An Introduction

When the Putnam Valley Board of Education was looking for someone to succeed Gary Tutty as Superintendent beginning in July of 2007, they initiated a process that began with an application.  Of all the questions contained in that application, the one I was most intrigued with (and the one I had never seen on any other application I had filled out in my career) incorporated a reference to what was currently on my reading list.

That question was as revealing to me as I am sure my answers were to the Board of Education.  To me, asking such a question of a potential district leader is indicative of the value Putnam Valley places on reading, not only with its children, but with those who work with their children.

I, too, believe in the value of reading.  Words kindle the imagination.  Heroes in history and fiction both come alive in the written word.  Robin Hood was not Erroll Flynn in my mind, nor did any biography I read of Daniel Boone in my youth come with a portrait of the American explorer.

Because I believe we should model what we wish our youth to engage in, I decided to construct a reading list, which I hope will not only provide some insight into me as a person, but pique some interest in the works noted.

Reading List

Recently read:

Fiction:

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (Can you believe I did not read this in college?)

Non-fiction:

Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher by Jim Haskins

Fiction:

Emma, Jane Austen
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Non-fiction:

Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrosse
Team of Rivals:  The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin

Poetry:

Poets:

John Donne
Robert Frost

Favorite poem:

“The Red Wheelbarrow,” William Carlos Williams

Websites

Over the last decade, websites have emerged as a major source of information. Our own District’s website, for instance, provides access to information on everything from our budget to the curriculum. It is now, for example, the initial source of information before they call my office to probe for additional information.

Within my profession there are several websites I examine on a weekly basis to keep updated on current issues and trends in education. The websites listed below have consistently provided me with quality information on contemporary educational thought.

www.ascd.org
www.nyscoss.org
www.pdkintl.org
www.brainpop.com
www.edutopia.org

In addition, I have found a few other websites that, from time to time, have educationally related concepts that can broaden one’s perception of our world. Listed below are some of these:

www.tu.org
www.newscientist.com
www.nationalgeographic.com

Good luck surfing!