Literature for Foundations 697

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1997) Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Engaging in the flow of this book was not easy. I read about 1/3 of the book before I started running with the flow. The flow is what carries us away from mundane life and grabs us. Surprisingly, leisure time does not create a flow but boredom.

Valdés, Guadalupe (1996), Con Respeto: Bridging the Distances between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools, An Ethnographic Study, New York: Teachers College Press.

This text is truly an insight into some of the cultural differences of what I've learned over the years and still don't know about the hispanic people. "The rich and absorbing study of Mexican parents in border communities leads to more complex, rather than single-minded, solutions to school success. Valdés sees to the center of things and deftly questions the merit of typical educational interventions aimed at promoting school success...." Unfortunately, she does not offer solutions. I guess this is the job of the one who reads and ponders and wants to learn more. This text is now out of print but is relevant to today's children of hispanic heritage. I find what she says to be very relevant to my understanding, as an anglo educator, to be important as I've taught in the bilingual classroom K-12 for the past twenty years and still finds important points which affect me as a successful educator who is aiming at successfully raising my students to be competent in this--the 21st century.

From Stanford University faculty description: "Professor Department of Spanish and Portuguese Bldg 260 (650) 723-3291 gvaldes@leland.stanford.edu

Guadalupe Valdés is the most eminent expert on Spanish-English bilingualism in the United States. She is the only member of our faculty to have appeared on the cover of the Chronicle for Higher Education. She is author and co-author of five research books on the subject, as well as eight textbooks. Her appointment is divided between the Department of Spanish and the School of Education. She has been responsible for a successful renovation of language programs in the department. As an undergraduate instructor, Professor Valdés is committed to getting students in contact with language research outside the classroom. Her courses usually involve a fieldwork component in the surrounding Spanish speaking communities and instruction in research methods and data analysis."