A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Special Education Teacher, His Class, and Their Inspiring Journey Through U.S. Space Camp

by Mike Kersjes, Joe Layden (With)

Overview

Besides being a football coach at his Michigan High School, Mike
Kersjes taught special education classes, dealing with children whose disabilities included Tourette syndrome, Downs Syndrome, dyslexia, eating disorders and a variety of emotional problems.

One autumn Kersjes got the outlandish idea that his students would benefit from going to Space Camp, where, in conjunction with NASA, high school students compete in a variety of activities similar to those experienced by astronauts in training for space shuttle missions. There was only one problem: this program had been specifically designed for gifted and talented students, the best and the brightest from America's most privileged high schools.

Kersjes believed that, given a chance, his kids could do as well as anybody, and with remarkable persistence broke down one barrier after another, from his own principal's office to the inner sanctum of NASA, until Space Camp opened its doors, on an experimental basis, to special ed students. After nine months of rigorous preparation, during which the class molded itself into a working team, they arrived at Space Camp, where they turned in a performance so startling, so surprising, that it will leave the reader breathless. A truly triumphant story of the power of the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429976206
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	831,537
File size:	358 KB

About the Author

Mike Kersjes is president of Space Is Special Inc., a not-for-profit organization that helps special education students enhance their science and mathematics skills using space as a motivational theme. He has been a special education teacher and football coach for more than twenty years with the Forest Hills Public School system and is currently working with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of California, Irvine. Kersjes lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Joe Layden is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author. He lives in upstate New York.

Mike Kersjes is president of Space Is Special Inc., a not for profit organization that helps special education students enhance their science and mathematics skills using space as a motivational theme. He has been a special education teacher and football coach for more than twenty years with the Forest Hills Public School system and is currently working with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of California, Irvine. The film rights for his book have been sold to Jerry Bruckheimer for Walt Disney Pictures. Kersjes lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

JOE LAYDEN is an award-winning journalist and freelance writer whose work has been honored by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association, the National Associated Press Sports Editors, the New York State Associated Press Association, and the International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council.

Mr. Layden has written or co-written more than thirty books for adults and children, including The Last Great Fight and The Ghost Horse.

Editorial Reviews

From a magazine article, educator Kersjes learned that students from all over the country could spend six days training and living like astronauts at Space Camp, a 450-acre theme park, museum and educational center at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama. Knowing his high school students would relish visiting the facility, he pitched the idea to a colleague; she questioned his sanity. He mentioned it to his principal, who responded, "`You should be preparing these students... for life beyond this school, not chasing some crazy dream.'" Why would an administrator be bitterly opposed to such an enriching experience? Because these students had developmental disabilities like Down's and Tourette's syndromes, as well as emotional problems. Despite the opposition, Kersjes was determined to give his students the experience of a lifetime. With co-teacher Robynn McKinney and parent chaperones, Kersjes loaded 20 students, age 14 through 17, onto a plane from Grand Rapids, Mich., making them the first group of special education students to attend Space Camp. Kersjes recounts that most of these kids had never allowed their reach to exceed their grasp, yet there they stood, ready to take on an activity that would daunt many adults. The obstacles were plenty. From the NASA education program's initial unwillingness, to the $50,000 needed for everyone to attend the camp, they met each challenge with enthusiasm and dignity, racking up some awards along the way. Kersjes's refreshing, heart-warming account proves that faith and vision can yield great things. Agent, Mickey Freiberg. (Feb.) Forecast: Jerry Bruckheimer (for Walt Disney Pictures) has purchased film rights to this uplifting story. Handselling by store clerks to junior high and high school teachers should boost sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A high school special education teacher in Michigan, Kersjes faced enormous odds when he decided that he wanted his class to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, AL, a program aimed at providing simulated astronaut training for gifted students. His 20 students had a wide range of learning and emotional disabilities and were stigmatized by other students and teachers. Readers will be genuinely moved by the many funny, sad, irritating, and even frustrating scenes, as Kersjes relates the numerous bureaucratic and educational stumbling blocks he encountered trying to convince administrators at his school and at Space Camp that his students could benefit and succeed in the challenging program. Once those barriers were overcome, he faced huge problems raising money for travel and, more importantly, preparing his students for the rigors of five days of training. Their individual and group triumphs make for a feel-good tale that's highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The inspirational account of a special-education teacher in a small-town high school who overcame great obstacles to bring his class to NASA's space camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

Kirkus Reviews

It's a heartening story, sure to inspire other teachers struggling with students who often seem beyond their reach . . . Dramatic and moving . . . The students end up winning a major award, but their real victory, of course, is their newfound confidence and sense of accomplishment.” —Teacher magazine

“Genuinely inspirational . . . McKinney and Kersjes witnessed a remarkable transformation: kids who were plagued by numerous, often severe emotional, familial, and learning problems became a cohesive team that placed in the top three in all three of the camp's competitions . . . A remarkable story.” —Booklist

“Like the U.S. Space Program, this is a compelling story that shows what can be accomplished when you are only limited by imagination and ingenuity. The reader can readily sense the personal dedication and love that 'Coach' has for his students.” —Bob Springer, astronaut

“It's hard not to fall under the spell of this Michigan-based David-and-Goliath tale.” —The Detroit Free Press

“A testament to how perseverance can get results and how children can perform surprising feats in a system that doesn't always work to help all children.” —The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“A Smile as Big as the Moon is a terrific book. At once uplifting and thought provoking, it pulls no punches in depicting the hardships encountered by a group of special education students and the teacher who believed in them. A remarkable and unforgettable story.” —Jerry Bruckheimer

“An inspiration.” —The Roanoke Times

“Heartfelt . . . moving, reveling in the students' strength and quirks, never blinking at their untimely failures.” —The Anniston Star

“Those of us who have witnessed Mike's wonderful work are very happy that they are evident and celebrated in this great book.” —Tom Rooney, president of Team Lemieux, LLC

“Shoot for the moon—and land among the stars . . . Mike Kersjes has done that in his book.” —Captain Gene Cernan, Apollo XVII

“Kersjes's refreshing, heart-warming account proves that faith and vision can yield great things.” —Publishers Weekly

“An inspiring David-and-Goliath tale.” —The Christian Science Monitor

From the Publisher