15 Red Hot Minutes - Softcover

Pat Swanson is a Master Teacher having taught in the same school for 15 years in the roll of teacher and prior to that, 5 years in the roll as teacher's assistant. She has earned 45 credit hours in Counseling in Clinical Psychology. Her passion is helping children succeed in academics, as well as, art, and music. Self-esteem is her main goal with children and succeeding in something is the key. She received the Wal-Mart Illinois State Teacher of the Year Award in 2002. Her book received Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards in 2007, being one of the first eight honorable mentions out of approximately 125 entrants. She lives in Aurora, Illinois with her husband, Bert. She loves to write and read. They have 4 grown daughters and nine grandchildren.

This was the Judge's commentary: This is an excellent book. It takes the findings of a legitimate scientific study, the details of which are discreetly included in the back of the book, and translates them to everyday use for everyday parents. Educational-quality flashcards are provided for the parent's convenience, so the parents need not take longer than the required 15 minutes per day by creating their own visual aids. The lesson plan is clearly mapped out, so the parents need not struggle to develop their own plan without having the necessary tools (i.e. a degree in education, psychology, sociology, or related field) to do so in the most effective manner. It is a book that takes parents by the hand and shows them exactly how they can give their pre-kindergarten children a head-start as they enter the challenging world of education and face the daunting task of learning to read. --Writer's Digest

.....If education were a house, then Swanson is helping to build a foundation. And that's not an easy task. "Houses were crunbling all around me and my little studentswere not experiencing success. I did what I could in a 2-hour-and-15 minute kindergarten, but I felt I was letting them down. Everyday I was leaving children behind." Fueled by her concerns, Swanson spent the last two years writing a book. Called "15 Red Hot Minutes: Is Your Child's Self Esteem and Education worth 25 minutes per day?" and complete with flashcards and illustrations by Beacon News Photographer Donnell Collins, the book teaches parents the same techniques Swanson used with her students. "I just thought moms and dads need to know," she said. "So that maybe we can make the playing ground level, so kids can enter kindergarten with the skills they need." To level the playing field, children need to all come to class already knowing basic skills, she said, but the solution might not be as difficult as it seems. While working toward a master's degree, the teacher conducted a two-year study with her young students. Using a simple strategy based on repetition, she got 20 out of 22 of her students to read at an early 1st grade to 2nd grade level. If parents spent a little time at home every day repeating the lessons she taught her pupils in class, Swanson said, "imagine the difference it would make....... --The Beacon News-by Justina Wang