Books with title Taming the Anthill

Taming the Anthill is a collection of games, contests, discipline techniques (oops - classroom management skills), and practical suggestions for introducing fundamental skills of singing, listening, music reading, composing and keyboard. Oh yes, there are a few alka-helpers thrown in to help preserve your mental heath. Some of the ideas in this book were developed from seeds planted by teachers older and wiser than I. Other strategies have evolved in my classroom through trial and error, tears and love. You may possess the newest piano in your district or the state's finest stereo system, but until you create an environment in which the kids become your allies in the battle of musical wills, no plan of instruction can truly flourish. You've got to tame the anthill.

When a mysterious Creature appears just beyond the Hollow bearing a shiny object, it is urgent news for those living within the Refuge, especially the Council of the Glade. However, for a young shrew named Thutter, and his three friends, it becomes the occasion for an ill-advised adventure. To leave the Glade is to break the ancient Code and to surrender the protection of the unseen Elders, Rulers of the Refuge. All the same, the four critters begin their quest with a common goal: to see a real, live Solkreat up close. As they near the strange, two-legged Animal, however, one of the travelers reveals an altogether different agenda. He wants the magic hogseye, the “hero-maker” which dangles from the Creature’s neck. And according to legend, a certain young shrew is the only one who can steal it for him. But Thutter’s friend isn’t the only one coveting the enchanted object. The Beastmonger, a powerful and wicked slitherer, will stop at nothing to get it, even murder. Fortunately, the Elders know this, and they too have a plan for young Thutter. For Their plan to succeed, however, the tiny shrew must believe in Them, learning to listen for Their Voice. Otherwise, in the face of great betrayal and tragic death, the young insectivore will lose all hope. He will fail to protect his family and the Glade from grave danger. More so, he will fail to discover his all-important role in the ancient conflict between Light and Darkness.

Katie likes to believe she’s invisible. It seems so much safer than being exposed as who she is: shy, poor, and vulnerable. So getting up in front of audience as the lead in her school’s production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: “My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it! Invisible Katie became visible Katherina.” Evan is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get noticed, and he uses every one of the skills he’s perfected from years of being the new kid at yet another new school. Rich, smart, and ridiculously charming, he’s like nothing and no one Katie has ever encountered. How then could someone like him possibly be interested in someone like her? But before she knows it they are inseparable. Over the dizzying course of their relationship, Katie must confront the fact that the power of love can conceal darker truths.

Katie likes to believe she’s invisible. It seems so much safer than being exposed as who she is: shy, poor, and vulnerable. So getting up in front of audience as the lead in her school’s production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: “My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it! Invisible Katie became visible Katherina.” Evan is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get noticed, and he uses every one of the skills he’s perfected from years of being the new kid at yet another new school. Rich, smart, and ridiculously charming, he’s like nothing and no one Katie has ever encountered. How then could someone like him possibly be interested in someone like her? But before she knows it they are inseparable. Over the dizzying course of their relationship, Katie must confront the fact that the power of love can conceal darker truths.

When a mysterious Creature appears just beyond the Hollow bearing a shiny object, it is urgent news for those living within the Refuge, especially the Council of the Glade. However, for a young shrew named Thutter, and his three friends, it becomes the occasion for an ill-advised adventure. To leave the Glade is to break the ancient Code and to surrender the protection of the unseen Elders, Rulers of the Refuge. All the same, the four critters begin their quest with a common goal: to see a real, live Solkreat up close. As they near the strange, two-legged Animal, however, one of the travelers reveals an altogether different agenda. He wants the magic hogseye, the “hero-maker” which dangles from the Creature’s neck. And according to legend, a certain young shrew is the only one who can steal it for him. But Thutter’s friend isn’t the only one coveting the enchanted object. The Beastmonger, a powerful and wicked slitherer, will stop at nothing to get it, even murder. Fortunately, the Elders know this, and they too have a plan for young Thutter. For Their plan to succeed, however, the tiny shrew must believe in Them, learning to listen for Their Voice. Otherwise, in the face of great betrayal and tragic death, the young insectivore will lose all hope. He will fail to protect his family and the Glade from grave danger. More so, he will fail to discover his all-important role in the ancient conflict between Light and Darkness.