough to earn a living. That's where the practical advice of Nina Amir comes in--in her new book, Authorpreneur: How To Build a Business Around a Book, she painstakingly leads writers through the process of creating products and additional streams of income all tied back into the books that you create either traditionally or by self-publishing.

Review:

Like most of us, Nina Amir says she started out with the dream of just being an author. It didn't take long for her to realize she could capitalize on the information she had already researched and created by building a business tied to her books.

I personally am focused write now on finishing revisions on two YA and one MG novels, but when the times comes, I am well aware I'll have to create products and services related to those books in order to bring in extra money. While reading Authorpreneur, my mind kept wandering back to a non-fiction book proposal I wrote several years ago and pitched to exactly one agent before getting a polite rejection letter and putting in a drawer. At the time, I wasn't aware of all the self-publishing options out there. Now I realize I could produce the idea into an e-book, especially since I've already put together a mock syllabus for a related online class.

After reading Authorpreneur, I soon realized the sky's the limit--it all depends on how passionate and organized you are about you book's topic. An author has the ability to create e-books, workbooks, templates, spreadsheets, bonus material, podcasts, videos, workshops, classes, telesiminars, webinars,   speaking engagements, and so much more.

For example,  I've often wondered how some writing coaches and consultants create websites with "members only" subscriptions, and this is one of Nina's areas of expertise. She guides the reader on the best services to use and how to set up the sites based on your particular needs/wants, as well as creating mailing lists.

While the information in this book is mostly geared toward those who write non-fiction, I did find a few gems that fiction writers can also use wisely, such as this one:

"If you write fiction, you have to be creative," says Nina. "Think about crossing over into nonfiction and creating an area of expertise related to the themes and subjects in your novel."

Thanks to Authorpreneur, when my publishing dream becomes a reality, I'll be well-prepared to make the most out of my expertise and content. That's a beautiful thing.

About the Book:

You’re happiest when you’re writing. It’s what you’ve been put on this Earth to do, and you hope to one day make a living from your books. But you've probably realized how difficult it is to earn enough from book sales alone. In fact, most authors, even some New York Times bestsellers, end up having to take on outside work in order to make ends meet.

If you must do other work, why not have it be work that supports and relates to what you love—your books?

If you want to earn a living as an author, you have to think beyond your book. Not only that, think like someone who is more than an author. Think like an entrepreneur. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, just the fact that you’re writing books means you have what it takes to become an authorpreneur.

About Nina Amir:


Nina Amir, the bestselling author of How to Blog a Book and The Author Training Manual, is a speaker, a blogger, and an author, book, and blog-to-book coach. Known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach, she helps creative people combine their passion and purpose so they move from idea to inspired action and positively and meaningfully impact the world as writers, bloggers, authorpreneurs, and blogpreneurs. Some of Nina's clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She is the founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month, aka the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge, and the Nonfiction Writers' University.

Find out More About Nina:

Website: www.ninaamir.com

Blog: www.writenonfictionnow.com  and www.howtoblogabook.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/ninaamir

Facebook: www.facebook.com/InspirationToCreation and www.facebook.com/ninaamir

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Nina/Amir  

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ninaamir

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NinaAmir/

Nina is giving away one copy of her book in a tour-wide giveaway through WOW! Women on Writing. Enter to win a copy by entering the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: God and Other Men: Religion, Romance, and the Search for Self-Love

I first became acquainted with Cape House Books last year when I organized a blog tour for journalist and author Lorraine Ash, in support of her spiritual memoir, Self and Soul. When Lorraine contacted me to tell me about Myrna Smith's book, God and Other Men, also published by Cape House, I had no doubt it would be as compelling and intelligently written as Self and Soul.

About God and Other Men:

On the February night her husband left, Myrna Smith felt the old demons of abandonment stir her soul. In God and Other Men, she takes us on an earnest but circuitous walk toward enlightenment, from adventures at a Japanese zendo and with Indian saints to a backwoods medium and a new lover. Eventually she glimpses the holy grail of self-acceptance but not at all in a way she expected.

About the Author:

Myrna J. Smith, EdD, is a retired professor of English and comparative religions who continues to travel and explore the world's spiritual traditions. God and Other Men is her first book.

Review:

First of all, I love the concept of God and Other Men, and think Smith did a great job organizing the narrative. Instead of being simply a story of one woman's life per se, told from childhood to the present, she begins the memoir by describing how her quest for spiritual comfort began after her marriage of 17 years dissolved. She recognizes the patterns in her life--during the times when she was fulfilled romantically, such as when she met her beloved partner Charlie, her study of religion would take a back seat. 

What endeared me most about Myrna is that she recognized her personal demons (feelings of abandonment, fear of being alone, the need to boost her self-esteem by excelling academically) and searched the meaning behind spiritual texts and her own patterns of behavior as way to better understand herself and try to improve her life. So many times those insecurities can take hold and send us down a dark and destructive path. Myrna's path was to travel to India and study under the great spiritual leaders there. She's still traveling at the age of 74-- in fact, she just returned from a month-long trip to Asia.

Myrna's strength and resiliency is something to admire in this book. She describes her feelings of inadequacy without wallowing, and she approaches her study of religions with a clear head and inquisitive mind. She embraces her international travels even when they don't always turn out as planned (she picked up intestinal parasites on her first trip to India and suffered physically for years after). Readers learn about the conflicting messages of religion she picked up from both her parents and grandmother and how she set out to explore the mystical and mysterious religions of others, such as that of her friend Ravi. I enjoyed reading about her experience with Buddhism, gurus, Christian Science, and meditation, among other experiences. I loved that she didn't just accept the traditions and customs of each religion as being the right fit for her . . . she asked questions, trusted her gut instincts and searched for the way each experience could become more enlightened, even when it pushed her out of her comfort zone. As she told herself, "You want a spiritual discipline. You can't find that by reading books. You have to have the experience."

One of the chapters focuses on the text A Course in Miracles, which is described as "a self-study spiritual thought system." I asked Myrna about how she first discovered it and here's what she had to say:

One summer after my divorce I went to Edgar Cayce’s home base in Virginia Beach for a seminar on Finding Your Soul’s Purpose. My father, who had talked so much about Edgar Cayce all of his adult life, wished he could go. I went partly to tell him what it was like and partly as a step in my own spiritual search. Several people there talked about A Course in Miracles (ACIM) as being important for spiritual seekers. I believe it was that fall Ravi gave me copies of all three of the initial publication, noting that it sounded too much like the Bible for him.

I tried to read it on my own, but it was too difficult. A month after my partner Charlie died, I began taking classes at the Open Center in New York and later to Roscoe, New York, where the late Dr. Kenneth Wapnack, the most famous teacher of ACIM, had a center.

By the time I came to ACIM I had already studied both Hinduism and Buddhism, and had come to believe the later had “the truth.” The language of ACIM is Christian, narrated by Jesus, through a channel. The thought system it presents is close to Buddhism, but is theistic, an important asset for me. 

ACIM’s process for forgiveness, different from how it is ordinarily understood, as well as its guide for relationships, have changed my life significantly.

Myrna Smith with a Buddhist guide in Bagan, Myanmar, January 2015

Paperback: 240 pages

Genre: Spiritual Memoir

Publisher: Cape House Books (October 23, 2014)

ISBN-10:1939129044

ISBN-13: 978-1939129048

God and Other Men is available in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CreateSpace, and Indie Bound.

Book Review: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur

Author Fiona Ingram knows how to get a reader hooked. After reaching the exciting conclusion to The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first book in her Chronicles of the Stone Series, I turned the page to find an excerpt from Book 2: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur. Of course I couldn't resist taking a peek, so I was immediately transported on Justin and Adam's adventure in their quest to find The Scroll of the Ancients and the second Stone of Power in Oxford and Scotland.

About The Search for the Stone of Excalibur:

Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur.

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them?

Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped.

About Fiona Ingram:

Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—The Chronicles of the Stone. This was inspired by a family trip the author took with her mom and two young nephews aged ten and twelve at the time. The book began as a short story for her nephews and grew from there. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is a treat for young King Arthur fans. Fiona is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper, set in Mexico.

While writing The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, Fiona fostered (and later adopted) a young African child from a disadvantaged background. Her daughter became the inspiration for the little heroine, Kim, in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur. Interestingly, the fictional character’s background and social problems are reflected in the book as Kim learns to deal with life. Fiona’s experiences in teaching her daughter to read and to enjoy books also inspired many of her articles on child literacy and getting kids to love reading.

Book Review:
One of the things I liked the most about The Secret of the Sacred Scarab was the unique cast of characters, and readers are introduced to even more in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, including Kim, a young African girl Aunt Isabel sends to England with Justin and Adam while she heads to off to France to care for the injured James Kinniard. Then there's the lovable Ink Blott, his adoptive father Humphrey Biddle, and fussy (but endearing!) academic Archibald Curran. Middle-grade readers will love reading a story centered around the mysterious King Arthur and his infamous sword.

The supernatural powers Adam discovered in the first book are explained in greater detail in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and Ingram maintains her knack for creating creepy villains, including the return of the contemptible Dr. Khalid. From their first appearance, I was chomping at the bit to find out who the Eaters of the Poison were and how they factored into the quest. As usual, the descriptive and sensory details of the setting placed me smack in the middle of the action and perilous situations and made me longing for my own Straithairn Castle to visit. As a bonus, there's some great reading material at the end of the book on King Arthur, which should please any young history buffs wanting to know more. And of course, don't forget the teaser for the next book in the series, The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper.