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    A Smile as Big as the Moon by Mike Kersjes Summary

    A Smile as Big as the Moon
    Mike Kersjes
    4.31 (518 Reviews)
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    Overview of A Smile as Big as the Moon

    A special education teacher defies expectations, taking his class to NASA's Space Camp despite overwhelming odds. Adapted into a Hallmark movie starring John Corbett, this true story challenges how we view potential in those society often underestimates. What impossible dream could you help someone achieve?

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    “

    We're going to Space Camp!

    ”
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    "Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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    Celebrities' reading list
    Elon MuskCharlie KirkBill GatesSteve JobsAndrew HubermanJoe RoganJordan Peterson
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    Key Takeaways

    1

    When Dreams Defy Labels

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    Picture a teacher flipping through a magazine in a worn-out teachers' lounge, exhausted from a decade of managing behavioral crises and writing individualized education plans. He stumbles upon an article about Space Camp-NASA's elite program where gifted students build rockets and simulate space missions. Then comes the audacious thought: What if my special education students could do this? The immediate response from colleagues was brutal: "Are you out of your mind?" When he called Space Camp, administrators carefully explained their "rigorous curriculum designed for gifted children." His own principal laid out the harsh reality: IQs below 85, broken homes, fifth-grade reading levels. Yet Mike Kersjes saw something others missed. Watching his sons fold paper airplanes one evening, experimenting through trial and error, he recognized that hands-on learning could unlock potential that traditional academics couldn't measure. This wasn't just about Space Camp-it was about challenging a system that had written off twenty students before they'd even had a chance to prove themselves.

    2

    The Bureaucratic Gauntlet

    3

    Assembling the Unlikely Crew

    4

    Confronting Inner Battles

    5

    Triumph at Mission Control

    6

    The Ripple Effect of Believing