Unintended Consequences

Unintended Consequences is a unique book. The authors—Joe Franks and Herb Appenzeller—have taught for a combined 86 years and from 8th grade to graduate school. Though the two come from diverse backgrounds, they agree that there are common experiences at all levels in America's schools. They write about their careers from the 1940s to 2013, sharing personal stories and anecdotes, in a style that challenges readers to help modify education today.

The book's goal is to energize and encourage educators to make their classrooms—whether Pre-K or graduate school or somewhere in-between—exciting and rewarding for their students and, in doing so, for themselves. Our nation's classrooms contain our most important resources, and the authors hope that their ideas—and those of others—can help our nation regain its place of leadership in education worldwide.

"The greatest teachers in human history used stories and parables. The Hebrew prophets, Jesus Christ, Siddhartha Guatama, Confucius, Loa Tse, and Mohammed all used stories to transmit knowledge and foster understanding. Their methods were so successful that their teachings have endured many centuries and have spread throughout the world. Storytelling is a powerful teaching tool.

Joe Franks and Herb Appenzeller have chosen this tool to share their journey in education with us. The book is eminently readable, divided into short anecdotes concerning a wide variety of educational issues. The authors take turns telling stories, and sharing opinions and reactions to educational research, programs, and problems.

There is a saying, 'There are three kinds of people, those who read the book, those who wrote the book, and those who lived the book.' Fortunately, Joe Franks and Herb Appenzeller took the time to write a book concerning their 86 years of combined experience as professional educators and gave us the opportunity to read it. It certainly has a great deal to offer to anyone in, or interested in, education." — Daniel F. Kuzma, Educational Consultant, Kagan Professional Development