This week, AuthorHouse is pleased to introduce Dr. Mary Beth Gaertner to our readers. Dr. Gaertner has worked as an educator and administrator for over three decades, in both public and private schools. She currently serves as Director of Educational Ministries at Salem Lutheran School in Tomball, Texas, and is the author of Way to Go, “a research-based strategy for establishing a positive relationship between parents and teachers.”
From the book’s overview: “The book details the ‘tell the teacher more’ strategy, the training of school personnel, the research, and the comments from the teachers themselves how one strategy at the beginning of the school year can have major impact on the positive communication that happens all year long!”
Welcome to Author’s Digest, Dr. Gaertner. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve always loved school, and reading books for learning was wonderful. Reading for enjoyment didn’t really happen for me, unless it was a magazine or something with lots of pictures or recipes! I still read voraciously to learn something, not for enjoyment. People laugh at me because I love professional journals. So, when it came to the best way for sharing what we have learned as a school over the years by focusing on building relationships with parents, it was an easy decision to write the book! When I would present to schools and workshops, it would be like presenting a book anyway – from the research to the implementation to the outcome.
Do you have any literary influences that helped you develop your style?
I had no other influences that particularly influenced me, other than the fact that I feel teachers stand to gain so much when they have a pure theory to implement and a clear how-to method from which to learn.
If I had to name an influence, I would say that Master Teacher author, Richard DeBruyn, was a great influence in the way he shares information: short and concise but full of wonderful professional advice.
Please tell us a little about Way to Go.
The book was written to help other educators and schools achieve positive communication between parents and teachers using a simple research-based method that really works, based on our research as to what parents really want. Other books provide advice, but this one shares the “way to go” along with authentic comments from the teachers and parents themselves as to how much the process helped them throughout the rest of the year to continue great communication.
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Thanks, Mary Beth! We’ll be back again later this week, when Dr. Gaertner tells us more about her book and her self-publishing experience. Way to Go is available in the AuthorHouse Bookstore.
Thanks for stopping by Author’s Digest!
