What If Everybody Understood Child Development?: Straight Talk About Bettering Education and Children's Lives by Rae Pica

by Rae Pica

After 35 years as an education consultant, Rae Pica knows the importance of understanding the natural course of child development. In this collection, she keeps kids front and center as she provides thought-provoking commentary and actionable insights on topics such as the Common Core, the self-esteem movement, and standardized testing. Sure to inspire discussion, this pocket-size powerhouse of educational philosophy includes29 short essays on topics critical to best practice in child development and educationOpinions of experts supported by research and anecdotal evidenceReal-life stories shared by teachers and parentsReferences to related articles and interviews with experts

Genres: Parenting, Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

Paperback

First published April 21, 2015

Reviews

[Kelly Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone working with or creating policy for children.

[Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people should read this. Especially people who have the power to fund quality programs for children birth through school age. The burden of what it costs to assure that all children have quality care and developmentally appropriate education should not come from their parents pocket book.

[Lisa Moncur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great idea for a book with lots of interesting points and ideas. You could tell the author knew a lot about kids. However, this read more like a collection of opinion pieces in a newspaper or blog posts.

I agreed with the author on most things but most of the things she was talking about were not backed up with legitimate sources. She quoted “BAM Radio Network” (I have no idea what that even is) in almost every chapter and even quoted emails people sent to her. Even when she said “the research suggests...” she wouldn’t provide which research she was talking about. I know they were short pieces, but still, it drove me crazy. It was hard to trust her as an author because it was all opinion backed by strange sources.

That being said, it was an interesting read if you think about it more like talking to someone who has worked with kids and not as a book. I liked that it was short and sweet so it was a quick read.

[Emma Falkenthal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent so much of this book agreeing with the author's points that it took me a long time to realize I wasn't learning anything. Some dubious uses of statistics made me question how well she actually understood the science and I would have preferred she leaned on that research and actual statistics about the structure of our education system more heavily than anecdotes about schools and tests. I really, really wish the essays had been longer since the format really seemed to limit her ability to inform. It would be wonderful if everybody understood child development, but this book won't help anyone do so.

[Pamela Rowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative book for all Educators as well as parents. The topics are very relevant to raising children in today's world. The author is very knowledgeable about the needs of children and how they relate to the individual child. If the government would require all national government officials who deal with education to read it, there would be more money spent on teacher's salaries and real educaiton instead of teaching to the test.

[Justin Hodges · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book definitely contains helpful things written on child development. I wish this book was written with a lot more citations and research examples. There’s many instances where the author makes several claims bashing parents or educators but doesn’t include any research or data to back it up. It’s pretty much blog posts put into a book. I agree with a lot of what is said but I would guess there’s better data driven books out there.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for anyone in the field of early childhood as well as all parents. Rae Pica provides a wealth of information to help us all understand ages birth through 8. My only con to the book is I would have liked to see a bibliography with research cited for further exploration.

[Sarah 🩵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for class. It was a really engaging read that only took about two hours to complete. The author introduces really insightful topics and makes them extremely comprehensible and gives tangible goals to meet. I am excited to try many of these techniques and change my mindset in the classroom.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is full of essays on different topics of child development and how these developmental milestones are often ignored in schools and what would be better ways to implement them.

I like that there were resources at the end of every chapter where you could get more information and ideas for implementation on the topics.

[Shriram Narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for Every parent and teacher, clearly states the dualism we face in the society - competition vs collaboration; active vs passive learning etc.,

[Cymiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halfway through and I am thinking that my children are lucky to have been smart students! Come see Rae speak at Arapahoe Libraries on October 15!

In this day and age of getting ahead earlier and faster, this book brings a breath of fresh air. Why should we wait for children to learn to keyboard til 4th or 5th grade? Why is not having PE class a bad idea? Why is learning cursive handwriting still a good idea? Told in short articles, there is a lot of sensible information and websites for lots more info. Recommended for parents and those involved in child development.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! A must read!! Great discussion starter for important topics in ECE.

[Angie Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

everyone in ECE should read this...even if you think you already know and understand child development

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, infuriating. This book is full of reasons why education is messed up. It's also full of ways to combat the circumstances that defy logic and refute science. Keep it on hand to defend why you don't deny your children recess or continue to hug your students.