The Bridge to Brilliance
How One Principal in a Tough Community Is Inspiring the World
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Adenrele Ojo
-
Nadia Lopez
About this listen
The inspirational account of the creation of a path-breaking inner-city middle school in Brooklyn, New York, by the magnetic young principal who rocketed to national fame via Humans of New York.
When 13-year-old Vidal Chastanet told photographer Brandon Stanton that his principal, Ms. Lopez, was the person who most influenced his life, it was the pebble that started a whirlwind for Nadia Lopez and her small, new public school in one of Brooklyn's most wretched communities. The posting on Stanton's wildly popular site, Humans of New York (HONY), went megaviral. Lopez - not long before on the verge of quitting - found herself in the national spotlight and headed for a meeting with Obama as well as the beneficiary of a million-dollar IndieGoGo campaign for the school. Here is her first-person account of what it took to get to that moment.
Mott Hall Bridges Academy isn't just a hallway inside a typically underserved public school in one of New York City's most underprivileged communities - it is a school that glows with energy and excitement. Lopez tells the kids every day that they're extraordinary and that she loves them. When trouble stirs, she asks, "Would I have been proud to see what happened in that classroom? No? Then why did it happen?" She tells her teachers, "Don't tell me our scholars can't learn, because if you can't teach them, then I'll come teach your class for a couple of weeks."
Everything was an uphill battle - to get the school launched, to recruit faculty and students, to solve a million new problems every day, from violent crime to vanishing supplies, but Lopez illustrates how leadership often means just picking the right people to support you. In middle school, one year lost with an unengaged teacher is a year that can send a kid down a terrible path. And then, of course, there is the educational system itself, how "teaching to the test" is an enormous problem, particularly in schools with kids who are already disadvantaged and underprepared.
The Bridge to Brilliance is an audiobook filled with common sense and caring that will carry her message to classrooms far from Brooklyn. As she says modestly, "There are hundreds of Ms. Lopezes around this country doing good work for kids. This honors all of them."
With an introduction read by the author.
©2016 Nadia Lopez & Rebecca Paley (P)2016 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Light We Carry
- Overcoming in Uncertain Times
- By: Michelle Obama
- Narrated by: Michelle Obama
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with listeners, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?
-
-
Very Disappointing—Too Ego-filled
- By Patricia Webb on 11-29-22
By: Michelle Obama
-
Disruptive Thinking
- A Daring Strategy to Change How We Live, Lead, and Love
- By: T. D. Jakes
- Narrated by: T. D. Jakes, Kyle Chapel, Inger Tudor
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this book for leaders, thinkers, doers, and creators, Bishop T.D. Jakes illuminates the pathway to encouraging and unleashing disruptive thinking and provides the wisdom and practical skills we need to evolve our most original and potentially transformational ideas from vision to reality. Through his insight into how our minds and emotions work and through his experiences as a pastor, entrepreneur, and creator, Bishop Jakes leads us into a new way of relating to and transforming the world around us for good.
-
-
What an inspiration!!!!
- By Dana F. on 05-14-23
By: T. D. Jakes
-
I'm Not Yelling
- A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace
- By: Elizabeth Leiba
- Narrated by: Zoleka Vundla
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I'm Not Yelling is part strategy for savvy black business women navigating a predominantly white corporate America and part vessel empowering black women to find their voices in toxic work environments and be successful business women. Statistical and anecdotal evidence guide the way. Explore the data and hear the accounts of Black women in business who face, work through, and rise above workplace discrimination. Finding your voice as women entrepreneurs. Successful business women use their voice to become strong Black leaders who instill positive change in the workplace culture.
-
-
SPEAK UP!!!!
- By Anonymous User on 04-03-23
By: Elizabeth Leiba
-
Street Data Audiobook
- A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation
- By: Shane Safir, Jamila Dugan
- Narrated by: Monica Polite, Tiffany Williams
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on “fixing” and “filling” academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up—with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing.
-
-
The bite size steps
- By Charlette B. on 08-02-24
By: Shane Safir, and others
-
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: 25th Anniversary
- Follow Them and People Will Follow You
- By: John C. Maxwell
- Narrated by: John C. Maxwell, Henry O. Arnold
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
HarperCollins and John C. Maxwell are celebrating the milestone anniversary of Maxwell’s bestselling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, with the publication of a revised and updated 25th anniversary edition. Included are insights from Maxwell on each law and how they have impacted his life as a leader and mentor. There will also be stories from some of today’s most impactful leaders, like IT Cosmetics' Jamie Kern Lima, Maxwell Leadership CEO Mark Cole, and author and marketing expert Jeff Henderson, on how they have applied these laws to their own success journeys.
-
-
Very intriguing views.
- By Jason Frampton on 11-11-22
By: John C. Maxwell
-
Another Kind of Normal
- By: Lynne Seeger
- Narrated by: Sheila McLey
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I don't know whether this is the story of Jeff the autistic individual, Jeff the man of God, or Jeff the medical enigma; but I do know it is the story of Jeff, my son. Jeff was so autistic, and yet not autistic at all if you used the textbook definition. He had huge sensory integration issues and appeared to be living inside of himself, but he cared so much for God and other people that their needs always came above his own. He had severe speech issues, only spoke one-word answers, but wrote beautiful papers and prayers when given the Canon communicator.
-
-
Love and Faith
- By Tamara on 12-20-22
By: Lynne Seeger
-
The Light We Carry
- Overcoming in Uncertain Times
- By: Michelle Obama
- Narrated by: Michelle Obama
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with listeners, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?
-
-
Very Disappointing—Too Ego-filled
- By Patricia Webb on 11-29-22
By: Michelle Obama
-
Disruptive Thinking
- A Daring Strategy to Change How We Live, Lead, and Love
- By: T. D. Jakes
- Narrated by: T. D. Jakes, Kyle Chapel, Inger Tudor
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this book for leaders, thinkers, doers, and creators, Bishop T.D. Jakes illuminates the pathway to encouraging and unleashing disruptive thinking and provides the wisdom and practical skills we need to evolve our most original and potentially transformational ideas from vision to reality. Through his insight into how our minds and emotions work and through his experiences as a pastor, entrepreneur, and creator, Bishop Jakes leads us into a new way of relating to and transforming the world around us for good.
-
-
What an inspiration!!!!
- By Dana F. on 05-14-23
By: T. D. Jakes
-
I'm Not Yelling
- A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace
- By: Elizabeth Leiba
- Narrated by: Zoleka Vundla
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I'm Not Yelling is part strategy for savvy black business women navigating a predominantly white corporate America and part vessel empowering black women to find their voices in toxic work environments and be successful business women. Statistical and anecdotal evidence guide the way. Explore the data and hear the accounts of Black women in business who face, work through, and rise above workplace discrimination. Finding your voice as women entrepreneurs. Successful business women use their voice to become strong Black leaders who instill positive change in the workplace culture.
-
-
SPEAK UP!!!!
- By Anonymous User on 04-03-23
By: Elizabeth Leiba
-
Street Data Audiobook
- A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation
- By: Shane Safir, Jamila Dugan
- Narrated by: Monica Polite, Tiffany Williams
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on “fixing” and “filling” academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up—with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing.
-
-
The bite size steps
- By Charlette B. on 08-02-24
By: Shane Safir, and others
-
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: 25th Anniversary
- Follow Them and People Will Follow You
- By: John C. Maxwell
- Narrated by: John C. Maxwell, Henry O. Arnold
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
HarperCollins and John C. Maxwell are celebrating the milestone anniversary of Maxwell’s bestselling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, with the publication of a revised and updated 25th anniversary edition. Included are insights from Maxwell on each law and how they have impacted his life as a leader and mentor. There will also be stories from some of today’s most impactful leaders, like IT Cosmetics' Jamie Kern Lima, Maxwell Leadership CEO Mark Cole, and author and marketing expert Jeff Henderson, on how they have applied these laws to their own success journeys.
-
-
Very intriguing views.
- By Jason Frampton on 11-11-22
By: John C. Maxwell
-
Another Kind of Normal
- By: Lynne Seeger
- Narrated by: Sheila McLey
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I don't know whether this is the story of Jeff the autistic individual, Jeff the man of God, or Jeff the medical enigma; but I do know it is the story of Jeff, my son. Jeff was so autistic, and yet not autistic at all if you used the textbook definition. He had huge sensory integration issues and appeared to be living inside of himself, but he cared so much for God and other people that their needs always came above his own. He had severe speech issues, only spoke one-word answers, but wrote beautiful papers and prayers when given the Canon communicator.
-
-
Love and Faith
- By Tamara on 12-20-22
By: Lynne Seeger
-
How to Raise an Adult
- Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
- By: Julie Lythcott-Haims
- Narrated by: Julie Lythcott-Haims
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research; on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers; and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large.
-
-
Target Audience- Upper-Middle Class
- By Savy shopper on 06-02-16
-
Radical
- Fighting to Put Students First
- By: Michelle Rhee
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part memoir, part manifesto, Radical is this fearless advocate's incisive, intensely personal call-to-arms. Rhee combines the story of her own extraordinary experience with dozens of compelling examples from schools she's worked in and studied-from students from unspeakable home lives who have thrived in the classroom to teachers whose radical methods have produced unprecedented leaps in achievement. Radical chronicles Rhee's awakening to the potential of every child, her rage at the special interests blocking badly-needed change, and her recognition that it will take a grassroots movement to create outstanding public schools.
-
-
Good read after seeing Waiting for Superman
- By Marie on 04-10-13
By: Michelle Rhee
-
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
- By: William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
- Narrated by: Chike Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.
-
-
Inspirational Story for TED Talk Fans
- By Heather on 08-07-18
By: William Kamkwamba, and others
-
The Mount of Olives: 11 Declarations to an Extraordinary Life
- By: Michael V. Ivanov
- Narrated by: Ross Pipkin
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combining courage, faith, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Mount of Olives takes listeners for an emotional ride through the life of a boy who's search for better becomes a discovery of something extraordinary...Felix's quest teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity, and learning the golden principles strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
-
-
A must read book!
- By Michael ross on 04-13-21
-
Make Change
- How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future
- By: Shaun King
- Narrated by: Shaun King, Bernie Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King has become one of the most recognizable and powerful voices on the front lines of civil rights in our time. In Make Change, King offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyper-connected era. He shares stories from his efforts leading the Raise the Age campaign and his work fighting police brutality, while providing a road map for how to stay sane, safe, and motivated even in the worst of political climates.
-
-
Injustice is whatever you feel it should be
- By Nathan on 08-05-20
By: Shaun King
-
The Smartest Kids in the World
- And How They Got That Way
- By: Amanda Ripley
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do other countries create "smarter" kids? In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy.What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers? In a global quest to find answers for our own children, author and Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley follows three Americans embedded in these countries for one year.
-
-
a Wanna-be fiction writer avoids the subject
- By Niall on 11-23-13
By: Amanda Ripley
-
A Place Called Home
- A Memoir
- By: David Ambroz
- Narrated by: David Ambroz
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are millions of homeless children in America today and in A Place Called Home, award-winning child welfare advocate David Ambroz writes about growing up homeless in New York for eleven years and his subsequent years in foster care, offering a window into what so many kids living in poverty experience every day.
-
-
Very heart wrenching read, BUT
- By Everest Mom on 01-14-23
By: David Ambroz
-
Bet on Black
- The Good News About Being Black in America Today
- By: Eboni K. Williams
- Narrated by: Eboni K. Williams
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When The Real Housewives of New York City hired its first black cast member after more than 13 years on the air, attorney, speaker, and journalist Eboni K. Williams knew that the public would consider her a diversity hire. But instead of accepting the label, Williams re-envisioned her role as a “Diversity Higher,” an opportunity to prove the significance of Black excellence in the workspace and in society at-large. In this book, she shares all the benefits and advantages that have helped her and many others historically reach great heights in their careers and beyond.
-
-
Insightful and Inspiring
- By Pamela on 11-24-24
-
A Place to Belong
- Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond
- By: Amber O'Neal Johnston, Julie Bogart - foreword
- Narrated by: Amber O'Neal Johnston
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gone are the days when socially conscious parents felt comfortable teaching their children to merely tolerate others. Instead, they are looking for a way to authentically embrace the fullness of their diverse communities. A Place to Belong offers a path forward for families to honor their cultural heritage and champion diversity in the context of daily family life.
-
-
must read for everyone
- By Travis H. on 06-12-24
By: Amber O'Neal Johnston, and others
-
An Unlikely Journey
- Waking Up from My American Dream
- By: Julian Castro
- Narrated by: Julian Castro
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The keynote speaker at the 2012 DNC and the former San Antonio mayor and secretary of housing and urban development, Julian Castro, tells his remarkable and inspiring life story.
-
-
Engaging
- By Jean on 03-20-19
By: Julian Castro
-
Differently Wired
- Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World
- By: Deborah Reber
- Narrated by: Deborah Reber
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today millions of kids are stuck in a world that doesn't respect, support, or embrace who they really are - these are what Deborah Reber is calling the “differently wired” kids, the one in five children with ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger’s, and other neurodifferences. Their challenges are many. But now there’s hope. Written by Deborah Reber, a best-selling author and mother in the midst of an eye-opening journey with her son who is twice exceptional (he has ADHD, Asperger’s, and is highly gifted), Differently Wired is a how-to, a manifesto, a book of wise advice, and more.
-
-
very well thought out but not for everyone
- By Trudy Owens on 01-01-19
By: Deborah Reber
-
Love + Work
- How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life
- By: Marcus Buckingham
- Narrated by: Marcus Buckingham
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're in the middle of an epidemic of stress and anxiety. Average life expectancy in the US is down. At work, less than sixteen percent of us are fully engaged. In many high-stress jobs such as distribution centers, emergency room nursing, and teaching, incidences of PTSD are higher than veterans returning from war zones. We are getting something terribly wrong. Our workplaces fail utterly to provide for or capitalize on one of our most basic human needs: our need for love.
-
-
Follow your joy!
- By Chris DeBaggis on 12-10-24
Critic reviews
“The story of Mott Hall Bridges Academy is the story of American education. Nadia Lopez stands on the front line of the fight to educate America’s children." (Brandon Stanton, author of Humans of New York)
"Essential...the key to academic excellence begins with an open mind." (Essence)
"A valuable depiction of what it takes for principals and teachers to reach children in the most troubled communities...will give readers even more reasons to ask what we as a society are doing to support the thousands of educators who labor in obscurity, trying to help the nation's most vulnerable children." (Dale Russakoff, The New York Times Book Review)
Related to this topic
-
Radical
- Fighting to Put Students First
- By: Michelle Rhee
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part memoir, part manifesto, Radical is this fearless advocate's incisive, intensely personal call-to-arms. Rhee combines the story of her own extraordinary experience with dozens of compelling examples from schools she's worked in and studied-from students from unspeakable home lives who have thrived in the classroom to teachers whose radical methods have produced unprecedented leaps in achievement. Radical chronicles Rhee's awakening to the potential of every child, her rage at the special interests blocking badly-needed change, and her recognition that it will take a grassroots movement to create outstanding public schools.
-
-
Good read after seeing Waiting for Superman
- By Marie on 04-10-13
By: Michelle Rhee
-
Whatever It Takes
- Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America
- By: Paul Tough
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What would it take?That was the question that Geoffrey Canada found himself asking. What would it take to change the lives of poor children, not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide? The question led him to create the Harlem Children's Zone, a 97-block laboratory in central Harlem where he is testing new and sometimes controversial ideas about poverty in America.
-
-
Aboslutely terrific!
- By Anthony on 09-21-10
By: Paul Tough
-
Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor
- A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating and Making It Work!
- By: Tim Gunn, Ada Calhoun
- Narrated by: Tim Gunn
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tim Gunn, America's favorite reality TV cohost, is known for his kind but firm approach in providing wisdom, guidance, and support to the scores of design hopefuls on Project Runway. Having begun his fashion career as a teacher at Parsons The New School for Design, Tim knows more than a thing or two about mentorship and how to convey invaluable pearls of wisdom in an approachable, accessible manner.
-
-
Life lessons for All
- By Trendy on 03-11-16
By: Tim Gunn, and others
-
The Smartest Kids in the World
- And How They Got That Way
- By: Amanda Ripley
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do other countries create "smarter" kids? In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy.What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers? In a global quest to find answers for our own children, author and Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley follows three Americans embedded in these countries for one year.
-
-
a Wanna-be fiction writer avoids the subject
- By Niall on 11-23-13
By: Amanda Ripley
-
The Formula
- Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children
- By: Ronald F. Ferguson, Tatsha Robertson
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children, Harvard economist Ronald Ferguson, named in a New York Times profile as the foremost expert on the US educational "achievement gap," along with award-winning journalist Tatsha Robertson, reveal an intriguing blueprint for helping children from all types of backgrounds become successful adults.
-
-
would recommend
- By Marcia on 02-25-20
By: Ronald F. Ferguson, and others
-
I Wish My Teacher Knew
- How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids
- By: Kyle Schwartz
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to fill in the blank in this sentence: "I wish my teacher knew _____." The results astounded her. Some answers were humorous; others were heartbreaking; all were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe, and supportive place in the classroom. When Schwartz shared her experience online, #IWishMyTeacherKnew became an immediate worldwide viral phenomenon.
-
-
Not worth the time
- By James M George on 06-29-20
By: Kyle Schwartz
-
Radical
- Fighting to Put Students First
- By: Michelle Rhee
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part memoir, part manifesto, Radical is this fearless advocate's incisive, intensely personal call-to-arms. Rhee combines the story of her own extraordinary experience with dozens of compelling examples from schools she's worked in and studied-from students from unspeakable home lives who have thrived in the classroom to teachers whose radical methods have produced unprecedented leaps in achievement. Radical chronicles Rhee's awakening to the potential of every child, her rage at the special interests blocking badly-needed change, and her recognition that it will take a grassroots movement to create outstanding public schools.
-
-
Good read after seeing Waiting for Superman
- By Marie on 04-10-13
By: Michelle Rhee
-
Whatever It Takes
- Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America
- By: Paul Tough
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What would it take?That was the question that Geoffrey Canada found himself asking. What would it take to change the lives of poor children, not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide? The question led him to create the Harlem Children's Zone, a 97-block laboratory in central Harlem where he is testing new and sometimes controversial ideas about poverty in America.
-
-
Aboslutely terrific!
- By Anthony on 09-21-10
By: Paul Tough
-
Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor
- A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating and Making It Work!
- By: Tim Gunn, Ada Calhoun
- Narrated by: Tim Gunn
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tim Gunn, America's favorite reality TV cohost, is known for his kind but firm approach in providing wisdom, guidance, and support to the scores of design hopefuls on Project Runway. Having begun his fashion career as a teacher at Parsons The New School for Design, Tim knows more than a thing or two about mentorship and how to convey invaluable pearls of wisdom in an approachable, accessible manner.
-
-
Life lessons for All
- By Trendy on 03-11-16
By: Tim Gunn, and others
-
The Smartest Kids in the World
- And How They Got That Way
- By: Amanda Ripley
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do other countries create "smarter" kids? In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy.What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers? In a global quest to find answers for our own children, author and Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley follows three Americans embedded in these countries for one year.
-
-
a Wanna-be fiction writer avoids the subject
- By Niall on 11-23-13
By: Amanda Ripley
-
The Formula
- Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children
- By: Ronald F. Ferguson, Tatsha Robertson
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children, Harvard economist Ronald Ferguson, named in a New York Times profile as the foremost expert on the US educational "achievement gap," along with award-winning journalist Tatsha Robertson, reveal an intriguing blueprint for helping children from all types of backgrounds become successful adults.
-
-
would recommend
- By Marcia on 02-25-20
By: Ronald F. Ferguson, and others
-
I Wish My Teacher Knew
- How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids
- By: Kyle Schwartz
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to fill in the blank in this sentence: "I wish my teacher knew _____." The results astounded her. Some answers were humorous; others were heartbreaking; all were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe, and supportive place in the classroom. When Schwartz shared her experience online, #IWishMyTeacherKnew became an immediate worldwide viral phenomenon.
-
-
Not worth the time
- By James M George on 06-29-20
By: Kyle Schwartz
-
Letters to a Young Teacher
- By: Jonathan Kozol
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these affectionate letters to Francesca, a first-grade teacher at an inner-city school in Boston, Jonathan Kozol vividly describes his repeated visits to her classroom while, under Francesca's likably irreverent questioning, also revealing his own most personal stories of the years that he has spent in public schools.
-
-
A must read for new teachers
- By Santiago on 03-31-10
By: Jonathan Kozol
-
Troublemakers
- Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School
- By: Carla Shalaby
- Narrated by: Luci Christian Bell
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this dazzling debut, Carla Shalaby, a former elementary school teacher, explores the everyday lives of four young "troublemakers", challenging the ways we identify and understand so-called problem children. Time and again, we make seemingly endless efforts to moderate, punish, and even medicate our children, when we should instead be concerned with transforming the very nature of our institutions, systems, and structures, large and small.
-
-
Interesting and disturbing
- By Anonymous User on 07-27-18
By: Carla Shalaby
-
What Teachers Make
- In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World
- By: Taylor Mali
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former middle school teacher and teachers' advocate Taylor Mali struck a chord with his passionate response to a man at a dinner party who asked him what kind of salary teachers make - a poetic rant that has been seen and forwarded millions of times on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Based on the poem that inspired a movement, What Teachers Make is Mali's sharp, funny, reflective, critical call to arms about the joys of teaching and why teachers are so vital to America today.
-
-
Loved it!!
- By Anonymous User on 02-16-22
By: Taylor Mali
-
Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire
- By: Rafe Esquith
- Narrated by: James Yaegashi
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Rafe Esquith, the only teacher to receive the National Medal of Arts, has garnered the American Teacher Award and numerous other honors. Still teaching fifth graders in a small, leaky classroom in downtown Los Angeles, Esquith fosters a wholesome climate where character, humility, and diligence matter and support is unconditional. For his mostly poor and Hispanic students, Esquith models two maxims: Be nice and work hard, and There are no shortcuts. And his students thrive!
-
-
Inspiring even if not what it claims to be
- By Thomas Keeler on 11-14-10
By: Rafe Esquith
-
The Power of a Plant
- A Teacher's Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools
- By: Stephen Ritz, Suzie Boss
- Narrated by: Stephen Ritz
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Power of a Plant, globally acclaimed teacher and self-proclaimed CEO (Chief Eternal Optimist) Stephen Ritz shows you how, in one of the nation's poorest communities, his students thrive in school and in life by growing, cooking, eating, and sharing the bounty of their green classroom.
-
-
Thanks For The Power Of A Plant
- By Pedalingfree on 05-08-21
By: Stephen Ritz, and others
-
The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans
- How to Decode Their Behavior, Develop Unshakable Trust, and Raise a Respectable Adult
- By: Josh Shipp
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written in Shipp's playfully authoritative, no-nonsense voice, The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans tells his story and unpacks practical strategies that can make a difference. Ultimately, it's not about shortcuts or magic words - as Shipp reminds us, it's about investing in kids and giving them the love, time, and support they need to thrive. And that means every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.
-
-
Read it....then read it again!
- By R. Eichelberger on 11-07-17
By: Josh Shipp
-
The Prize
- Who's in Charge of America's Schools?
- By: Dale Russakoff
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mark Zuckerberg announced in front of a cheering Oprah audience his $100 million pledge to transform the Newark Schools - and to solve the education crisis in every city in America - it looked like a huge win for then-mayor Cory Booker and governor Chris Christie. But their plans soon ran into a constituency not so easily moved - Newark's key education players, fiercely protective of their billion-dollar-per-annum system.
-
-
Well-researched - Provides Good Answers
- By Denyse on 01-11-16
By: Dale Russakoff
-
Not My Boy!
- A Father, a Son, and One Family's Journey with Autism
- By: Rodney Peete, Danelle Morton
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Like most fathers, I'd dreamt of doing all sorts of things with my son. I had so many plans, but when I was told my son was autistic, those plans seemed more like a fantasy. Well, eight years after that dreadful diagnosis, I am writing this book to let every father know that your plans for you and your son can still be a reality. It's just the path that takes you there that has to be altered."
-
-
Loved This Book. Thank-you to the Peetes for sharing your Autism journey as parents.
- By Amazon Customer on 03-25-18
By: Rodney Peete, and others
-
Wait, What?
- And Life's Other Essential Questions
- By: James E. Ryan
- Narrated by: James E. Ryan
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his commencement address to the graduating class of 2016, James E. Ryan, dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, offered remarkable advice to the crowd of hopeful men and women eager to make their marks on the world. The key to achieving emotional connections and social progress, he told them, can be found in five essential questions.
-
-
Great For Our Jobs, Our Families, Our Lives!
- By Gillian on 05-18-18
By: James E. Ryan
-
How to Be Black
- By: Baratunde Thurston
- Narrated by: Baratunde Thurston
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond memoir, this guidebook offers practical advice on everything from "How to Be the Black Friend" to "How to Be the (Next) Black President" to "How to Celebrate Black History Month". This is a humorous, intelligent, and audacious guide that challenges and satirizes the so-called experts, purists, and racists who purport to speak for all Black people. With honest storytelling and biting wit, Baratunde plots a path not just to blackness, but one open to anyone interested in simply "how to be".
-
-
Funny yet insightful!
- By Theodore on 02-15-12
-
Common Ground: Exclusive Edition
- By: Justin Trudeau
- Narrated by: Justin Trudeau, Colm Feore
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Justin Trudeau has spent his life in the public eye. From the moment he was born, the first son of an iconic prime minister and his young wife, Canadians have witnessed the highs and the lows, sharing in his successes and mourning with him during tragic times. But few beyond Justin's closest circle have heard his side of his unique journey. Now, in Common Ground, Justin Trudeau reveals how the events of his life have influenced him and formed the ideals that drive him today.
-
-
Mesmerizing
- By emilia on 05-04-18
By: Justin Trudeau
-
Mindset
- The New Psychology of Success
- By: Carol S. Dweck PhD
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she describes how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset.
-
-
😫THIS NARRATOR IS UNBEARABLE 😫
- By The non-critic on 03-29-19
What listeners say about The Bridge to Brilliance
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rachel M
- 02-06-18
Good Read
I agree with some of what she states and disagree with some as well. However, overall it is an inspiring book, well worth the read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 05-31-21
Truly Inspiring
Ms. Lopez did an amazing job at capturing the spirit of Brownsville in this book. She invited you into the lives of her scholars and displayed their remarkable resilience. Great read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Melissa S.
- 01-20-20
A must read for any educator!
This book had me hooked from the start. As an educator in a very similar area, this book gave me much more than a story to read. As I flipped through the pages I felt like the struggles that Nadia wrote about were parallel to things happening at my school. This book gave me inspiration as well as practical ideas to solve issues I was dealing with. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to be inspired by the impossible becoming possible. The audiobook performance was amazing. The narrator was passionate and her performance really elevated the book to a whole new level for me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- frances
- 12-23-22
Empathy not Sympathy! A clear message to public servants.
Dr. López created a visual with her words of the struggles we encounter as educators for our inner city youth. We don’t need sympathy for our children, we need empathy. A way to bridge that brilliance to their successes. 🥹🫶🏾
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Monica
- 07-14-18
Transparent, insightful, and motivating
A beautiful story about the power of keeping students first. Definitely a must read for ed leaders striving to overcome daily challenges in order to produce positive outcomes for students.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- vicki
- 11-06-17
Don't give on them!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The perseverance of this principal is needed is needed in certain areas of our country. Her desire for the students became their desire for themselves. Sometimes you don't know what you want until others show you the possibilities.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-26-16
Phenomenal!
I absolute loved this book! The messages it gives are so meaningful for anyone in any human service, education, or really any other job position. Empathy, understanding, and listening are things that everyone should take more time to do.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Grandchampion
- 01-05-19
Ms. Lopez you are truly an inspiration.
Ms. Lopez you are truly an inspiration. I agree every child should have a chance to walk across a Bridge to Brilliance. This story of your tenacious and unselfish commitment to your scholars, their families and the community speaks volumes of the calling required to do this work. Read this book! Whether to advocate for all students as a teacher, administrator, or a parent, it will give you hope when you may feel that you've reached the end of your rope. This book spoke to me and gave me a renewed sense of purpose for why I became school leader. The brutal honesty expressed was refreshing. Thank you!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-18-24
Affirming my purpose!!!
Dr. Lopez reminded me that I am not alone in this journey. I have endured many of the heartaches and celebrated many of the wins, just as she has. This book should be read by all stakeholders, especially those in underserved communities. The sacrifices we make are much more than time, money, and energy. Very often we sacrifice family, friends, health, and even our last breath as educators. Legislators should read this to hear the cries of help and hopelessness educators feel because we desire more for our scholars and NEED more for our families! I am empowered to go on a little while longer because she has shared our stories.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Lovin' Toni
- 02-10-17
Great Story- Awesome Principal
Loved this story and the awesome dedication and commitment of the principal. I grew up in Brownsville many years ago and it wasn't like it is today but I still hold that neighborhood in my heart.
My most memorable moment in this book was knowing that the principal worked at my old elementary school. We lived across the street from it and all my mother had to do was look out the window to make sure we got there safe and in time.
I didn't care for the narrator that much. She read the book way too slow for me.
All and all, great story, great book and congratulations to the principal. We need more like her to help our children with rough lives living in a rough neighborhood.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!