I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
My initial reaction to the cover of this book was of immediate dislike. It features a Black boy with ADD/ADHD, LD/OCD labels across his face. I thought, “Here we go again…” and did not feel compelled to want to read this book, but then I read the entire title of the book, Mugamore: Learning without Labels—Lessons for Educators, and I was intrigued.
As a homeschooling parent most educational theory books draw my attention. I want to know what is going on in and around education today. I have read extensively and I am usually underwhelmed by new books because I find that they are just the same old information with a new cover and a slightly different voice. Skimming through the chapter titles, I was not expecting to be wowed or to gain much new insight from Dr. Jefferson’s book. However, Dr. Jefferson draws attention to the problems facing today’s educational system by juxtaposing American schools in the 21st century to their late 19th century counterparts. It is clear that Dr. Jefferson believes that today’s schools have declined since the 80s and have lost their focus on educating the whole child in lieu of preparing them for standardized tests. He is quick to surmise that today’s educational model is to slap labels on children, especially boys, and place them in special education classes.
The first half of this nonfiction book follows Mugamore, highlighting his experiences within the American education system in the mid-70s and early 80s. Mugamore was a child living in the inner-city who ran away from school in second grade, was retained in third grade but overcame these obstacles to become student body vice president in sixth grade. Although not wealthy, Mugamore is a product of a nuclear family with both a father and mother in the home and siblings. His summers are spent on a family farm in the country where Mugamore and his siblings are given the freedom to explore and to just “be kids.”
In the second half of the book, Dr. Jefferson introduces us to Taylor, a young man born to a cocaine-addicted mother. Taylor was adopted twice, first by a foster mother who eventually terminates her parental rights, and again at the age of 14 by a school administrator. Taylor spends his childhood bouncing around between residential treatment facilities and group homes. His childhood is vastly different than Mugamore’s. Therefore, it is difficult for readers to draw accurate comparisons between the educational experiences of the two boys as they are not on an equal playing field. While the first half of the book, Mugamore’s story, was compelling, Taylor’s story was a more difficult read. There were pages of therapy notes from his stay in a facility in Jamaica, many of which did nothing to move the story along. I found myself wanting to skip over the notes.
I also found some of the transitions confusion. Thrown in at the end of the chapter on Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grades, (Mugamore) Dr. Jefferson adds a section on same-sex schooling in which he concludes that the findings on the benefits of same-sex schooling are inconsistent. This five-paragraph section does not add any substantial information to the overall book, and, in my opinion, could have been omitted.
In the section about Taylor, Dr. Jefferson wrote that in the treatment facilities Taylor was viewed as an angel compared to the “ghetto behaviors” of the children around him. He writes that “These behaviors include, but are not limited to, uttering curses with every sentence, substituting the word ‘friend’ with the word ‘nigga’, and fist fighting to handle disputes instead of negotiating.” (Jefferson, Dr. Jonathan T. (2013-12-12). Mugamore (pp. 67-68). FriesenPress. Kindle Edition.) I found this description jarring and insensitive. I also found it ironic that in a book in which Dr. Jefferson is attempting to dispel labels, he chooses to label children who act differently than one of his main characters.
Dr. Jefferson ends each chapter with a “wrap-up,” which summarizes the chapter’s key points and provides a few resource links. I found the wrap-up sections useful, but wish they had been expanded to really delve more deeply into the issues. I was hoping for suggestions, and more theoretical or empirical evidence on how to improve a failing educational system to make this a truly useful book for teachers and others in the education industry.
My initial reaction to the cover of this book was of immediate dislike. It features a Black boy with ADD/ADHD, LD/OCD labels across his face. I thought, “Here we go again…” and did not feel compelled to want to read this book, but then I read the entire title of the book, Mugamore: Learning without Labels—Lessons for Educators, and I was intrigued.
As a homeschooling parent most educational theory books draw my attention. I want to know what is going on in and around education today. I have read extensively and I am usually underwhelmed by new books because I find that they are just the same old information with a new cover and a slightly different voice. Skimming through the chapter titles, I was not expecting to be wowed or to gain much new insight from Dr. Jefferson’s book. However, Dr. Jefferson draws attention to the problems facing today’s educational system by juxtaposing American schools in the 21st century to their late 19th century counterparts. It is clear that Dr. Jefferson believes that today’s schools have declined since the 80s and have lost their focus on educating the whole child in lieu of preparing them for standardized tests. He is quick to surmise that today’s educational model is to slap labels on children, especially boys, and place them in special education classes.
The first half of this nonfiction book follows Mugamore, highlighting his experiences within the American education system in the mid-70s and early 80s. Mugamore was a child living in the inner-city who ran away from school in second grade, was retained in third grade but overcame these obstacles to become student body vice president in sixth grade. Although not wealthy, Mugamore is a product of a nuclear family with both a father and mother in the home and siblings. His summers are spent on a family farm in the country where Mugamore and his siblings are given the freedom to explore and to just “be kids.”
In the second half of the book, Dr. Jefferson introduces us to Taylor, a young man born to a cocaine-addicted mother. Taylor was adopted twice, first by a foster mother who eventually terminates her parental rights, and again at the age of 14 by a school administrator. Taylor spends his childhood bouncing around between residential treatment facilities and group homes. His childhood is vastly different than Mugamore’s. Therefore, it is difficult for readers to draw accurate comparisons between the educational experiences of the two boys as they are not on an equal playing field. While the first half of the book, Mugamore’s story, was compelling, Taylor’s story was a more difficult read. There were pages of therapy notes from his stay in a facility in Jamaica, many of which did nothing to move the story along. I found myself wanting to skip over the notes.
I also found some of the transitions confusion. Thrown in at the end of the chapter on Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grades, (Mugamore) Dr. Jefferson adds a section on same-sex schooling in which he concludes that the findings on the benefits of same-sex schooling are inconsistent. This five-paragraph section does not add any substantial information to the overall book, and, in my opinion, could have been omitted.
In the section about Taylor, Dr. Jefferson wrote that in the treatment facilities Taylor was viewed as an angel compared to the “ghetto behaviors” of the children around him. He writes that “These behaviors include, but are not limited to, uttering curses with every sentence, substituting the word ‘friend’ with the word ‘nigga’, and fist fighting to handle disputes instead of negotiating.” (Jefferson, Dr. Jonathan T. (2013-12-12). Mugamore (pp. 67-68). FriesenPress. Kindle Edition.) I found this description jarring and insensitive. I also found it ironic that in a book in which Dr. Jefferson is attempting to dispel labels, he chooses to label children who act differently than one of his main characters.
Dr. Jefferson ends each chapter with a “wrap-up,” which summarizes the chapter’s key points and provides a few resource links. I found the wrap-up sections useful, but wish they had been expanded to really delve more deeply into the issues. I was hoping for suggestions, and more theoretical or empirical evidence on how to improve a failing educational system to make this a truly useful book for teachers and others in the education industry.