Peter G. Beidler

Kind of glad that I didn't read this in college. Don't think I would have enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Benjamin McEvoy's YouTube video about how to read Turn of the Screw properly--in installments, as it was originally published in Collier's Magazine. For one thing, Mr. McEvoy's enthusiasm is terrific, made me eager to jump in. I did not wait a week between installments, only a day, but even that did set up some anticipation that binge reading would not have accomplished.
I highly recommend reading in the proper segments. I was forced to read James' The Ambassadors in college and could not get into it at all. So I've put off T of the Screw all this time assuming that the writing would be equally tedious. No, no. Not tedious, but perplexing from time to time. Yes, wordy. A few times, I wanted to say out loud, "What the heck are you saying here?"
The governess comes across as more high strung and imaginative than I've seen portrayed in film and theater. She jumps to assumptions and has lengthy weird analyses that made my head swim. Some of the dialog with Miles was so cryptic that I couldn't get the basics let alone the nuances, and I'd like to think I'm of at least average intelligence. It's wordy and obtuse in spots, shall we say.

Genuinely creepy! I wouldn't sleep a wink with those children in my care. Yikes!
Overall, it's a rush with a punch ending.

The final sentence is a masterpiece. The roller coaster ride comes to an abrupt halt and jolts you in your seat. Four out of five just because of the lack of clarity -- I'd like to understand more without referring to explanatory commentary. Very glad I read it.

Recommend THIS edition as it does have very helpful extra material. An essay contemplating how one might end up a governess, for example, helps a modern reader grasp how tenuous and arduous the position would be.… (meer)

Anyone who has been teaching a while has seen a lot of books on pedagogy. Peter Beidler's book, [Risk Teaching], joins that group. While some of his observations are not new -- a good teacher wants to be a good teacher -- his style is engaging and conversational. Much of the book is like having a discussion with a colleague. Also, Beidler does have some concrete tips that I may try. One of the most intriguing ideas was when he started teaching a course about which he knew very little. This is a pleasant book to pick up and page through, and perhaps, get an idea or two.… (meer)

In college, I took a class about educational psychology. We read a number of books about "what it means to be a teacher" and what school/education means for different learners. This book would have fit perfectly. This book probably won't get the attention is deserves, but it is an entertaining, informative collection of essays about the many roles and manifestations an educator takes on. Very interesting and well written. I've already e-mailed my professor and recommended that he add this to the reading list for that class.… (meer)