The first weeks of school

"This is the story of Louise Burrell - as observed by teacher educator Jane Perlmutter - and the classroom she constructed during the first weeks of school. And it's the story of Louise's students, who struggled, learned, and grew over the course of a school year - from shaky beginnings to confident, self-reliant endings. Jane and Louise describe exactly what Louise does that makes her classroom so extraordinary: how she helps her students develop into independent, responsible, and caring people, and encourages them to produce quality work.

And they describe how, using the principles of freedom of expression and responsibility, to create a classroom in which students voice their opinions as long as they respect and honor the rights of others, even if it means disagreeing with the teacher. Throughout the book, vignettes of the children at work and play are supplemented by commentary, explaining the rationale for each method and highlighting the theoretical perspectives."--Jacket.