Education Books
Survival guides for families and educators.
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Creating Academic Superstars
Surviving the Middle School Years
Creating Social Superstars
Creating Academic Superstars
Commonsense Solutions to Help K-12 Kids Exceed Expectations
Do you want academic superstars in your family and classroom? Or do you want your kids to learn more, memorize things faster and critically think better? Then this book is for you. I’m going to tell you how to create an academic superstar and turbocharge their learning, no matter where the starting point.
There are many things that families and educators can do to help our kids learn. Every situation is unique but there are always patterns and trends in behaviors and consequently, solutions. I know those patterns and trends because I have lived them and continue living in them. Everything I talk about and the suggestions I make are based on brain science, what research says about how kids really learn, and the practicality that comes with 40-plus years of direct experience working with school-age kids.
Inside, we will discover how the K-12 educational brain really learns, and why important learning factors such as working hard, intelligence, memory, feedback, pattern detection, creativity, novelty, and stories, make huge differences (or not) in how much and how fast our kids learn. We will also go inside our children’s head and better understand how they make decisions, adjust and change their behaviors, establish dreams to drive their wildest desires, create dazzling mental models, and get into the “flow.” In addition, we will also learn—if we want—how to raise a high-performing prodigy.
Some of the suggestions I make will appear old-fashioned—but the reality is that sometimes the old-fashioned approaches work well with school-age kids. Conversely, some of the suggestions I make will be unique and things you have never thought of before—because sometimes fresh thinking can bring a wealth of ideas and options to the table, and help pull kids out of the academic abyss or accelerate them into the learning stratosphere.
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Praise for Creating Academic Superstars
"Schmidt's voice is lively, and he puts to work the strategies he teaches; the book is structured with patterns, repetition, and vivid examples to drive points home...his knowledge and experience shine through in common-sense guidance that parents will welcome."
Blueink Review
"Mixing storytelling into its prose, the book proffers candid, pragmatic advice that draws on Schmidt's forty-year tenure in school systems...This expertise results in authoritative learning scenarios and lucid guidance... Creating Academic Superstars is an extensive educator's guide filled with rational information about directing learning success.”
Clarion Reviews
"Schmidt's work shows a clear investment in helping children to develop into curious, enthusiastic people... An earnest, wide-ranging manual with solid tips for helping children learn."
Kirkus Reviews
"Grounded in science, rich with experience, and shaped by a deep understanding of the human conditions, Schmidt offers a groundbreaking and emotionally resonant approach to education that no thoughtful educator or parent can afford to ignore."
Brian Schubring, author of the national bestseller, Unfolded
"Creating Academic Superstars offers a great balance of research and science with practical information for parents or educators to use as a resource in dramatically improving student learning. This is a great book club selection for parents or book study choice for teachers who want to positively impact academic outcomes."
David Law, President, American Association of School Administrators
Surviving the Middle School Years
Commonsense Solutions for Complex Teen Problems and Behaviors
Do you want the middle school child in your family or classroom to perform better, both academically and behaviorally? Then this book is for you.
The scenarios and stories in this book will help parents and educators understand some typical situations that confront middle school kids and how these situations can be addressed. Each scenario has a story told from the multiple points of view of those most affected by the story’s situation—by the kid, by the parents, by the teachers, and sometimes by a principal or other adult.
This book will help you resolve these competing viewpoints and merge them together into one coherent story. The secret to solving any problem often lies in being able to view the problem from other points of view and to understand why individuals did what they did. Once the problem is more clearly understood, everyone can arrive at better solutions.
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Praise for Surviving the Middle School Years
“This book is terrific! The scenarios are so real and the perspectives are spot on. Dr. Schmidt provides solid, research proven solutions to one of the most important issues in life, how to help our adolescent youth grow and become successful. This is a must read for parents of middle school kids and middle school educators.”
Dr. Ted Blaesing, Minnesota School Superintendent of the Year
“Wow! Dr. Schmidt has captured the greater share of issues most schools and parents face through the middle school years. A must have book for parents, teachers, administrators and even graduates thinking about education as a future profession!”
Jerry Meschke, Veteran Middle School Principal
“These sketches are neatly conceived and forcefully written; Schmidt skillfully incorporates many viewpoints into each hypothetical—those of bystanders, school officials; parents, teachers, other students—which makes the scenarios feel helpfully universal despite their specificity. With luck, most parents won’t face the worst of these situations, but the author’s wisdom on more common problems like bullying (whether the child is the bullied or the bully) will be invaluable to many caregivers during these pivotal years.”
Kirkus Reviews
“This book is amazing! Dr. Schmidt hits the nail right on the head when he addresses real scenarios that middle school students, educators, and parents of middle schoolers deal with as they journey through the middle years…How insightful it is to break scenarios apart and view it from the perspective of all involved. I can see this being a great resource for parents and teachers.”
Sue Thelen, parent and teacher of middle schools kids
“Schmidt’s narrative is clear, well-organized and offers relevant scenarios, with real-world details…Most of all, readers will appreciate the author’s empathetic approach that doesn’t make anyone the ‘bad guy.’ Instead, all of the personas are depicted as relatable with challenges of their own.”
Blueink Reviews
“A clearheaded review of the problems middle schoolers face, the childhood development guidebook Surviving the Middle School Years is filled with practical advice.”
Clarion Reviews
COMING SOON
Creating Social Superstars
Commonsense Solutions to Help K-8 Kids Exceed Expectations
Do you want social superstars in your family and classroom? Or do you want your kids to make friends faster, keep them longer, and thrive in social situations? Then this book is for you.
Even though some situations may appear hopeless at times, there are many things that families and educators can do to help our kids thrive in social situations. Every situation is unique and every child is also remarkable and an individual, but there are always patterns and trends in behaviors and consequently, solutions. I know these patterns and trends because I have lived them and continue living in them. Everything I talk about and the suggestions I make are based on brain science, what research says about how kids really learn socially, and the practicality that comes with 40-plus years of direct experience working with school-age kids.
Inside, we will learn how to help your learners navigate the world of school-yard bullies and drugs and alcohol. We will sift through the research to discover the importance of emotional intelligence, mental and medical health issues, and the impact of gender differences. Additionally, we will seek out the magic of play and exercise and the criticalness of kids setting goals and how they can thrive when adversity strikes. And we will engage in some special education issues, because oftentimes there are spin-off impacts to our children in the social arena.
Knowing there is a social problem or issue is sometimes not as useful as knowing what to specifically do in any given problem situation. To that end, I have provided practical suggestions and solutions that will work in most circumstances. Sometimes, a specific child needs a particular intervention. Other times the child may need a combination of interventions working together for improvement to occur. This book covers a wide gamut of topics that could impact kids as they progress from kindergarten to high school graduation.
Coming Soon
Praise for Creating Social Superstars
"A straightforward, empathetic series of strategies for managing common childhood problems."
Kirkus Reviews
"Addressing what can go wrong before what can go right, the book is aimed at those who wish to expect and be prepared for problems... the book progresses toward an encouraging proactive and nonreactive proposal for working toward positive change—a distinguishing conclusion that shows the book's mantras at work.
An empowering parenting guide, Creating Social Superstars is about nurturing children toward socially healthy adulthoods."
Clarion Reviews