This approachable, inspiring tale serves as both a memoir of a troubled childhood and a road map for helping children of all “variabilities” through the American educational system. Writing with Ellison (Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention), Rose shares his unlikely trajectory from childhood delinquent of “diabolical naughtiness” through high school dropout to Harvard professor at the Graduate School of Education. He provides compelling anecdotal evidence for how our public schools are failing our kids, as well as a framework for what educators and parents could be doing better. Each chapter concludes with a “Big Idea” section as summary and a list of “Action Items” for parents. Rose presents behavior as something that “emerges from the interaction of a person’s biology, past experiences, and immediate context,” arguing that within this understanding of complex systems, there’s hope for all. Readers will find Rose’s journey heartening; Rose’s mother and grandmother show how essential parents and mentors can be for struggling children. But this story serves as more than just a beacon of hope, as Rose also leaves his readers armed with real “strategies and tools,” such as using technology, readdressing labels such as ADHD, “rethinking Ritalin,” finding mentors, understanding metacognition and variability, and the “potentially transformative power of context.” (Feb.)
"A mind is (indeed) a terrible thing to waste! This up-close-and-personal account will resonate viscerally with countless parents and youngsters, and provide them with renewed hope and practical guidance."-Charles Fadel, author of 21st Century Skills and Founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign
"A compelling story about Todd Rose's journey from boy trouble-maker to highly successful scholar and teacher, "Square Peg" also offer engaging and memorable research findings about what can help individuals with attention deficits and attendant emotional and social challenges. Parents, teachers, and kids will find here both a powerful story and specific steps to improve so many lives and life chances."-Martha Minow, author of Making All the Difference: Inclusion, Exclusion, and American Law
"Located along the same continuum as Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs, David Brooks' The Social Animal, and Wes Moore's The Other Wes Moore, Todd Rose's book, Square Peg, manages to weave a deeply personal and often unsettling narrative into a work that captures the complexity of human development while celebrating the triumphs of parents who allow their all too often misunderstood children to grow up to be exceptional adults. It is a must read for anyone seeking to better understand how nature, nurture, timing and chance influence who we ultimately become."-Dr. Chris Howard, President of Hampden-Sydney College
"In Square Peg, Todd Rose takes the reader along on his hard journey in the education system; one that is bumpy, sometimes painful, sometimes joyful, and always insightful. He reflects on himself as a student and on the school system, in general, with a sharp eye and a sharp pen."-Larry Rosenstock, CEO and co-founder of High Tech High
"Todd Rose's journey from high-school dropout to Harvard professor is a welcome success story-one that leaves me rooting for square pegs everywhere."-David Finch, New York Times bestselling author of The Journal of Best Practices
"On any given morning, thousands of American children dread going to school out of fear of bullying and boredom. With its poignant stories, wise insights, and helpful tips, Square Peg points the way to a kinder, better future."-Molly Ringwald
"On any given morning, thousands of American children dread going to school out of fear of bullying and boredom. With its poignant stories, wise insights, and helpful tips, Square Peg points the way to a kinder, better future."
"Todd Rose's journey from high-school dropout to Harvard professor is a welcome success story--one that leaves me rooting for square pegs everywhere."
"In Square Peg, Todd Rose takes the reader along on his hard journey in the education system; one that is bumpy, sometimes painful, sometimes joyful, and always insightful. He reflects on himself as a student and on the school system, in general, with a sharp eye and a sharp pen."
"Located along the same continuum as Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs, David Brooks' The Social Animal, and Wes Moore's The Other Wes Moore, Todd Rose's book, Square Peg, manages to weave a deeply personal and often unsettling narrative into a work that captures the complexity of human development while celebrating the triumphs of parents who allow their all too often misunderstood children to grow up to be exceptional adults. It is a must read for anyone seeking to better understand how nature, nurture, timing and chance influence who we ultimately become."
"A compelling story about Todd Rose's journey from boy trouble-maker to highly successful scholar and teacher, "Square Peg" also offer engaging and memorable research findings about what can help individuals with attention deficits and attendant emotional and social challenges. Parents, teachers, and kids will find here both a powerful story and specific steps to improve so many lives and life chances."
"A mind is (indeed) a terrible thing to waste! This up-close-and-personal account will resonate viscerally with countless parents and youngsters, and provide them with renewed hope and practical guidance."
A "memoir and a manifesto" by the co-chair of the Harvard Graduate School Institute Connecting Mind, Brain and Education, who references his own experiences as a high school dropout to make the case for a much-needed learning revolution. Assisted by Ellison (Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention, 2010, etc.), Rose describes how he was labeled as an incorrigible troublemaker by the age of 13, when he detonated stink bombs in class. Even as a preschooler he was a problem child, bullying his younger siblings. The author explores his boredom, distraction and difficulty concentrating on schoolwork. His impulsive, destructive behavior alienated his peers as well as school authorities. A diagnosis of ADHD and the prescription of Ritalin (which he refused to take regularly) did little to solve his problem. Rose writes that he was caught in a negative feedback loop, failing in school and bullied by other children. While he traces his problems to underlying neurological problems--a poor short-term memory exacerbated by stress and differences in how his brain processed dopamine--the school system in his community failed to deal with his special needs. Only when his parents moved to another town was he able to begin the difficult process of getting his life on the track to an academic career in the application of advances in biological and cognitive sciences to education. Fundamentally, these are based on using modern technology to allow students to individualize their learning experience with the guidance of their teacher. For example, dyslexic students can use learning aids such as text-to-speech programs (with headphones), and those with problems following complicated instructions can get step-by-step reminders. An inspiring personal story, but unfortunately, the author relegates his pioneering new methods to a short epilogue.
