Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (PRWEB) August 24, 2013
Although retired, state and national award winning educator and principal James L. Casale, Ph.D., has never stopped teaching or learning. His years in both the classroom and on the administrative side of the profession he deeply loves have provided him with valuable insights to assist parents in becoming their child’s first teacher. He shares this information in his new jargon-free book, Wise Up: Be the Solution, which is a parent-friendly guide to creating a learning culture in the home and helping children succeed in school.
Casale, who spent the first five years of his life in foster care, celebrates his 50th anniversary as an educator in 2013. Unlike so many who have gone through the foster care system, Jim never felt abandoned by his mother, who struggled to support her three children on a seamstress’ salary. Instead, those early years made him deeply aware of the importance of education. In a recent interview, Casale said, “An education would have made my mother’s life much less difficult. Luckily, she wanted more for her children and insisted that we always do well in school.”
In 1974, Dr. James Casale was named the first male Florida Teacher of the Year. He followed that success in 1988 by receiving the National School of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Education. At the time, he was principal of Purchase Elementary School in Harrison, New York. Casale credits the many dedicated teachers and administrators he has worked with over the years for sharing their wisdom, work ethic and dedication with him -- learning opportunities which, he says, can never be acquired in a college classroom alone. “To appreciate the hard work that goes into great teaching, you have to be exposed to great teachers,” Casale often tells parents, “and I was lucky enough to work with so many consummate professionals.”
Wise Up: Be the Solution is available through Amazon.com and through Casale’s website, Ask the Principal - http://www.asktheprincipal.info. Each week, he covers a wide variety of topics, including curriculum, discipline, parent/teacher conferences, testing and student placement. Both the book and the website are supportive of parents and empathetic toward the difficulties parents face in the ever more difficult juggling act that is family/work/school.
Casale firmly believes that success in school requires a loving, supportive environment at home, an environment in which laughter and learning go hand and hand. In Wise Up: Be the Solution, he encourages parents to become more knowledgeable about key school issues and more proactive in their children’s education. “A parent affects eternity,” Casale said. “No one can tell where his or her influence stops.”
Dr. Casale is available for speaking engagements with special consideration being given to parent organizations and educators at every school level. For more information and/or interviews and photographs, contact James L. Casale, Ph.D. at jameslcasale184(at)gmail(dot)com or call 561-809-3249.
