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Not all Teachers are Parents, but all Parents are Teachers! (Every Child Needs a Coach) by Stanley G. Buford, Airleaf Publishing $14.95 Many people rely on self-help books when a problem exists in their life. Not all Teachers are Parents, but all Parents are Teachers! is more than that.

The author wants to send a wake up call to parents and teachers of African American children designed to close the African American achievement gap in Urban Centers (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Oakland etc.) throughout America. The author of the book, Stanley G. Buford was born in Chicago and now resides in Oak Park. He is the president of Terkat Consultants Inc., a city of Chicago and state of Illinois certified Minority Business Enterprise that does management consulting to schools, churches and businesses.

Any beginner can use this book to assist Marquita Ware children “at risk.” These children are defined as those prone to failure without assistance from those most capable of insuring their success. It is written for parents who want the best for their children and to guarantee their success in an ever-changing society that requires a literate population to propel it through the 21st century.

This book has five chapters, Parent Corner, Families In Transition, The Fatherhood Connection On Parenting, A Parent Guide: A Realistic Approach and Teacher Tools. It is filled with tips and strategies to help your childe focus on education. “Parents must understand that they are a child’s 1st teacher. All parents/adults can serve as “coaches” to improve the academic standing of children without regard to the educational background of the “coach,” stated Mr. Buford.

The book has valuable information that is broken down for parents and others to understand different methods of helping a child to learn. An important method he wants parents/ educators to use to identify a child’s learning process is Visual (seeing), Auditory (hearing) and Kinesthetic (sense of motion). Some children are visual learners and they learn by being exposed to what they hear, some are auditory learners that learn by what they hear and others learn by being exposed to a number of hands-on experiences and they are identified in the book as kinesthetic learners.

“It is important for parents and teachers to identify the learning style (audio: hearing, visual: seeing and kinesthetic: hands on), in order to make the best of the school to home transition. Asking a child to help with preparing the evening meal will employ all three styles and will foster communication that is sometimes taken for granted. This is the primary reason a cookbook is included in this resource manual at no additional cost,” said Buford. In chapter four of the book, he uses a cook book approach for the educator and child to bring into play.

This method can be used when trying to figure out which of the three learning methods the child uses to learn. “It is important for parents and teachers to identify the learning style (audio: hearing, visual: seeing and kinesthetic: hands on), in order to make the best of the school to home transition. Asking a child to help with preparing the evening meal will employ all three styles and will foster communication that is sometimes taken for granted.

This is the primary reason a cookbook is included in this resource manual at no additional cost,” says Buford. Mr. Buford goes on to say, “Fathers play a key role in the development of their children. It is crucial that parents learn to lay aside their differences in order that children are reared in an atmosphere that is safe, secure, faith based and conducive to learning. Dads must lead by example.”

Chapter three is for fathers and male educators to use in the process of turning boys into men. Being the father of two he knows that a child needs a father present in their life. He wants fathers to be able to teach their children too, especially young men. Mr. Stanley G. Buford will also be appearing on the nationally televised show “Heartbeat of America” on December 15, 2006, which will air on the American Life Television channel at 8a.m. check your cable listings for channel.

This book is a must read for all educators at home or in school. It will give you helpful strategies and tips to guide you in the process of education a child. “Finally a book for and about parents…from a parent’s point of view.” - Kathy Lee, Dean of Students – Fellowship Academy School, San Francisco, CA “Teachers, administrators, policymakers, get on board the parent train.” – Honorable Clarence W. Hawkins – Educator Emeritus, Moorehouse Parish Schools, Mayor, city of Bastrop, Louisiana Marquita Ware is the production/Layout & Design Coordinator for the North Lawndale Community News. To comment on this article visit our weblog at www.nlcn.org.