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Book Reviews
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All About Kids Magazine "(This book) is well thought-out and presented with an abundance of anecdotal information. While this book is not light reading, it is definitely written for both educators and parents. The authors do a good job of detailing many of the reasons gifted children lose motivation and flounder in school." |
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NAGC Magazine (National Association for Gifted Children, Britain) "The language and layout of the book make it easy to dip into and understand...It's a good book to help parents and teachers understand the gifted child, especially those that have switched off to learning, and gives practical advice to help enhance their motivation." |
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Barbara Prichard, Director of Gifted Programs, Fayetteville Schools, Arkansas "One of the most puzzling dilemmas when working in the field of gifted education deals with motivation and/or the lack of it in gifted students. A Love of Learning, written by Carol Strip Whitney and Gretchen Hirsch, is quite a comprehensive look at this baffling tendency... "In this age of No Child Left Behind, gifted students sorely need advocates and school experiences to maintain motivation so that No Child is Left Out. (This book) provides a solid resource for teachers and parents to help accomplish this." |
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Carole Barnhart, Parent "I read this book as a somewhat desperate parent who has struggled with an underachiever for several years. Dr. Whitney clarified, confirmed and put words around some things that I had observed but could not have verbalized, and she identified some keys to motivation of which I was unaware. The book helped me to identify some specific elements in my son's schooling that had led to, and were perpetuating his low motivation, and gave me the words and tools to deal with those elements in the school setting. And I came to appreciate just how different my son is from the norm. I can't claim to completely understand the differences and how they play out in his life, but I can accept them and appreciate that the traits he displays are not altogether unusual among the gifted." |
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Chris Kaczanowski, Grosse Pointe Association for Gifted Children "I think Dr. Strip Whitney has written another winning title in A Love for Learning. She is clear, concise, and speaks to many of the issues parents encounter in attempting to address motivational issues with their children. I wish I had the benefit of this book five years ago. It would have saved me a lot of anguish and misunderstanding. Thank you Dr. Whitney." |
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iParenting Media Awards' Reviewer "Seeing in print that there are physical, emotional, and social reasons for breakdown of motivation, as well as information about school aspects, is fascination and also helpful for those who want to place 'blame' one way or another. There is no blame here-- just useful information and solutions." |
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iParenting Media Awards' Reviewer "This book appears to be a very informative and useful tool for educators to evaluate how to best approach and motivate gifted students in the classroom. It is clear and concise in its points and gives a good overview of some of the challenges which plague a school system, making it difficult to attend to the needs of gifted students." |
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Jacquelyn Drummer, Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted "(A Love for Learning) could easily be a primer in gifted education, as well as a must-have for parents, grandparents, and teachers of gifted children. It was well-researched, well-written, and deserves a place on your bookshelf." |
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Jerald Grobman, M.D., Psychiatrist and author, Underachievement in Exceptionally Gifted Adolescents and Young Adults "An excellent, comprehensive guide to all aspects of motivation in children, including those who are gifted." |
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Joanne Rand Whitmore Schwartz, Ph.D., Former Dean of the College of Education, Kent State University, and author of the classic book, Giftedness, Conflict, and Underachievement "An oustanding resource for both parents and teachers... to guide the optimal development of your child." |
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Karen Joan, Amazon.com Reviewer "A Love for Learning is an excellent comprehensive guide for parents and teachers alike, outlining the various aspects of motivation in children, especially those who are gifted. Carol Strip Whitney and Gretchen Hirsch have explained in detail why these gifted children lose motivation and how we can all help rekindle that lost enthusiasm and love of learning... "Gifted children are 'special needs,' too. In this country, much time, effort, and funding is spent bringing children up to the 'norm.' This book illustrates what could be accomplished if we concentrated as much attention on helping our gifted children progress to their fullest potential. Clearly BOTH ends of the sprectrum deserve our help." |
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Lorel Shea, BellaOnline's Gifted Education Editor "Carol Strip Whitney and Gretchen Hirsch have done an exceptional job at outlining major and minor impediments to motivation in their book, A Love For Learning Motivation and the Gifted Child. A key line in the preface is, 'Gifted children can and do learn everywhere; the trick is to maintain their motivation to learn in school.' Gifted underacheivement is a widespread problem. Too few gifted children are adequately challenged and taught how to strive and work toward appropriate goals. This is a guidebook that all teachers and parents should read. There are many reasons that children may lose their desire to succeed. This book makes sense of motivational roadblocks and includes techniques for stimulating gifted minds. Any school should be able to put a few of these ideas into place with a modest amount of effort. "A Love for Learning is not light reading. While it is written in language any lay person can understand, topics are explored in depth. A total of 15 chapters focus on themes such as physical reasons for loss of motivation (vision or hearing problems, learning disabilities, etc.), emotional reasons for loss of motivation, creating challenge, and the classroom that works. Each chapter ends in a brief summary. "According to the authors, there are approximately three million gifted children in the United States. Sadly, we have very few educators trained to work with this population. The advent of No Child Left Behind legislation has pushed the interests of gifted children to the back burner. Teachers and administrators are required to do all that they can to ensure that the students at the lower end of the spectrum achieve a minimum level of competency. Federal funding is tied to raised test scores. Students who are already at or above the minimum standards are often forced to sit through repetitive drills and test preparation. Obviously, this is not the best educational situation for a child who is academically gifted. Such a poor fit with classroom activities is one reason that a child may lose motivation. I encourage you to read A Love for Learning to discover other root causes and find practical methods to reestablish a commitment to learning." |
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Shelley Ackerman Hirsch, J.D., Parent of gifted children and Board Member, Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented “Understanding motivation goes to the heart of helping your child become a life-long learner. A Love for Learning brilliantly illuminates why gifted children lose motivation and how to rekindle that lost enthusiasm. This book addresses the most challenging aspect of parenting a gifted child: creating the conditions that are crucial for fulfilling extraordinary potential.” |
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T. Chatters, Parent "Reading this book helped me recommit to advocating for my son in the classroom. Just because he's happy, doesn't mean he's getting what he needs out of school. As a mom of an HG+ child, I now understand where he lost some of his self-driven motivation and how to help him get it back. I realized reading this wonderful book that probably as early as preschool, the low expectations of the school settled in as low expectations of himself. I recommend this book to anyone who is a parent of a gifted child, as well as to any teachers. You will be enlightened about motivation for every student, not just the gifted." |
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Wendy Skinner, Author of Infinity and Zebra Stripes: Life with Gifted Children "(This) is one of the best written and well organized books aimed at the caretakers of gifted kids that I've come across. I appreciate the chapter summaries, the carefully selected anecdotes, and the breadth and depth of its content. My one turn-off is the use of the word motivation in the title and the chapter headings. My first impression as a parent was that this would be more clinical, a dry read. But it wasn't at all like that. It rings true to what turns GT kids on or off (yes, that is Motivation or lack of!) and how we can foster a physical, intellectual, social and emotional environment that is naturally exciting and comforting for them. Other books have addressed this topic, but I think this is a winner!" |