It’s not easy teaching a classroom full of brains all running in different directions, but when you have a few kids that are zooming far beyond the average rate of brain speed, watch out. Life gets a little crazy! 

Note to parents: This book will make a terrific gift for teachers. It’s informative and it’s FUN. Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids and Their Teachers covers several areas of giftedness in an entertaining way and with real life anecdotes. This book offers suggestions on how to meet the needs of students in the classroom and how to deal with the extra challenges they often provide. 
                                                                                                                        Order it from Great Potential Press, Inc. today!
                                                                                     

My co-author, Tamara Fisher, is an  incredible teacher who has been working with gifted children, K-12, for several years. She earned her M.A. in Gifted Education at the University of Connecticut. She also has an informative blog on edweek.com called “Unwrapping the Gifted.” Trust me--she’s amazing!

Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids and Their Teachers won the 2007 TAGT Legacy Award as well as the 2008 Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Award and was an Indie Excellence Book Award Finalist!

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Here are a few words of praise for Intelligent Life:

Bonnie Cramond,  Ph.D., Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional  Technology, and Director, Torrance Center for Creativity andTalent Development,  University of Georgia:
"Rarely do I  find an academic book that is a page-turner, but this one surely is! Karen and  Tamara have addressed the identifying characteristics of gifted children through anecdotes that make the children come alive. At the same time, they provide  excellent information for teachers on how to recognize salient characteristics and address gifted children's needs. This book is immensely readable but  addresses the issues in an intellectually honest way. I know that my graduate  students will love it, too."

Dina Brulles,  Ph.D. President, Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented, and Director of Gifted Education, Paradise Valley Unified School District, Arizona:
"Intelligent  Life in the Classroom gives teachers permission to appreciate and run with their  gifted students€ idiosyncrasies, interests, and divergent thinking. This practical discourse introduces teachers to the wonderful world of teaching gifted children."

Marcia Gentry, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Education, and Associate Director, Gifted Education Resource Institute, Purdue University:
"Isaacson and Fisher have contributed a refreshingly welcome perspective concerning the  complexities of smart kids and the teachers who reach them. Their lively writing style, attention to important issues, and use of substantive examples offer the reader a wealth of practical knowledge and strategies for working with gifted youth. Quite simply, an enjoyable, enlightening, must read for educators and  parents."

Sally M. Reis, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Neag School of Education, University of  Connecticut:
"This book  reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I have spent my professional life  advocating for more opportunities for creative and talented children. Reading it is like having a conversation with a dear, old friend about how to inspire  curiosity, intensity, humor, and love of learning in all  children."

Tom Hebert, Ph.D.  Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia:
"As the authors share poignant and comical stories of children and teenagers, we are able to understand and appreciate the intellectual and emotional lives of gifted students, then reflect on how we might improve our own classroom practices. Intelligent Life in the Classroom serves as inspirational reading for all  teachers and counselors working with gifted students."

In her Foreword to this book, Intelligent Life in the Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D. Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy Curry School of Education writes:
Karen Isaacson and Tamara Fisher are connoisseurs of young learners, studying and savoring the  variety of kids who come their way. I am pleased that they are sharing their  wisdom, and humor, with others.