Archive for February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine’s Day

For Lisa, and people in love everywhere . . .

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“We Are Living in Exponential Times”

Watch this, guaranteed to make you think, whether you are an educator, a parent, or just a Homosapien residing on the planet.

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According to the website, Shifthappens:

“Did You Know?” originally started out as a PowerPoint presentation for a faculty meeting in August 2006 at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, United States. The presentation “went viral” on the Web in February 2007 and, as of June 2007, had been seen by at least 5 million online viewers. Today the old and new versions of the online presentation have been seen by at least 15 million people, not including the countless others who have seen it at conferences, workshops, training institutes, and other venues.

The video has generated strong reactions, and been redesigned and remade more than once, as its intended audience has broadened. The original maker of the video is named Karl Fisch; he is the Director of Technology for Arapahoe High School. He blogs at The Fischbowl.

He explained the genesis of the “Did You Know” video here. For a taste of that post:

I put together a PowerPoint presentation with some (hopefully) thought-provoking ideas. I was hoping by telling some of these “stories” to our faculty, I could get them thinking about – and discussing with each other – the world our students are entering. To get them to really think about what our students are going to need to be successful in the 21st century, and then how that might impact what they do in their classrooms. It would also help the faculty that are not currently participating in my staff development join the conversation.

It went viral in early 2007. Fisch commented in his blog:

To tie this back to one of the major themes of this blog, it’s a different world out there. A world where anyone’s ideas can quickly spread if they happen to strike a chord. Where you don’t necessarily have to have a large company or a huge public relations effort to make an impact (although that still doesn’t hurt). And we need to be preparing our students to participate in such a world, to understand both the positive and the negative sides of that. To help them learn how to live and work in a rapidly changing world, where a fairly simple PowerPoint presentation that I almost didn’t even show to my staff has now been seen worldwide.

Since then, different people (Scott McLeod, for one,  XPLANE, for another, in cooperation with Mr. Fisch) tweaked and revised the presentation. The video above is, I’m fairly sure, the “new and improved, latest and greatest” version.

We are living in an amazing time. And somehow all of this seems to connect to the book I’m dying to read next:

I keep thinking of a line written by my musical hero — someone I consider the single greatest American artist of the past 100 years — Bob Dylan: “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone . . .

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Fan Mail Wednesday #30

I’ve thought about whether I should pick this one or not, because it’s sort of grossly self-aggrandizing, but isn’t that what Jamespreller.com is all about? Hopefully my reply might be helpful to somebody out there. Note: As always, I’ve removed any names that would identify the writer or, in this case, her son.

Dear Mr. Preller,

I wish I could find the words to thank you for your newest book Along Came Spider.  My son, who is in the fifth grade, has been recently diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.  I’ve always known that he’s struggled with the whole playground rules and pecking order but after reading your book, I’ve gotten an even better understanding.  My heart breaks to see how his classmates talk to and treat him.  I’m coming to understand that it probably hurts and upsets me more than it does him.  He says he knows he weird and different from everyone else and while he’d like to fit in he’s also come to accept the fact that he won’t.  As a parent, that’s hard to hear.  I suppose I need to come to accept what my son has already accepted.  I’d like to think there are teachers and educators in the school systems similar to your characters who have these children in their eyesight and are willing to go the extra mile for them without a parent having to fight for it or for being afraid of administration.  We all have a part of us that likes to believe that everyone is there for the greater good.  I’m finding I have to fight tooth and nail for administration to see the need for special services.  Something as simple as your characters allowing Trey to have a special quiet place to escape to would be wonderful for my son.  Unfortunately, I am required to prove that he needs something as little as that and that means paying for private psychological testing, private OT assessment and therapy, and psychiatric consultations.  Short of the psychiatric consultations, the school system should have provided me with the other two but they refused.  I wish your book would be a “mandatory” reading for anyone in an educational setting. Instead of frowning upon, criticizing and singling a child out for their oddities, perhaps they would see the wonderful traits and characteristics children like Trey and my son possess.  Thank you once again for this incredible book.

J

I replied:

J,

Thank you for sharing that remarkable letter. I am truly touched. As much as this book touches upon Aspergers, it is also, I hope, relevant to any child who might be something of an outcast in school. As the trend continues to move toward inclusive classrooms, it’s so important for everyone to become more alert to these issues.

I profoundly recall when my oldest son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with leukemia at two years old. Suddenly we were thrown into a world that was confusing, frightening, overwhelming. We had to become instant experts. We would be called upon to be “strong” in ways we weren’t sure we were capable of. One great solace through all that was the slow realization that we were not alone. There were communities available, support groups, information. I mean to say: There’s help out there. And you are stronger than you think.

Here’s a few links that might be useful:

* Children’s Disabilities Information — featuring an annotated list of support groups for children with autism/Aspergers/PDD.

* The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide by Dave Angel.

* O.A.S.I.S. — Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support.

* A Directory for Asperger Syndrome — support groups and organizations.

Jana, the very fact that you read Along Came Spider tells me  you are already well on your way in finding the resources you need. For books, I’ve found the life and work of Temple Grandin . . .

to be particularly . . . insightful and inspirational.

Another book that really got me thinking is called Elijah’s Cup by Valerie Paradiz. Subtitled, “A Family’s Journey into the Community and Culture of High-Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome,” it is a mother’s story, and she happens to be an incredibly gifted writer — insightful and honest.

Highly recommended. There’s so much great information out there, so many amazing books.

Good luck, my best to you and your son. Remember, you are not alone — and there’s a bright future ahead.

James Preller

Layoffs Hit HarperCollins, Bowen Press

More troubling industry news today. HarperCollins Publishers announced major restructuring and layoffs. According to The New York Times:

The industry had been expecting some news from HarperCollins, a division of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, as it was one of the few major publishing houses not to have announced layoffs during the current punishing retail downturn. Random House, Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Macmillan, which operates divisions including Farrar, Straus & Giroux and St. Martin’s Press, have all announced job losses in recent months.

<snip>

In the six months that ended on Dec. 31, HarperCollins’s operating income dropped nearly 75 percent, to $26 million from $103 million. Over all, the publishing industry has struggled as bookstore sales have slowed drastically. For the months of October and November, the Association of American Publishers announced double-digit declines in sales, and the holiday season was widely considered the worst in recent memory.

The web is abuzz with more on this. Go here at PW, or here at Gawker (including some internal HarperCollins memos). Shelf-Awareness reports:

HarperCollins has shut down the Collins division, is realigning imprints and has made cutbacks in the children’s division, too, including shutting down the Bowen Press, which had been set to launch this month.

In connection with the moves, Steve Ross, president and publisher of Collins, and Lisa Gallagher, senior v-p and publisher of William Morrow have been laid off. (Ross may be reached at slross58@gmail.com; Gallagher may be reached at lisagallaghernyc@gmail.com.) Brenda Bowen, head of the eponymous children’s imprint, has also left HarperCollins. At least one sales rep has been let go. The New York Times said that at least five Collins editors are gone and that “several sales, marketing and publicity staff members” from Collins and other divisions were also laid off. As many nine people in the children’s division have been laid off, and reports are that at least one rep has been let go.

Sigh. My thoughts go out to everyone hurt by these changes, especially my old friend, Brenda Bowen. We’re all in for tough times ahead.

Scholastic Book Clubs Criticized in The New York Times

The New York Times today, in an article by Motoko Rich, reports some criticism of Scholastic Book Clubs. Here’s the lead:

Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter, Goosebumps and Clifford series, may be best known for its books, but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group based in Boston, said that it had reviewed monthly fliers distributed by Scholastic last year and found that one-third of the items sold in these brochures were either not books or books packaged with other items.

I worked on the book clubs from 1985-90, and this kind of thing has always been an issue. Back then, it was more centered on the types of books offered — media tie-ins (Voltron, Transformers, Care Bears) vs. “real” books. Poster sales have always been an issue.

A page from Lucky Book Club.

Of course, there are profits in the non-book items. But the company always has to be careful in striking a balance, because teachers are the gate-keepers: They either hand out the book clubs, or throw them in the trash. I think this kind of watchdog group plays a vital role, and I’m glad to see it. Moreover, many teachers don’t realize the kind of power they wield. Believe me, complaints and comments are taken very seriously. Teachers function as sales representatives for Scholastic; and if they — or you — are not happy with the product, they — or you — have the ability to effect positive change.

What do you think? Is this a tempest in a teapot, or a real issue?

For me, it’s an issue that touches home.  “Book-and-thing” publishing — most effectively pioneered, I believe, by Workman Press, has become a staple for Scholastic. Sometimes it’s value added, sometimes it’s simply a way to raise revenue (witness the 39 Clues marketing machine at work). New Jigsaw Jones titles are no longer sold in trade. I get the opportunity to write one when the clubs make that call — and they will sell it the best way they can. My latest title, which I’ve documented here, will be packaged with a “Spy Ear.” It’s a cool item, I think, and I weaved it directly into the story (at Scholastic’s request, and with my complete agreement). I’m excited about it, the creative process was fun, and I think everybody involved is trying to make a quality product that kids will read and enjoy. The book is very good, in my biased opinion, and could certainly stand alone; my only regret is that it will be available exclusively through the clubs, nowhere else. But on the other hand, I see how my series, something I’m very proud of, is in a way being turned into merchandise. But if not, does it go away completely? Is it “book and more” or “book as Other?” Where is the line?

At the same time, we live in the real world. Books are products, and they need to sell. The only difference here is the role of the teachers as gatekeepers, and Scholastic’s unique position in schools. It is the checks and balances of capitalism. Scholastic will only go as far as teachers, and parents, allow them to go.