Randall Wisehart

Rachel Chance is enjoying married life, especially since it includes not one but two Greyhounds, Abby and Zane. She's torn in multiple directions, though. A real estate colleague draws her attention to possible shady dealings by a colleague who works in her stepfather's firm. At the same time, she tries to sooth hurt feelings from her family after she decided to elope with Will Keller.Rachel is glad for the distraction of helping her stepfather Frank McClure raise funds for a new jazz museum. She is fascinated by the story of how a recording studio in a small town in Indiana was so important to the evolution of jazz across the country. When local philanthropist Walter Carmichael announces he will fund the jazz museum and arrange for funding into the future, it seems as though a new jazz museum will be a reality.Musician JJ Jackson returns to Glen Falls, Indiana to support the construction of a new jazz museum dedicated to the history of jazz recordings made there. Soon, he's embroiled in drama as a bitter rival, Greg Norton, tries to derail plans for the new jazz museum and disparage JJ's reputation.When Greg Norton is murdered, a Facebook page with a local focus immediately throws suspicion on his colleagues in the real estate business, including Rachel's stepfather. Rachel is determined to find the murderer and save the reputation of Frank's real estate agency.When suspicion for Norton's murder falls on JJ Jackson, the plan for a new jazz museum is suddenly frozen. Despite pleas from JJ, Walter Carmichael will no longer fund the museum.Rachel enlists her husband Will in her search for clues. They discover Greg Norton may have been using illegal methods to secure real estate sales. As they talk to Norton's colleagues and clients, they find more than one person with a motive for murder.Greg Norton's lavish lifestyle led to debts he couldn't pay. Could his wife have seen the payout of a large life insurance policy as a way to solve her financial problems? Even with all the debt, there are hints that Norton had hidden a large amount of cash. Rachel knew the search for the hidden cash was a key to solving the mystery.Further Facebook posts are filled with misleading information and accusations. Some of the accusations point a finger at Rachel's stepfather which motivates her to find a killer before McClure Realty is crushed by negative publicity.Every time Rachel and Will think they have found an answer, more questions arise. The path to the hidden money puts Rachel and Will directly in the path of great danger. When it seems that a killer may be escaping justice, Rachel and Will decide a risky plan is the only option.In an exciting conclusion, Rachel's life is threatened. The mystery is solved, and a killer unmasked, when not one but two Greyhounds intervene to help bring a murderer to justice.

Deborah Rickey and Randall Wisehart have spent more than 80 years in the field of education as teachers and administrators. In The Habit of Passionate Teaching, they share what they have learned from their students in middle school, high school, and teacher preparation programs. The motivation for this book comes from the authors' deeply held belief that it is crucial for teachers to share their knowledge about teaching (their craft knowledge) so that every generation of teachers can build on what has worked in the past. Based on interviews with dozens of experienced teachers and with the addition of their own experience, the authors describe and explore what teachers said about becoming effective and "passionate" teachers and how the practices became a habit.The teachers whose voices are shared throughout the book have found success in teaching over a span of five, ten, even twenty and more years. They have bucked the trend that has seen so many teachers leaving the profession after three years or fewer. The authors sought to discover why these teachers chose to stay in the profession. The emerging answer to the question is that these teachers learned and employed practices of passionate teachers and honed the practices until they became a habit, a habit of passionate teaching.The authors highlight the importance of practices that veteran teachers shared during interviews and focus group sessions. One practice is reflecting. Teachers reported the importance of reflecting before, during and after teaching in order to help them focus on student learning. Another practice is nurturing relationships. Teachers shared that building positive relationships with their students was an essential practice. The practice of engaging in an action research mindset was also listed as an important practice. Teachers were clear that having a question or wondering about student learning was crucial. Yet another practice is seeking the perspective of their own students in their journey to the habit of passionate teaching. Seeking the student perspective was an essential element of their teaching practice. Teachers shared how they sought and acted on the student perspective in both formal and informal ways. Finally, the practices of listening and questioning were described as being threaded throughout these teachers' professional lives. Listening was crucial in understanding the student perspective and helped create a classroom culture that led to teachers and students being partners in learning. Questioning was described in a very specific way in the context of this book. Teachers explained the importance of asking questions they did not know the answer to as an important way to emphasize that answers lay in exploration not in the teacher's head.Learning and employing practices of passionate teachers is not an easy process. Teacher anecdotes and examples clearly demonstrated a commitment of these veteran teachers to being lifelong learners. The teachers whose words are shared throughout this book, were clear that being a good teacher means always inquiring about what is working and what isn't and making the necessary adjustments.This book is built around stories and insights of teachers who have made a commitment to the habit of passionate teaching. This book includes important ideas that teachers reported were key to filling them with hope and helping them understand what it means to be a good teacher. In addition, the teachers and authors share specific strategies, practices, and protocols that can be adapted for elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms.This book describes the craft knowledge of the authors and veteran teachers in hopes that other educators can build on the ideas and, in the future, share their own craft knowledge.

Rachel Chance thinks she's just visiting a site on the Underground Railroad as part of the inaugural Glen Falls Freedom Festival until her Greyhound Abby alerts her to a dead body. It's Anthony Jenkins, a man Rachel had seen arguing with her friend just days earlier. Was Jenkins working on a manuscript that would unmask a criminal? Did his sudden marriage lead a greedy family member to kill for a share of an inheritance? Did a past mistake lead a revenge seeker to Glen Falls, Indiana? It soon becomes clear that there is no lack of motives for murder.Rachel's romantic interest Will Keller is soon the target of a police detective who had once been involved with Rachel. As past collides with present, Will remains in the crosshairs of the persistent detective.When Angelica Jenkins, the estranged wife of Anthony Jenkins, arrives on the scene, the tension builds. The Jenkins family doesn't trust her and accuses her of only being after the inheritance. Anthony's brother Arthur cannot contain his temper and public scenes draw attention to the family. Rachel strives to find out more about the family whose arguments provide potential motives for murder.When the seductive Angelica starts to pay attention to Will, Rachel wonders about her motivation. Will's office is broken into and Angelica appears along with Detective Garrett. A mystery person was searching looking for something, but what?Rachel and Will begin their own investigation but find more questions than answers. Rachel must put aside her questions about her relationship with Will and her hopes of adopting another Greyhound in order to find a killer. Issues from the past come to light and Rachel wonders if a tragedy from the past came back to haunt Anthony Jenkins.Will and Rachel continue to follow leads but realize that any of the suspects could be a murderer. Is the motive greed, jealousy, or revenge? When Rachel receives a mysterious note that threatens her Greyhound, she becomes more determined than ever to discover the truth behind the murder.Rachel and Will uncover one deception after another but realize that a risky plan that puts them in danger may be the only way to discover the truth. Their plan is thwarted when Rachel is captured by a killer. The danger mounts and at the last minute, an unexpected ally comes to Rachel's aid. Rachel's Greyhound Abby plays a vital role in a final confrontation. Will it be enough to solve the mystery and bring a killer to justice?

After his parents died, Luke's aunt and uncle gave him a home. He was pretty sure his uncle didn't like him much, though. Luke thought about running away, maybe finding work on one of the boats or barges that tied up at the port of Cincinnati, his hometown and the biggest city in the West. When Levi Coffin, a storeowner in an Indiana village, asked Luke to work for him over the summer, Luke jumped at the chance to live and work with this Quaker family, who treated him with such kindness and respect. But while the Coffins lived in a quiet town, far from civilization, their home was known as the "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad. Luke had to decide whether to obey his uncle, who told him to have nothing to do with breaking the law, or join in the dangerous--and most important--work of his time. The plot twists and turns in the sequel, A Winding Road to Freedom. Revised 2nd edition.

After his parents died, Luke's aunt and uncle gave him a home. He was pretty sure his uncle didn't like him much, though. Luke thought about running away, maybe finding work on one of the boats or barges that tied up at the port of Cincinnati, his hometown and the biggest city in the West. When Levi Coffin, a storeowner in an Indiana village, asked Luke to work for him over the summer, Luke jumped at the chance to live and work with this Quaker family, who treated him with such kindness and respect. But while the Coffins lived in a quiet town, far from civilization, their home was known as the "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad. Luke had to decide whether to obey his uncle, who told him to have nothing to do with breaking the law, or join in the dangerous--and most important--work of his time. The plot twists and turns in the sequel, A Winding Road to Freedom. Revised 2nd edition.