Whatever It Takes!

by Bryan Pearlman

A book about helping all students succeed.

Genres: Education

148 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2019

Reviews

[Savannah Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my professor’s book lol but he’s a cool dude and if you’re in the education world this is a great book!

[Kerri Pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about this one based on a recommendation, but it’s is filled with examples that I already practice daily.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing earth shattering here, but a nice reminder to stay mindful in our interactions with students.

[Scott Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to see Dr. Bryan Pearlman when he was the keynote speaker at the Michigan Elementary Principal's conference. I purchased the book and read it right after the conference. It was an easy read with many stories and great advice. I ended up buying a copy for all 50 of my staff members. I would strongly recommend Whatever It Takes for All Students to Succeed In School and Life if you are looking for an excellent book on trauma, challenging student behaviors and achievement for all. After reading the book, I contacted Dr. Pearlman and had him speak at our school through his company MostValuablePD.com. Best PD ever! My staff members are still talking about it.

[Joseph Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know that this book came before "Maslow Before Bloom". I laughed and cried while reading this book. This is such a great book for summer reading to get us ready for the next school year. You will be able to relate to many of the stories shared in this book. Dr. Bryan Pearlman is the real thing. If you get the chance, you should see him in person or on a virtual training. Love this guy!

[Brittney Gergen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be good if you knew nothing about trauma and are a person who thinks that kids are bad only because they choose to be and have never thought that maybe there could be a reason for their bad behavior. If that’s the case, then you will learn something from this book. For me as a social worker, I only gave it two stars instead of one because I feel like it did kind of give a reminder of the importance of relationship.

[Ana Ashton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a class. It’s fine. Not earth shattering but fine. Clearly written from a principle/admin perspective and not a counselor perspective (I’m in a school counseling course reading this book). Working on a podcast for it now. Wouldn’t have read it if not for the assignment.

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Provided good fodder for discussion among colleagues about how to deal with unique student situations and how to care well. Sadly there were several typos, which threw me off.

[Deb Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must read from Dr. Pearlman. Whatever It takes is a great follow up to Maslow Before Bloom. Like Maslow Before Bloom, it focuses on the why behind the behaviors that we see every day in our schools. I love how every chapter describes a different child. As I read each chapter/case study, I was able to relate it to a student I knew or had known in the past. Seeing what worked or did not work with each student described in the chapters gives much food for thought in what we need to do to support our own students. I love how each chapter ends with what would you have done or what strategies would you have used making you reflect more on how to help students in your own building. My favorite students are the ones with "Good Luck with this student" labels, because I love finding their positive qualities and helping them to see these qualities in themselves. Dr. Pearlman also offers a SHOCKERS approach in which he explains how it takes a schoolwide team to offer hope, out of the box thinking, a critical friend, kindness, empathy, RTI, and self-care to best support our students. He also offers great characteristics of students who struggle with behaviors as well as strategies that work and strategies that do not work in dealing with those behaviors we see in our students. As educators, we do whatever it takes to help our students succeed!

[Joseph Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for educators! The book shares real stories about experiences working with struggling students (trauma, behaviors, mental health concerns & more). There are many strategies and suggestions included that can help someone to work most effectively with kids. I strongly recommend this book from Dr. Bryan Pearlman. I bought copies of “Whatever It Takes For All Students To Succeed In School And Life” for the rest of my grade level team. This is our summer book study.