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NEW BOOK GIVES SPECIAL ED. TEACHERS CHANCE TO SHARE

August 9, 1999

Advertising executive Kathy Kobliski is putting together a new resource for those days when a teacher just cannot think of another creative way to teach students multiplication tables, the Constitution or, in the case of special ed students, how to communicate. In a four-book series to be published next spring, Kobliski plans to present a compilation of lessons and classroom activities teachers use to address different types and grade levels of children and teach different subjects.

One book, Activities for Special Kids, will focus solely on teaching students with disabilities. "Because special education and remedial learning is so complex, and includes so many different problems and levels of severity of disabilities, we are looking for more submissions from this field than any of the others," Kobliski says on a web site describing the books. "It has been my experience that special education and remedial teachers can be some of the most creative because of the variety of challenges they face on the job."

Another book, The "Ah-ha" Factor , will present activities or lessons in any subject that precipitates that moment when a child finally grasped a tough concept. The series will also feature Home Schooling Success Stories and When Teachers Stay Home, a collection of information from teachers who have either elected to stay at home with their children, have taken maternity leave or have been "downsized."

In addition to lessons addressing specific subjects and skills, the publisher is also seeking character builders such as "lessons on respect for self and others, good citizenship, personal responsibility, appreciation of friends, family, and all living things, conservation and self-esteem." Helpful teaching hints that do not fit a particular category will also be accepted.

"I'm not looking for "run-of-the-mill" lessons or activities -- dig down deep for the best one of your career! The one that took even you by surprise -- maybe you spent time planning it, maybe it happened by accident. It's the one you love to present to a whole class or to just a few students because it's fun, or because it's profound," Kobliski says on the web site.

Submissions are due Dec. 15. Guidelines and mailing instructions for each book are available at www.beinabook.com. Teachers may submit material for more than one book, and contributions are encouraged regardless of the country or type of school in which the writer teaches. If a submission is used, the publisher will also send a press release to the teacher's local newspaper to put the word out Contributors will not be paid for their work, as Kobliski says she will not make a profit on the project either. "Sometimes, doing good work is the important thing, and this series is certainly that. It was conceived for one reason: To enhance the education of children all over the world," she says on the web site.

Kobliski became founder and president of Silent Partner Advertising, in Syracuse, N.Y., after a stint as a high school biology teacher. She has also published "Advertising Without an Agency," a marketing guidebook for small companies.8