Need to read again and again to let it all soak in. Added so much to myself professionally!

After reading Opening Minds by Peter H. Johnston I had to go back and read the first book Choice Words. I am so impressed by the readability and ease of relating to the stories and examples of classroom and teacher speak that are given throughout. Being a Literacy coach in a big urban school district I am always looking for new ways to help teachers help their students find engagement and look forward to discussions about books and writing and their learning. The best way to do this is through the language we use with our students. We need to speak to them in a manner that shows them that they are in charge of their learning! Too many teachers are hierarchical in their views of students. That's "old school " and that's why our students of today cannot make it past being skilled enough to stand on an assembly line in a factory that no longer exists.
Language makes the difference.

I saw this book recommended somewhere (I don’t remember where) and the person mentioned how they like to re-read it often. I totally get why. This is a short book that is dense with good insight. While it is aimed at an elementary teacher audience about literacy, the insights about the impact of language choices (and the beliefs they are tied to) can really be applied universally to any of our relationships. It makes me think a lot about the types of identities I impose on others unintentionally or how I can improve on creating more opportunities for others to develop and exercise their own agency.

A way for teachers to use the best tools they have at hand — language. How to use language effectively in the classroom. Unlike some other books that try to help in the classroom, this has great examples you can use. It also doesn’t make you feel bad about the whole system and your part in it. It really makes you feel like you can do good.

Definitely will recommend this and read it again.

2nd reading
Once again it has some very good messages.

Great ideas, many of which could be implemented with by being more conscious about classroom language. Peter Johnston writes about the importance of children believing in their own agency and building the sense of community in your classroom to help students become more adept at critical literacy.

Great book for teachers to really dive in and have a deeper understanding on how our language in the classroom can truly affect students responses, views on learning and views of themselves.

Read for Planning class! Great for teachers!

I really enjoyed this book from my advanced pedagogies class this semester. I think that this book is engaging and responsive to the changing needs of our students. A wonderful recommendation about how small changes in our language can make a big difference in our classroom

Had to read this book for an education class, but I'm glad I did. Johnston's short, but well-written discourse on the subject of teachers' language made me stop and think about how I have been speaking to my students, and the under-lying beliefs indicated by my way of speaking to them. It affirmed some of my communication and gave me reason to reassess and, hopefully, change others.

The 4/5 rating is because I believe what this author did, he did well, but I would have liked to see more full length examples and less explicit reasoning about why each snippet of positive langauge he has observed was meaningful.