The strengths of this book are Jack's stated philosophy, its clarity of focus, ideas for teaching writing, and the quality of student samples . . . I recommend A Door Opens not only for the ideas presented, but for the reflective way in which it is written.
—The Quarterly
A Door Opens presents classroom writing practices—teaching poetry, fiction, report writing, persuasive writing, and writing across the curriculum—that Jack Wilde uses in his fifth grade classroom. It provides support, challenges, and points of reference for the reader's conceptualization of a writing classroom.
A Door Opens is an outgrowth of the two worlds Jack Wilde has inhabited for the past twelve years. First and foremost is the world of the public school classroom as a fifth grade language arts and social studies teacher. Second is the adult world of teacher education, specifically the New Hampshire Writing Program. These worlds complement each other: The public school teaching provides the experiences for him to reflect on and present in the summer writing program, and the writing program challenges him to consider and reflect on his classroom teaching. This book is a result of that process.
