VALLEY VIEW PUBLIC SCHOOLS
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT 365-U
Romeoville, Illinois

I have known Bob Wack since the summer of 1997, when he was invited to our district to work with our high school science teachers on Motivating the Unmotivated. I participated in the sessions and witnessed the staff's positive response to Bob Wack's friendly, candid style of presentation. Two special topics--teaching positive, task-related self-talk and BCF (behaviors-consequences-feelings) opened up new areas of insight and understanding for our staff and complemented their need for student intervention techniques. The manual accompanying his presentation is full of helpful hints and real life examples which cover the all subject areas in the K-12 spectrum. It's probably one of the best resources our teachers have received from any inservices we've provided in our district!

On the strength of Bob's work with high school science teachers, our district staff development committee asked him to deliver his presentation at the County-Wide Teacher's Institute on February 27, 1998. Attendance at his sessions exceeded expectations, and feedback from attendees was highly positive.

I personally found Bob easy to work with and extremely accom-modating to the scheduling and informational needs of our staff. I hope to re-invite Bob to our district in the future to continue training in Motivating the Unmotivated.

Paul Nasbeny, District Curriculum Coordinator
Educational Services Department

WASHINGTON COUNTY EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT
Portland, Oregon

For six years through ESD sponsored inservice classes, Bob Wack has served as an instructor to educators in our area. Bob's classes have been consistently among the best attended classes we have sponsored. My observations of his teaching show the following strengths: Bob is always well prepared. He has realistic techniques to share that participants view as workable within their classrooms. He maintains a suitable balance between lecture and activities and between theory and strategies. He selects an appropriate amount of material to present and gets through that material. His handouts are thoughtfully prepared to provide the participant with both background reading and practical management tools. Best of all, Bob maintains an atmosphere that elicits professional level responses from the participants.

Bob is a pleasure to work with from a program manager's point of view. He consistently operates at a thoroughly professional level in preparing course proposals, meeting our deadlines and dealing with students. His ideas for classes are in tune with identified needs and his follow through is good. I recommend Bob as a person to work with teachers and administrators without reservation. He's a first rate instructor and consultant.

From: Sandra K. Howell
Coordinator for Staff Development
Washington County Education Service District

PANAMA-BUENA VISTA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bakersfield, California

Dear Bob,

I want to thank you for coming to our district to provide training for our classroom instructional aides. Your workshop was outstanding. A number of useful topics were addressed including self-esteem builders, motivation techniques, behavior modification strategies, retention activities, and methods to enhance oral language development.

Your presentation was up-beat and engaging, actively involving all participants. The evaluations were very favorable and our aides were most appreciative of the fact that they left your training with a variety of practical ideas and strategies that could be immediately implemented in the classroom.

Thanks for a wonderful day. I look forward to working with you again in the near future.

Sincerely,
Paul White
Director of Staff Development

WASHINGTON SCHOOL
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Medford, Oregon

Dear Bob,

I would like to take this opportunity to express how pleased I have been with your consultative work at Washington Elementary in Medford, Oregon.

Our 2020 professional grant committee as well as our entire staff have nothing but praise for your inservice in August on improving self-concept/self-responsibility and your inservice on cooperative learning in February of this year. Your courses were instrumental in providing teachers with practical strategies which have enabled them to increase positive self-esteem, task completion, on-task behaviors, and proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

I also appreciate your kindness on both occasions in not only working with our individual needs but in allowing us to publish your booklets within our district in order to save monies. Your courses on both inservice days provided "hands-on" learning with short-lecture, group discussion and planning.

Some of the comments from our teachers praised your expertise and I thought you might be interested in seeing some of their quotes. From our resource teacher Marge Holdren, "I'm glad to give up my work day for such handy, easy to manage methods for getting kids to feel good about themselves and learning." From a first grade teacher, "I learned many new techniques and ways to help the at-risk kids are all great. I want to implement all of them throughout the year." From our student resource teacher, "Good pacing, dynamic, war stories were kept at a minimum, and good examples."

Our staff remains positive at this time of public school resources and rising statistics of alarming nature concerning drop-outs, abused children, and drug/alcohol related problems. As you were aware, our school serves 65% of our children free and reduced lunches, has a 33 1/2% turn over rate, and a 15% Hispanic population.

Your inservice work was well organized, conscientious of time constraints, and addressed various sensitive issues to various issues within our building. I felt you were very skilled with group dynamics yet astute and confident in your abilities.

Stephanie Johnson,
Principal

YREKA UNION HIGH SCHOOL
Yreka, California 96097

In the fall of 1992, Yreka Union High School implemented major changes in the school as part of a comprehensive restructuring program. The inauguration of a trimester system replacing the conventional two semesters, a CORE program for all ninth graders, and a move to 70 minute class periods from 48 minute classes, had raised the level of teacher anxiety. These and numerous other changes to the school were designed by the teachers to deal with the growing problem of non-achieving, non-motivated students. The conceptual design of these changes was exciting but the actual implementation and the changes required in day-to-day classroom teaching put a tremendous burden on the faculty.

Bob Wack of Effective Learning Resources was asked to provide in-service training to the faculty on "Motivating the Unmotivated Student' and on "Teaching Cooperative Learning ". The staff made it clear to Bob that they had their fill of educational theory. What was needed was practical techniques that could be applied in the classroom in September.

Although the staff takes great pride in the restructuring changes that they designed, they credit Bob Wack for the excellent success they have had in implementing these changes. Throughout the classrooms of the school a radical change has occurred. Not only is learning "student centered ', but the students are deeply involved in the learning process. The faculty credits techniques learned in Bob Wack's workshop for this transformation.

Faculty members are unanimous that Bob's workshop was the most practical and most effective ever presented at YHS. I certainly recommend Bob and his training programs to any secondary or elementary staff.

Sincerely,
Lawrence G. Perry,
Principal

THORTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
FREMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Fremont, California

Dear Mr. Wack:

Thank you for the most enlightening presentation. The staff of Thornton JHS greatly appreciates the material you presented. The handbook is outstanding, and we are planning to incorporate concepts during second semester.

Do you have a plan for follow-up with the faculties you have worked with? We definitely would like to work with you in such a capacity.

I have enclosed a copy of the overall evaluation, which was completed at the end of the seminar. Again, thank you very much for the presentation.

Sincerely yours,
Geraldine C. Forte, Ed.D.
Principal

OFFICE OF DR. KELLY F. BLANTON
KERN COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Bakersfield, CA 93309-2924

To Whom It May Concern:

As program specialist for the Kern County Special Education Consortium, I have had the pleasure of using Bob as a speaker at two workshops during the 1990-91 school year. The first workshop involved "Six Steps to Successful Consultation and Resolving Conflicts". He provided a realistic plan to help resource specialists/special day class teachers communicate with principals and staff members. The second workshop involved training in cooperative learning. Mr. Wack offered a number of practical methods to implement cooperative learning within the classroom.

I have found Mr. Wack to be a well-prepared and organized speaker. He has been able to demonstrate how to implement his ideas in a regular or special education classroom. His inservices have been informative and practical. He also has provided a number of additional resources that have been useful to the 230 teachers I serve in my consortium. I recommend using Mr. Wack as a speaker and feel he would also be an effective consultant for any district for long-range staff development.

Sincerely,
Kelly F. Blanton
County Superintendent of Schools

Ellen Dolan Andersen
Program Specialist
Kern County Special Education Consortium

SKAMANIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Skamania, Washington

It is my pleasure to recommend Mr. Robert Wack. I utilized Mr. Wack's unique inservice skills for two small rural districts for which I am the superintendent. Mr. Wack possesses a wide range of talents and is able to motivate and excite teachers. Mr. Wack practices what he teaches in the classroom as a role model for the teacher.

It is difficult for small school districts to provide inservice opportunities for staff. It is often impossible to send them to inservice programs because of distance and more often than not the district is not able to find adequate substitutes as replacements. Mr. Wack is able to bring the needed inservice into the classroom in an intensive and qualitative manner.

In short, Mr. Wack can deliver a quality inservice program to the teacher on an individual basis or to large groups with equal ease.

I would be happy to answer any further questions, please feel free to call (509) 427-8239.

Sincerely.
Clay to L. Anderson
Superintendent

SAN LORENZO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
San Lorenzo, California

I am pleased to recommend Bob Wack as a highly effective educational consultant and staff trainer. San Lorenzo teachers who have attended his workshops have found his presentations to be well organized and practical. Bob's background as a regular and special education teacher and his years of experience as a trainer provide him with a breadth and scope of knowledge, which is immediately apparent in his work.

During the 1986-87 school year the district employed Bob to consult with a teacher who needed intensive assistance in classroom organizations behavioral management and curriculum planning. In the total of one and a half days devoted to this purpose, Bob was able to observe the teacher at works provide appropriate consultation and do a follow-up observation. The end result was that this teacher's classroom effectiveness was significantly improved. All of his work, including classroom observations and recommendations were thoroughly documented in writing by Bob. This documentation provided the basis for ongoing supervision and consultation by district staff.

I have never been more satisfied with the performance of an outside consultant and will certainly call upon his services in the future.

Sincerely,
William Mowery
Administrator,
Special Services

POINT DEFIANCE ELEMENTARY SCH0OL
TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Tacoma, WA

Bob Wack directed two inservice sessions for the Point Defiance staff. Both of these sessions were 3.5 hours in length and dealt with the idea of improving self-concept through group reading and writing activities. Since this is a staff that had greatly increased in size this year and the first workshop was held on September 10, Bob did several activities to help the staff get acquainted.

Point Defiance opened this year with over 50% of our students being new to the building. We had planned for this and with improved writing one of our building curriculum goals, Mr. Wack's sessions on building self-concept with reading and writing were ideal. Staff members felt that the activities were very applicable and easy to use. Several teachers are still using the activities and I have heard comments from students about how they enjoy participating.

Mr. Wack was organized and gave good clear presentations with a lot of group participation. We were pleased with the job Mr. Wack did for us and I do recommend his services.

Sincerely,
Coralee P. Kinney
Principal

ALPAC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
AUBURN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Pacific, Washington

This letter is a reference letter on behalf of Robert Wack. Mr. Wack was utilized as an educational consultant to work with the staff at' Alpac Elementary School on a staff development proposal on the topic of Student Motivation and the Underachiever.

We became acquainted with Mr. Wack as a result of three of our staff members enrolling in one of his many extension classes. Mr. Wack planned and presented a very effective workshop for us during the months of October through December. He can be described as very professional and well organized. He has a wealth of ideas. His ideas and materials are very practical and have been well received by our staff. He has the capability of generating staff enthusiasm and they incorporated his ideas in-to the classroom.

Mr. Wack possesses excellent "people" skills. He not only is a fine presenter but he works well with people in small groups and on a one-on-one basis. He also is an effective classroom teacher as demonstrated by his ability to do (demonstration lessons in the classroom.

Robert Wack has expertise in many areas. He would be an effective resource in the area of a building multi-disciplinary team as it reviews various instructional alternatives for students who have become a focus of concern.

In summary, Robert Wack is an effective educational resource. He would be an asset to any school district or educational institution.

Sincerely,
Bill Ray, Principal

WILBUR HIGH SCHOOL
Wilbur, Washington

Dear Mr. Wack:

I am extremely impressed with your work on 'Motivating the Unmotivated - Teaching Self-Motivation, Self-Discipline and Responsibility." Having taken your class this summer, I can highly recommend it for any and all educators truly interested in the success of children.

You have provided great encouragement and motivation for educators to do a better job of encouraging our students. Your refreshing insights, practical and applicable information, pertinent illustrations and stories, are woven together in a "can't miss" format.

Bob, your message is right on target! Your program delivers what many only promise--a comprehensive and practical guide to dealing with today's youth in our school classrooms. Anyone who misses the opportunity to become involved with your class misses one of the greatest educational practicums of a lifetime.

I highly recommend your program and class without any hesitation or reservation.

George W. Olsen
School Principal

HORNER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
FREMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Fremont, California 94538

Dear Mr. Wack:

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the very helpful and practical all day workshop you presented for us. You had a fast paced, well organized presentation. The material was new, and the teachers found it helpful and encouraging.

We very much appreciated your time and effort and are certain our time was well spent.

Sincerely,

E. M. McCoy
Principal

Peggy Smith
Staff Development Specialist
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING A BRIDGE TO LITERACY
Jerry Ammer, Ph.D.
Program Chairman

CALIFORNIA STATE FEDERATION/COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
38th ANNUAL STATE CONFERENCE

Dear Mr. Wack:

Thank you for your participation as a presenter at the 38th annual California State Federation/Council For Exceptional Children conference in December.

In response to your session, people attending your presentation rated these statements: presenter well prepared & knowledgeable, session content was useful & timely, presentation met your needs, and time allotment used prudently. The rating scale used was a point system, five being the highest ranking. The completed forms from your session averaged 4.8. The only negative scores were on the time allotment, although no specific suggestions were made. Even though these forms had no formal area for written comments, people did jot down accolades such as: outstanding session, excellent, and terrific! Nice to get such positive feedback as a presenter.

Appreciatively,

Carol Comparsi
Evaluations Chair
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA