Tony Arangio "I'm Going to the Media and Getting a Lawyer!"

Annotation

The title tells it all! You can, for once, actually tell something about the book by its cover. Author, Tony Arangio, Ph.D., takes the phrase, "I'm Going To The Media And Getting A Lawyer" from angry parents who were upset with their kid's school, and turned it into an entertaining, thought provoking, stimulating and, at times, very funny and poignant first person account of his 17 years as the Director of Parent Relations for a very large (over 65,000 kids) public school district. Written in a conversational style without technical jargon and devoid of footnotes, this book immediately hones in on many issues which help to give insight equally to parents of school age children from K-12 and school district administrators and teachers. Full of richly described, sometimes hysterical recollections of actual events with gently offered layers of advice, suggested guidelines to follow, thought provoking observations and insights into how to avoid possible flashpoints, this book is subtly instructional without being didactic. Dr. Arangio deftly carries you from his earliest remembrances as a student in public schools, setting the tone of his passion with education and quickly engaging us in a dialogue about all participants in any bureaucracy needing to understand themselves in order to be able to communicate with others. He does not shy away from subjects of race, socio-economic status, religion, discipline and consequences and even the always daunting subject of cheerleaders. While cases are interspersed throughout, 16 memorable cases were added. The concluding epilogues provide an appropriate balance to the beginning passages giving the reader a very satisfying ending. Anyone who has anything to do with a child's education: parent, school employee, school trustee, college of education student or professor, even state legislator, should find this book a stimulating and a fun read.