2009 Texty winner:

Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, 1st ed., by Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminsky, published by Merrill/Pearson (College Communication/ Education/ Performing Arts/ Visual Arts)

Judy Rasminsky & Barbara Kaiser:
"Large classes, high-stakes testing, legislation such as No Child Left Behind, too much material to cover — all these factors play a role in the way teachers react when a child with challenging behavior enters their classroom.

Since the shootings at Columbine High School and the introduction of zero tolerance policies, teachers have become more tempted to address problem behavior by sending students to the principal's office, handing them a detention, or even suspending them. In fact, once these children have departed, the room feels calmer and safer, leading teachers to conclude that they've done the right thing.

We believe that such interventions betray children who don't believe in themselves, who find it difficult to fit in, and who are heading down a path that no one deserves to tread. For over a decade, we've focused on finding ways to guide and support these students. It is indeed harder as the years pass and their behavior becomes more entrenched; but they are still children, and it remains possible to help them succeed.

In writing this book, we hoped to create a kind of survival manual — one that would enable teachers to develop the ability to help students with challenging behavior. By offering the facts and skills necessary to understand and prevent problem behavior, respond to it effectively, and teach appropriate alternatives, we hoped to improve teachers' competence and confidence and prepare them to work effectively with children who are dealing with tough lives in the best way they can."

Thoughts on the award from Judy Rasminsky & Barbara Kaiser, authors of Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, 1st. ed.:

"We started out thinking that Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School would be relatively easy to write. We couldn’t have been more wrong. It turned out to be a difficult project in many ways, not the least of which was that we kept losing our editor. For several months we had no one to go to with our questions and problems, and as each new editor took over we discovered that we had lost photos, permission letters, and schedules along with the budding relationship. This instability led us to think of our book as an orphan no one wanted. Fortunately, we are extremely pleased with our third editor, and when we heard the wonderful news that our book had won the Texty, we knew it had come home safe at last. Thank you to TAA and our peers for your vote of confidence!"

Paul Smith, Vice President/Editor in Chief, Pearson Education, publisher of Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, 1st. ed:

“Pearson is pleased to receive this award from the Text and Academic Authors Association, and we appreciate the organization’s recognition of this valuable contribution made by our authors, Barbara Kaiser and Judy Rasminsky.

Advice from Judy Rasminsky & Barbara Kaiser, authors of Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, 1st. ed.:

"My co-author Barbara Kaiser, a veteran educator, has always had a very clear vision of what our books should be. She brings a consistent philosophical approach, grounded in 30 years of experience with children and families, to our subject matter, which is challenging behavior. I, a professional writer, have strong views about the style, tone, organization, and research of the content. Luckily for us, we agree on these basics. From the start, we both wanted our books to be practical, jargon-free, and fun to read so that students would actually read them.

It was this melded perspective we first brought to our publisher. Since then, we have paid close attention to the comments of editors, reviewers, and the students and professors who've used our texts, but we've always examined their advice through the filter of our own point of view. So our advice to authors is this: Stay true to your vision. It is your personal stamp that will make your book special and appealing."