2020 Para Educator Book Study

Denise Shugarts: A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Introductions and Orientation: May 4, 9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. Additional meeting dates and times will be established following the May 4, 2020 ZOOM meeting.

Dave Pelzer's astonishing, disturbing account of his early years describes one of the most severe child-abuse cases in California history. This book spent over 175 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Dave was in first grade when his unstable alcoholic mother began attacking him. Until he was in fifth grade, she starved, beat, and psychologically ravaged her son. Eventually denying even his identity, Dave's mother called him an "it" instead of using his name. Relentlessly, she drove him to the brink of death before authorities finally stepped in. With faith and hope, Dave grew determined to survive. He also knew that he needed to share his story.

A Child Called "It" is the first of three books that chronicle his life. Through publications and public appearances, Dave is now recognized as one of the nation's most effective and respected speakers about child abuse.  

Registration Link:  https://paiu.zoom.us/j/3347259324

May 4 - May 26, 2020 (see specific dates below)

·  May 4, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am Organizational meeting

·  May 11, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

·  May 18, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

·  May 26, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

Erin McManamon: Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius 
15 Hours Awarded  

In January 1988 Martin Pistorius, aged twelve, fell inexplicably sick. First, he lost his voice and stopped eating. Then he slept constantly and shunned human contact. Doctors were mystified. Within eighteen months he was mute and wheelchair-bound. Martin's parents were told an unknown degenerative disease left him with the mind of a baby and less than two years to live. 
Martin was moved to care centers for severely disabled children. The stress and heartache shook his parents’ marriage and their family to the core. Their boy was gone. Or so they thought. 
Dates: May 4 - May 26, 2020 (see specific dates below)

·  May 4, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am Organizational meeting

·  May 11, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

·  May 18, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

·  May 26, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

Platform: ZOOM online video conferencing

ZOOM Link: Meeting ID 961-913-8220

How it works:

1. Check out the book from the library or purchase it.

2. Check your email for the ZOOM link one week prior to the meeting.

3. Join into ZOOM using the link provided.

4. Read the book as outlined and shared during our first organizational meeting

5. Get ready to share your thoughts and ideas as we journey through the book together.

6. If you are not present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the chapters covered in order to receive your hours.

7. A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study

Julie Brown: Life As Jamie Knows It (limited to 20 participants) 
In Life as Jamie Knows It, Michael Berube chronicles his son's journey to adulthood and his growing curiosity and engagement with the world. Writing as both a disability studies scholar and a father, he follows Jamie through his social and academic experiences in school, his evolving relationships with his parents and brother, Nick, his encounters with illness, and the complexities of entering the workforce with a disability. As Jamie matures, his parents acknowledge his entitlement to a personal sense of independence, whether that means riding the bus home from work on his own, taking himself to a Yankees game, or deciding which parts of his story are solely his to share. 

With a combination of stirring memoir and sharp intellectual inquiry, Berube tangles with bioethicists, politicians, philosophers, and anyone else who sees disability as an impediment to a life worth living. Far more than the story of an exceptional child growing up to be "big," Life as Jamie Knows It challenges us to rethink how we approach disability and is a passionate call for moving toward a more just, more inclusive society. 

Registration Link: 

ZOOM link: https://paiu.zoom.us/j/728855742

Dates: May 4, 11, 18, and 26

ZOOM Times: May 4, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Introductions, Syllabus, and Orientation

May 11, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 

May 18, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

May 26, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Hours earned: 15 hours

How it works:

1. Check out the book from the library or purchase it.

2. Check your email for the ZOOM link one week prior to the meeting.

3. Join into ZOOM using the link provided.

4. Read the book as outlined and shared during our first organizational meeting

5. Get ready to share your thoughts and ideas as we journey through the book together.

6. If you are not present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the chapters covered in order to receive your hours.

7. A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study

Brian Kritzer - Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s  
15 Hours Awarded  

Brian Kritzer - Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s 

15 Hours Awarded 

Registration Link:

Zoom Link: https://paiu.zoom.us/j/927728165 Initial link for May 4th meeting

Each participant must purchase and read the book and participate using the ZOOM platform. 

Dates/Times: May 4, 11, 18, and 26

ZOOM TIMES:

May 4, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am Organizational meeting

May 11, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

May 18, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion

May 26, 2020 9:00 - 10:00 am  Book Discussion


Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. A born storyteller, Robison has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human.  
 

Lisa Kruse: What Color is Monday? By Carrie Cariello 
    
 "One day Jack asked me, 'What color do you see for Monday?' 'What?' I said distractedly. 'Do you see days as colors?" 
    Raising five children would be challenging enough for most parents, but when one of them has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, life becomes a bit more chaotic, a lot more emotional, and full of fascinating glimpses into a unique child's different way of thinking. In this moving memoir, Carrie Cariello invites us to take a peek into exactly what it takes to get through each day juggling the needs of her whole family. Through hilarious mishaps, honest insights, and heartfelt letters addressed to her children, she shows us the beauty and wonder of raising a child who views the world through a different lens, and how ultimately autism changed her family for the better. 

Dates: Any time from May 1 - May 31, 2020 (self-paced)

Platform: Schoology.com (can be downloaded as an app free)

Hours Earned: 15 

How It Works:

Check out the book from the library or purchase it.

Go to https://app.schoology.com/register.php?type=student and enter this access code 69MW-WNXX-CBBMZ

Create your account on Schoology.

Read and answer questions anytime.

You must respond to another person’s comments at least 2x.

All work must be completed by May 31, 2020 at 12 am.

A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued to you upon completion of the book study.