So, the other day, I was talking with Ashley toward the end of class and mentioned she'd been absent a lot, so I asked if she had been ill. She said, "No. We've been getting the place ready for my parents. They're coming home." "Really?" I was a bit puzzled. "Yeah," she said, "I pick dad up from prison on Monday and mom on Wednesday." When a kid walks into class, he or she is carrying baggage. This is the reality: The most important thing for teachers to teach kids is that learning is fun and that they can do it. If they don't learn this, it doesn't matter what else is taught. Someone Else's Problem just walked in your classroom (With apologies to Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). They don't cover this kind of thing in education classes in college, and they also don't tell you about students coming to school hungry for food or love. To assume that your job as a teacher is just to teach subject matter is like a blind man describing an elephant. The Elephant in the Classroom was walking the halls of Columbine. First-time author Stumpf grew up in Ohio, and taught there for 35 years before moving to Florida, where he has now taught for 11 years. He hopes his books will help teachers become better educators. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/Stumpf