Donna Goldberg - The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond

We would first like to thank our agent, Alice Martell, for believing in this project and for going above and beyond, every step of the way. Alice has served as guide, adviser, hand-holder, advocate, sample audience, cheering squad, and friend throughout this journey. She was there every time we picked up the phone and always had the right answer. This book would not be what it is (and may not have been at all) without her.

We would next like to thank Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside for her excitement about and commitment to The Organized Student. Her insights were as invaluable as her patience with two first-time authors, and her feedback, as both parent and editor, helped shape this book. Trish gave new meaning to the concept of taking her work home with her, and for that we are grateful both to her and to her son, Mac, who let his mom practice organizing techniques on him. We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone else at Touchstone Fireside who helped make this production possible, particularly Mark Gompertz, Brett Valley, Martha Schwartz, Patricia Romanowsky, and Lisa Sciambra.

Many more people contributed to the birthing of this book. We would like to thank Terri Meyer, Sandy Greenberg, and Scott Frankel, who helped assemble a proposal that captured the heart and soul of our concept, for their highly trained eyes and extremely capable hands; Saul Goldberg, Elizabeth Camilo, and Ariel Camilo, who arranged, photographed, and edited the images used in this book, for their dedication and wonderfully perfectionist tendencies; and Heather Abel, Sarah Appleman, and Matti Feldman, who generously offered feedback on our writing, for helping this book move from concept to proposal to finished manuscript.

It goes without saying that this book could not have been written without the help of the wonderful, quirky, challenging, and insightful students weve worked with over the years; we thank them for all they have taught us. We would also like to thank our friends and family, who allowed us to be completely single-minded and ignore them while we were working on this manuscript.

And, finally, we would like to thank each other. In our pairing we found the inspiration, motivation, and capacity to achieve a dream. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are thrilled to have grabbed it with both hands.

Thank you to my loving family: Jack, a great father and a role model of hard work, who gave me the space to evolve and mature and encouraged me to recognize my own abilities; Noah, the inspiration for The Organized Student, and living proof that organization can be the key to success; and Saul, who had his own battles to fight, who never gave up, and who found a path that has allowed him to flourish.

So many people have had a hand in helping me climb my mountains. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Dr. Clarice Kestenbaum, who first diagnosed my dyslexia and did more than help me: she saved me. She has always been my life raft, and it is because of her that I believe in myself. Audrey Zucker suggested that I become a librarian at Dalton, and Marilyn Moss embraced the idea. I learned from them what it meant to be a professional, and I will always be grateful to these two exceptional mentors. Marsha Kessler brought me into the world of learning disabilities as a colleague and has served as both guide and teacher. Joan Skurnick inspired me with a lecture and quickly became a much-valued adviser. Carol Saper planted the seed in my mind that the work I did with my son could be turned into a business. She lent me her own child to practice on and then went out and found me clients. Sue Appleman was always available as my business was getting started, whether acting as surrogate mom to my kids or as surrogate sister to me. She was (and is) the best friend one could hope for.

My NAPO colleagues have been a source of encouragement, inspiration, and guidance; thank you Sheila Delson, Barry Izsak, Linda Rothschild, and Stephanie Winston. I am indebted to all of the friends who have believed in me over the years, all extraordinary women who have seen me through the shifting landscapes of my life, particularly Cindi Becker, Marjorie Beutel, Jaclyn Braslow, Wendy Goldstein, Debra Hoffman, Carolyn Karp, Arlyne Landesman, Bunny Lederer, Leila Levitas, Beth Lowy, Linda Motelson, Sharon Oberfield, Laura Rabbitt, Joan Weberman, and Kate Whitney. I must also take this opportunity to thank Sylvia Quinagoran, who takes care of me while Im busy taking care of everyone else.

And lastly, I am deeply grateful to my parents. They always believed in me. I wish they were here to see that their daughter, who couldnt read and struggled every day in school, has just written a book. They wouldnt be at all surprised.

My first thanks go to my parents, Goldie and Alan, and to my brother Louis, an original and eclectic group of teachers. Each has inspired me with his or her own brand of creativity, humor, and conviction. I thank my mother for her open heart and her unwavering faith in me, my father for his constant support and the pleasure he takes in my success, and my brother for his brilliant mind and generous spirit.

My next thanks go to doctors Susan Berg and Ron Hackett, who opened their home, shared their wisdom, and cooked for me while I was busy writing, and to Janine Davey, who provided both feedback and entertainment as needed. I could not have asked for a better second family.

I am incredibly grateful to all of the friends, colleagues, and clients who have shared so generously of their time, experience, and insight. I particularly want to thank: Natalie Blitt, for serving as a sounding board, offering excellent feedback, and always knowing when to tell me Im doing a good job; Ilana Klein, for her passionate and vocal advocacy on my behalf and for her resounding faith in me; Adam Price, for his levelheaded and freely offered advice; Zehava Cohen, for always being willing and available to talk me through the process; Jessica Rutherford, for explaining the ins and outs of the business; Dr. Mary Campbell Gallagher, for providing innumerable resources and valuable suggestions; Dr. Jennifer Gerber and Dr. Adena Rosenthal, for their sympathetic ears and wonderful work; Dr. Laurie Weber, for opening a new window in my life and letting the air in; the entire Telushkin family, especially Dvorah, for her compassion and insight, Joseph, for his enthusiasm and counsel, and Benji, for his sense of humor and unique take on the world; and Norah Mazar Weglein, Alana Riss Fine, Ruby Gelman, and Rachel Perdue, for celebrating and commiserating with me, depending on the day.