Dear Students,

Have you wanted to join a Book club but never have had the opportunity?  The College of Education Diversity Team is pleased to give you an opportunity this Fall with the "Educators For Change Book Club".

The  Educators For Change Book Club is open to all COE students, faculty and staff this semester. We will be reading the book,  The Short Bus by Jonathan Mooney:

Jonathan Mooney is an uplifting, rebellious voice who will strike a chord with anyone who has ever had a hard time marching in step in a culture of conformity. His book is not just about how Jon found personal success after growing up with severe learning differences (dyslexia and ADHD), it's the story of his journey to accept himself by finding others labeled "disabled" or "not normal" who have survived and even triumphed.  A more detailed review of the book is posted below.  Books can be purchased at the University Book Store. You can purchase a used book for $11.25, rent a used book for $10.25 or buy a new book for $15.00. They have 29 copies as of September 7th. You can also purchase a used copy at Amazon.com for $5 plus shipping.

We will meet five times throughout the semester to discuss the book. Various members of the Diversity Team will be leading the book club sessions with different meeting times during the meeting weeks (see below).  Snacks will be provided during the meetings.

Choose one of the following times to attend for each of the five meetings (you can also switch the date you attend based on your schedule for the week)

Each meeting week, there will be a Book club session on the following days and times:

Mondays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm or 3:00 to 3:50 pm

Tuesdays from 7:00 to 7:50 pm,

Wednesdays from 2:00 to 2:50 pm,

Thursdays from 5:00 to 5:50 pm

Discussions will be held the weeks of:

September 17………..…………............Prologue/Ch 1-3

October 1………………………………….Ch. 4-7

October 15………………………..……...Ch. 8-11

October 29……………………...………..Ch. 12-13

November 12……………………..……..Ch. 14-16

(All groups will meet in the 5th floor Lounge in Schindler Education Center)

Come for the discussion, social interaction, new knowledge, an opportunity to interact with professors outside of class, and of course, for the snacks!

Professor Freedman and the COE Diversity Team

Review of the Short Bus by Jonathan Mooney

What's "normal"? That's a hard concept to define exactly, yet so many of us are desperate to gain that designation for our families and our children.

Jonathan Mooney spent much of his life striving to achieve it against long odds of learning disabilities and ADHD. He had the kind of success we might wish for our kids, finding "normalcy" first on the soccer field, then at an Ivy League University and as the co-author of the book Learning Outside the Lines. Yet he felt like an imposter, still smarting from early years on the "short bus" and outside society's realm of the acceptable.

In an effort to take a look at what departing from normal looks like, Mooney planned a meandering tour of the U.S. in one of those special-education buses, scheduling meetings with children with special needs and their families along the way, and some grown-up misfits as well. Most have had scarring school experiences, symbolized by that dreaded mode of transportation. Many have parents advocating for them, while others have found support and tolerance as adults in their communities.

In seeing how others have coped with and even celebrated their departures from the norm, Mooney begins to come to terms with which side of the line he wants to be on. It's a good line for parents of children with special needs to think about, too. It's not easy to read about the painful experiences of so many of those profiled here, and neither acting normal nor abandoning it offers an easy road. But there's an art to living life beyond normal, and Mooney does a good job of art appreciation.

Please contact Dr. Suzanne Freedman (suzanne.freedman@uni.edu) for more information.

Informational Poster