Signed, Your Student: Celebrities praise the teachers who made them who they are today

by Holly Holbert, Bruce Holbert (Introduction)

We can all think back to that one special teacher who influenced our lives in profound and lasting ways. Signed, Your Student is a moving tribute to the teachers who influenced some of our most well-known personalities. From veteran journalist Bill Moyers to writer Nicola Kraus; from The View's Sherri Shepherd to documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, these celebrities offer heartwarming stories of the teachers who inspired them to achieve greatness. Holly Holbert began collecting stories from local celebrities as a tribute to her teacher husband. When one of them suggested she expand her project, she was astonished at the contributions she received. The result is Signed, Your Student , a collection of some of the biggest names in the world of sports, film, literature, and entertainment, writing about the teachers whose influence made them who they are today. The stories in Signed, Your Student will resonate in our hearts and minds and make us remember our one special teacher.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea behind the book is good. Teachers are neither appreciated nor celebrated adequately in American society, and there is a fair amount of material that does this. A different format would have a stronger effect on readers, however, with photographs and more extensive background information. Personally, I would like to see more works like this, but completed in a more thorough and compelling manner.


Reading this book, perhaps one of the most powerful passages from the stories of being inspired by a teacher that I connected with came from Dean Karnazes, 2009 Ultramarathon Man and New York Times best-selling author. “Write with all your heart, she told me. I will never forget those words. Thank you, Mrs. Karnazes. Thank you, Mom.” 137 pages into the book, this is the first story of a parent as a teacher. It made me think of my mother, her mother, and my father—all of whom were teachers, but they taught through their own erudite examples rather than through lesson plans. When I write or when I teach, I want to do justice to their examples.

[Bruce Holbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife put this together in part out of respect for me. You watch television (Law and Order and CSI are prime examples) and teachers are villains at least as often as mob characters. Bill Gates in Newsweek states that maybe 25% of teachers are qualified to do their jobs, without any statistical support -- the man, ironically, leads the parade on data driven results. The assumption the culture has made that teachers merit nothing but suspicion or scorn is drowning out every other story out there. Holly Holbert has tried to remind us of the other side. As a teacher, I am happy someone had the inclination to look at the real truth for most educators and most students and their parents. Statistically, people tend to have a negative view of education; however, when you ask them about their schools and their children's teachers, the results reverse dramatically. As a husband, I am humbled, of course, and proud of my wife.