In my classes, I have been reading a lot of articles and books about middle school instruction, students, and education in general. The funneling process for the dissertation is a little overwhelming but Roland Barth would be very pleased with my learning curve. The book I just finished is The Classroom Crucible: What really works, What doesn't, and Why by Edward Pauly. Perhaps the most interesting part of this book was the section on Reciprocal Power. Pauly, along with teacher anecdotes, describes in detail the fragile balance in classrooms and school in regard to teachers and students. He describes classroom dynamics and the tireless work that teachers and students complete each day to make schools work. What affirmed my beliefs: everything that transforms schools takes place in the classrooms and we can't do anything without the buy in of the teachers and the students.
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In March 2010, I successfully defended my dissertation and graduated from 
