Dr. Johanna LaFiandra

Dr. LaFiandra (a kindergarten dropout) writes about her life as a student and 30 years as a special educator in the public schools. Her humorous, touching and informative real life experiences give the reader an inside look at the life of dedicated teacher who did it her way by making her students enjoy learning. The book is divided into 34 chapters or "stories" of her life as a student and teacher at different levels of the educational system. Her "stories" are humorous,poignant and educational and provide advice and guidance for students, parents and teachers as they wend their way through the educational process. For example, the book title, "The Desk in the Sky" is the heading of a chapter in the book that humorously illustrates how a school system sets priorities for teachers of special education vs those who teach regular students. The chapter of the book entitled, "Lessons of a Kindergarten Dropout" shows how teachers sometimes stifle a student's initiative (the author's) and an example of how parents should react. The chapter, "The Work in the Toilet" comically shows how students sometimes learn more from each other than from the teacher. These are but a small sample of the 34 "stories" in the book.