Books of interest

Currently, I am reading (and rereading) two books of interest in my current Walden class.  The first, Tinkering Toward Utopia, is written by David Tyack and Larry Cuban.  This particular book examines the history of education reform, politics role in the reform process, the "grammar of schooling," and why some reforms don't stick.  I'm currently on my second reading of the book and I look forward to discussing it more with my classmates.  The second book, Experience and Education, was written by John Dewey.   I am in the process of my first reading of this text and I am enjoying it.  I find John Dewey's contribution to education interesting and this book was written in response to how some of his prior work was being interpreted.

What I have found most intersting between the two books are the concepts about what "real school" looks like.  This was something that I definitely struggled with as a preschool teacher.  I was given a certain idea about about was a "real" preschool classroom should look like and how the day should run.  Yet, that preconceived notion did not work for my students.  It felt strange to break the mold and do something innovative in my classroom, yet, it was exactly what they needed.   Do you do anything in your classroom that is innovative?  What does "real" school look like to you?