Comments from teacher trainings

Thank you for preparing well organized and easy to follow textbooks.  The teachers who used the curriculum first semester for Achieve College Success said they enjoyed the information that could be applied to their classes.  It also helped the students realize the severity of time management, study skills, and organization.  This was later emphasized in the second semester with your Achieve Career Success.  The students were shown how these skills they develop now will also apply to the real world. Both books were used to teach  two semesters of College Transition PEIMS # N1290050.

First semester the students completed a college research project in which they presented about the college they would like to attend, what it has to offer for their choice of major, and  what they need to complete for the career that they want (ie, Masters, Doctorate, etc.).  Second semester the students completed the summaries and activities in the book. This is being included in their final end of the year portfolio.   I personally enjoyed seeing the students responses to the activities and especially the summaries.

Near the end of the second semester 108 of the 125 9th grade students have passed the reading part of the TSI and 92 passed the writing.
Mrs. Pamela Reyes Buentello, English I Pre-AP Instructor, Sharyland Advanced Academic Academy
Note: Pamela Reyes developed the curriculum for these courses.

The Transitions Class has provided the 9th grade students with the window needed to immerse easily into the new world that is high school. The students have not only been confronted with new schedules, and new teachers, but also with new stress and pressures. To ease such stress I have found out that students like to know what is coming in their future.

We start with career exploration, analysis and establishment of goals, future demands and the importance of GPA, club participation and hours of community service. Then we determine learning styles and analyze types of intelligence and we discover together the best ways to study, organize and manage their time. All these would not be possible without the help of Mr. Raymond Gerson’s fantastic books and internet resources. It is easy for students to understand the material. Mr. Gerson provides great stories and advice to the students. They like to read about the cases and how the people struggle, but then achieve success.  I have seen students changing. I call them my Gerson butterflies since they evolve in time into more mature and more responsible students.

Thank you very much Mr. Gerson for the opportunity to meet you and share your insights with my students.
Mrs. Lauren Payne, Med High School, Mercedes, Texas

Our students use this wonderful textbook in the College Transitions Program, and they absolutely love it. They report that it’s easy to use and understand, and they often say they read it on their own time (even beyond the pages their instructor assigned!) As a textbook, it equips them with skills and knowledge regarding college success, and this is crucial, but I think it does something even more valuable: It builds their confidence. After reading this book, the students BELIEVE that they can be successful, and they know they now have the skills to do so. And, really, that is the mark of a successful textbook.
Charlene Gill, College and Career Transition Coordinator, Austin Community College

“Teachers go to a lot of trainings/in-services. Most are a complete waste of time. This was the best training I’ve ever gone to; relevant, confirming and inspiring.”
Steve Gross, VAC with Klein ISD

 I am an HUDE adjunct and teach for CE as well. I want you to know that I am absolutely thrilled about the Achieve College Success book! I have received positive feedback from the students, it is easy to follow, and is just practical like holding a conversation! Including the various assessments and practical exercises eliminates the need for additional handouts.  Thanks!
Sharon H. Frederick, Ph.D.
Former Director of Student Learning Services for ACC
Executive Director, ACC/AISD Early College High School
Reagan Early College High School

“The layout of the book is simple and adaptable to any campus or school regardless of size. Components are easy to implement through a variety of means.”
Janet Cummings, Ed.D Assistant Superintendent with Caldwell ISD
“I believe this book and ideas will be easy to use. It spells out a lot of the details, but still allows for flexibility to tailor to the student’s needs.”
Amy Waiser, Counselor with Caldwell ISD
“Great information to get kids on the right track for study skills and success in college.”
Latricia Jacobs, High School Principal with Woden High School
“I like the book. Great information and easy to follow and use.”
Lorey Sunosky, Counselor with New Caney ISD
“This book will serve as an excellent tool in working with my students. The book is concise and specific without being too lengthy. The material is presented well and I will enjoy putting the techniques to use with my students. Very user friendly.”
Diane S. Roberson, Transition Specialist with Splendora ISD
“This information will be able to help kids right away.”
Paula Nicolini, Curriculum Specialist with Magnolia ISD
“Raymond Gerson has provided teachers with the necessary skills to truly impact our students. Many students do not learn what many of us consider to be common skill sets. His book guides students in learning valuable lifelong skills that will carry them forward as successful citizens.”
Traci Terrill
Instructional Technology/CTE
Region XV Education Service Center

“I really like the chapters on learning styles, goals, and careers. I am interested in testing my students and grouping them on projects using their learning styles.”
Nancy McClain, English 11 teacher with Cleveland ISD
“Very practical information that will be very useful for both students and staff.”
Gwen Poirier, Special Ed Supervisor with Humble K12
“Excellent strategies to use with all high school students 9-12. I like the accompanying Power Points to accelerate the important points. The book is excellent.”
Barbara Hogan, Counselor with Pasadena ISD
“The book looks great!! It is interesting and clearly written. The activities seem well thought out to serve multiple purposes.”
Carol Beal, Counselor with Pasadena ISD
“Excellent! Mr. Raymond Gerson did an “awesome” job. You can tell he researched this information extensively.”
Patricia Cannon, Special ED. Instructional Coach with Humble ISD
“Great session, practical applications. Many ideas for implementation. I like the idea that the teacher manual is much thinner than the student book. That tells me the course is simple and easy to implement.”
Patti McElfresh, Program Director of Special Education, Aldine ISD
“Your curriculum is put together really well. I think it will be useful in our classroom.”
Sharon Smith, VAC Coordinator with Channelview ISD
“The training and the book appear to be exactly what a teacher/counselor/coordinator needs to implement these critical skills in the classroom. I am impressed with the practical aspect of Raymond’s presentation as well as the wonderful simplicity and organization of the manuals. It is a rare workshop where you can receive material and can immediately envision using the material. This workshop provides that type of immediacy. Truly remarkable!”
Lisa Cook, Coordinator of Academic Services with St.Agnes Academy
“I really appreciate the user friendly workbook and manual. I like the flow of the book and how easy it is to read. I counsel special ed. students and really like the chapter on understanding your learning styles. In addition, Chapter 4 on how to take notes and study skills is a quick teaching technique for all students.”
Tracey Balusek, Transitional Counselor

“Information was plain and easy to understand. Very good information for all students. I enjoyed the workshop and almost wish I was back in the classroom. I can see many applications for this program in all levels of school.”
Sue Medford, Educational Diagnostician with Tri-County School District
“I like the prospects that we can use this material in our course “Senior Skills: Life After High School.” We require all seniors to take this course. So far it has been a great course and your material should help us a lot.”
Larry Howe, Principal Haskell High
“Useful, well organized, applicable and easy to adapt to student situations.”
Sue Pond, Principal Responsive Ed.
“This workshop has given me a great resource for teaching strong management skills which are vital for success for all individuals.”
Jill Harris, Consumer Sciences teacher with Wylie High
“I intend to talk with our counselor and principal about the possibility of incorporating this in our high school.”
Donna Moffett, Educational Diagnostician with Tri-County School District
“Such a great need for our students to have this information. I plan on implementing this course in our high school in some way or fashion. You did a great job in presenting this workshop. You have an obvious passion for helping students.”
Rebecca Suttles, Curriculum Director with Crane Independent Schools
“He put together eight chapters with Syllabus that we can use with students, parents and staff. Great! I am very excited.”
Rose Valderaz, Principal with Virtual High School in Ector County
“I see the benefit for 100% of our at risk student population.”
Candy Cate, Principal of ChalleNge High School

“The entire concept will have a positive impact on our seniors whether they choose college, the military or the world of work.”
Barbara McCallister, Counselor with WLISD
“Very practical information. I am hoping to use this with our high school students as a pre-reg for college.”
Mary Janssen, Graduation Coach at RMA
“Very student friendly, useful information throughout the whole presentation. I appreciate all the knowledge and ready-to-use chapters/activities in the book and instructor’s manual.  Thank you for all of your insights and the heart words of encouragement.”
Martha Toth, Counselor with ISISD
“The books are short, but seem to have an endless amount of activities and ideas to use in the classroom. The knowledge I received today exceeded my expectations of this training.”
Sandra Armendariz, Counselor with RMA
“The book is practical and easy-to-use. The information is valuable to all students. It is very concise and develops not just “school skills”, but life skills. I will practice some of these skills myself.”
Marcia Tombrsky, Career and Technology Education Counselor with Ector County ISD
“I think the information in this book will help all students to be successful in college.”
Ann Kennedy, Career and Technology Teacher with Ector County ISD
“I think it will be useful for my seniors and I plan to use it in my classes. It seems readable-which will get my students to actually read it.”
Nathalie Neill, Career Prep Teacher with Ector County ISD
“Realistic and practical. Wish I had brought teachers.”
Debra Keel, Counselor with Greenwood ISD
“The book is very well written and interesting. I am very interested in implementing the curriculum on our campus.”
Amanda Z. Marlin, Director of Premier High School, Austin, Texas
“The book is very clearly and logically laid out. The content relays information to students in a way that is not intimidating, yet is matter of fact.”
Rachel Stevens, College Readiness Coordinator with Premier High School, Austin, Texas
“The book gets back to basics. It made sense to me and has practical and useful applications. You have a lot of knowledge about the subject.”
Margaret Estefan, Counselor with San Marcos High School
“The work is an integration of research into highly applicable practice. For years, I have worked with students to teach them these concepts in fragments and this book brings the pieces together holistically and elegantly.”
Beth Wolfman, Teacher with San Marcos High School
“The training presentation was real good. I like the stories and passion. The book is user friendly.”
Trish Cook, Middle School Counselor, Florence ISD
“Raymond has taken his years of being in the classroom and added the input of other educators to create a curriculum that can help every young person to become successful. I think all educators should be exposed to this material. Awesome! I can’t wait to use the materials from the training!!!
Rose Mary Chavarria, Life College Guide
“The workbook provides sequential lessons that can help students be successful. I look forward to using this with our students. I think we can begin using these materials in middle school-even removing “Achieve College Success.”
Jaci Holmes, High School Counselor with Nixon Smiley
“I liked the real-world, hands-on approach and the small steps.”
Stu Berkowitz, Business and Career/Tech Teacher with Akins High School

Awesome, I love your books and have used them in teaching. both HUDE-0111 and POFT- Career Exploration. Will be teaching SDEV-0111 this Fall and I am looking forward to another great semester.
Thanks for all you do to motivate the next generation.
Daisy Diaz-Alemany PhD LPC NCC, Counselor and Professor, Austin Community College

“The book has given me some great ideas to work with young women in my group who have attitude problems and need help to succeed.”
Pamela Jessie, Academic Counselor for Pflugerville High School
“I am very excited about taking this course back to my department. I look forward to seeing if we can adopt it as an innovative course or a specific TEA course.”
Abby Siedenstrang, GTE Teacher with Manor ISD
“Thank you for a book to help guide my students toward college success.”
Teresa Reyes, Career Preparation Teacher with Round Rock ISD
“Excellent examples and analogies. Especially enjoyed the questionnaires and assessments.”
Tamara Ocuto, Career Counselor, Texas School for the Deaf
“The book is very useful and easy to use for all levels. I am excited to get started.”
Jennifer Gamewell, Counselor with Austin High School
“There are many strategies and activities that are useful for my students. The book makes the material relevant and tangible. The material defines terms and concepts that educators all across the country will find useful.”
Stephanie Wilson, High School with Austin High School
“I genuinely appreciated the tips and activities presented in the workbook. The presentation helped to clarify how to utilize the materials most effectively. The book is extremely well organized and easy to implement.”
Elizabeth Camarena, Principal with Premier High School, Austin, Texas
 “I like the simplicity of the book, it’s perfect for high school students. This training was helpful for me to visualize the course in our school. I teach AVID and possibly this College Transition course in the future. They are both aiming toward college readiness/success. I am very excited to incorporate this and feel like I am already a step ahead.” Leah Flores AVID 1V Teacher
“Hallelujah! Finally,  practical and easy to use materials that will make a difference for students searching for direction in their lives. I liked everything about this training.” 
Brenda Tunnell, Counselor
“The training was very beneficial. I really enjoyed hearing the success stories from using your book. It is critical to teach students these strategies and goals. I like that the book is easy to follow and versatile. You can design a program that best fits your school. I also like that everything is already included. What a time saver for teachers. An easy to follow, easy to use guide that is useful to all students. I also enjoyed that the training was not a lecture based learning.”Casey Fuqua, Counselor
“Very personable speaker-enthusiastic. I enjoyed the training and look forward to using the skills from the book. I found nothing negative about the training or book…all positive.!! I can’t wait until your next training.” Debbie Jones, Academic Counselor
“The training and book are very user friendly, extremely useful and topics pertinent to subjects schools need to cover. Very concise, thorough and sequential. Very timely book with new House Bill 3 college readiness expectations.” Jean Baskin, Lead Counselor with Waxahachie ISD
“Very comprehensive program. I like the logical and sequential layout of the book and specific activities that can be used. I also like the suggestions on how to implement the program. Practical solutions to some complex problems such as reading comprehension and memory aids.” Phyllis Borton, Career Tech Counselor with GPISD.
“The training was very interactive and the trainer made it every day friendly.” Rosa Hill, College Career Counselor with Lancaster ISD.
“I like the ease of understanding and potential implementation. Great program.” Jacob Waggoner, Counselor with Gunter ISD.
“All of these are activities that kids can apply what they are learning right away. Great workshop. I feel like my students will be more prepared for college.” Amanda Kimbler, High School Teacher.
“Most of this was new information and considerly different from most sessions. Appreciated the Learning Style Inventory- basic, quick and effective.” Timothy Sublette, College and Career Pathway Advisor with Allen ISD.
“I commend you for taking the initiative to create a resource that will be a valuable extension to classroom learning.” L.Johnson, English Teacher , Dallas County.org
“The strategies are practical and achievable. I liked the goal setting and the relevance of this training. Amanda Boquist, Teacher with WPISD
“Useable material, short, concise, good examples and connected material.” Cindy Nottingham, Math Teacher with WPISD.
“I liked the discussions and the collaboration between teachers in sharing of ideas. I like your book. It has many insights how to improve people’s lives. More power to you and please continue making a difference.” Francis Esquejo, Certified Teacher
“This will help students to get to know themselves which will help them to be successful in all areas of life. I will be ordering your books for the fall.”
Ginger Bourgue, Teacher and College and Career Readiness

“I liked the interaction during the training and in the book…where you do mini-lessons in between the readings in the chapters. Also I think it is life changing and simple. The simplicity makes it easy to use and adapt to fit each individual.”
Nicole Dunn, High School Counselor

“I like the hands-on activities and user friendly format for immediate use in the classroom. Excellent insight into creative learning strategies.”
Nina Felix, Librarian and Teacher

“The program seems to be very successful.  This is the second year I have used it.  I have a select group of Special Ed. seniors that want to make the jump from resource English to reg college English without going through Remedial English.  The students say the program is helpful and eye opening for them.  It is making them learn to make decisions and helping with study skills.  Last year, 4 out of the 6 students I worked with passed the ACCUPLACER test in the spring.  We have not administered the test this year, but I feel confident that some will pass due in part to the study skills learned from your program.  I am not going to be teaching the class next year, but have encouraged the man that will to come to the workshop this summer. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge through this program.”
Louise Minyard, Teacher
Cooper High School (Abilene ISD)  

“Achieve College Success… Learn How in 20 Hours or Less” by Raymond Gerson is a quick and easy to follow text that can be used by high school or college students to build their understanding of the 21st. Century Skills needed to survive in today’s world of education or work.  Professor Gerson uses his life experiences and the successes of his students to create a simple yet effective guide for student success.  Chapter 7 of the text contains simple yet effective tools that a teacher can use to guide students through the process of selecting career goals that can then help guide the selection  of a college major.

“Achieve College Success” is a text that can be effectively used at the secondary level in courses designed to emphasize college and career preparation.  Core Academic and Career & Technology teachers will find this text useful as they prepare their students to compete in today’s globally competitive society.  At the post-secondary level, student success has already been documented when the text is used as a developmental course offering to prepare students for success in college.

After attending one of Professor Gerson’s workshops, designed to train educators how to use Achieve College Success in their classrooms , I can testify that he is truly committed to helping students achieve all they can achieve.
Gary Madsen, Director, P-16 Initiatives, Austin Community College
Note: Gary Madsen is a past President of CTAT and a former CTE Director.

“Thank you so much for the great material and support you've offered this year! I am so excited to continue to add this to my curriculum. I will definitely spend more time on each chapter and have a lot of classroom discussions with my seniors to get them prepared for college. Your book is a great final review for all of the strategies AVID teaches throughout the years!”
Brie M. Garcia
Bryan High School
Blue Campus 5227B
AVID Coordinator/Teacher