At once "a pop culture phenomenon" (Publishers Weekly) and "screamingly funny" (Booklist), Educating Esmé "should be read by anyone who's interested in the future of public education" (Boston Phoenix Literary Section). A must-read for parents, new teachers, and classroom veterans, Educating Esmé is the exuberant diary of Esmé Raji Codell’s first year teaching in a Chicago public school. Fresh-mouthed and free-spirited, the irrepressible Madame Esmé—as she prefers to be called—does the cha-cha during multiplication tables, roller-skates down the hallways, and puts on rousing performances with at-risk students in the library. Her diary opens a window into a real-life classroom from a teacher’s perspective. While battling bureaucrats, gang members, abusive parents, and her own insecurities, this gifted young woman reveals what it takes to be an exceptional teacher. Heroine to thousands of parents and educators, Esmé now shares more of her ingenious and yet down-to-earth approaches to the classroom in a supplementary guide to help new teachers hit the ground running. As relevant and iconoclastic as when it was first published, Educating Esmé is a classic, as is Madame Esmé herself.
Learn why today’s best teachers are leaving—from the teachers themselves. Low pay, increased responsibilities, and high-stakes standardized testing—these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers all over the country, Katy Farber presents an in-the-trenches view of the classroom exodus and uncovers ways that schools can turn the tide. Farber's findings, which have been featured on Education Talk Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and in the Huffington Post, paint a sometimes shocking picture of life in today's schools, taking a frank look at • Challenges to teacher endurance, including tight budgets, difficult parents, standardized testing, unsafe schools, inadequate pay, and lack of respect • Strategies veteran teachers use to make sure the joys of teaching outweigh the frustrations • Success stories from individual schools and districts that have found solutions to these challenges • Recommendations for creating a school environment that fosters teacher retention Featuring clear analysis and concrete suggestions for administrators and policy makers, Why Great Teachers Quit takes you to the front lines of the fight to keep great teachers where they belong: in the classroom.
"A critical anthology that examines the nature and purpose of the teaching profession in the United States" "" Drawing on first-person accounts and sociological, historical, and literary sources, The Teacher in American Society: A Critical Anthology examines the nature of the teaching profession in the United States and the purpose behind the work of K 12 teachers. In addition to selections from novels and first-person accounts, editor Eugene F. Provenzo draws from a wide range of popular culture sources, including films, cartoons, and YouTube videos to convey not only the work and experience of teachers, but also how teachers are perceived in our society. Features ""Popular and classic selections demonstrate that learning to teach well is a deeply reflective act.Critical questions at the beginning of each reading encourage students to think about teaching in the context of a wide range of cultures, traditions, and teaching [b1] experiences."Further Readings" and "Linking to Popular Culture" sections in each Part opener lead students to a range of resources beyond the text."
This anthology of critical readings (for students about to enter the teaching profession and for those interested in carefully examining schools and schooling) features provocative, engaging authors whose views are politicized, but whose writing and opinions matte - not because they are gadflies, but because their ideas work and their achievements as teachers, principals, and policy shapers are so notable. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings is organized around the following questions: Why teach? Who are today′s students? What makes a good teacher? How should we assess student learning? What does a good school look like? How does one develop a critical voice (in the face of state mandates, administrative edicts, and the continuous cycle of reform and retrenchment)? Alan S Canestrari and Bruce A Marlowe′s answers are bold and refreshing. They eschew the unquestioning compliance so characteristic of new teachers. Also, by taking a hard look at traditional educational practice, they serve as models for the kind of reflective practitioners we hope pre-service students will become when they enter the field. The key feature of this anthology are the readings by authors who have discovered their own critical voices so that new teachers can begin to develop their own. These readings offer a platform for discussion and debate that may be used by instructors to increase student knowledge of pedagogy and to provide authentic opportunities for potential teachers to think critically about teaching and learning.
A NEW EDITION OF THE GROUNDBREAKING BOOK A new edition - revised and updated with over 100 pages of new material - of the groundbreaking book that brings the principles of organizational learning to today’s schools and classrooms. A unique collaboration between the celebrated management thinker and Fifth Discipline author Peter Senge, and a team of renowned educators and organizational change leaders, the revised edition of Schools The Learn addresses the new and unique pressures on our educational system that have emerged since the book’s initial publication in 2000. In a fast-changing world where school populations are increasingly diverse, children live in ever-more-complex social and media environments, standardized tests are applied as overly simplistic "quick fixes," and advances in science and technology continue to accelerate, the pressures on our educational system are inescapable. Schools That Learn offers a much-needed way to open dialogue about these problems – and provides pragmatic opportunities to transform school systems into learning organizations.
The Cage-Busting Teacher adopts the logic of Cage-Busting Leadership and applies it to the unique challenges and opportunities of classroom teachers. Detailed, accessible, and thoroughly engaging, it uncovers the many ways in which teachers can break out of familiar constraints in order to influence school and classroom practice, education policy, and school reform. “Cage-busting is concrete, precise, andpractical,” writes Frederick M. Hess. This invaluable book helps teachers understand why and how to revisit their assumptions and enables them to have greater impacts upon their schools and beyond. Based on interviews with hundreds of teachers, teacher advocates, union leaders, and others, Hess identifies the challenges teachers face, seeks concrete and workable solutions, and offers recommendations to put those solutions in place. A uniquely practical and inspiring book, The Cage-Busting Teacher is for educators who want to shape the schools and systems in which they work.
Offers advice and guidelines on how to expand a child's world through books and reading, introducing three thousand teacher-recommended book titles, craft ideas, projects, recipes, and reading club tips.
The overall aim of this reader-friendly book is to enable current and prospective teachers as well as other education professionals to improve practice, leading to more successful learning for all students. Drawing on her extensive experience as both a high school teacher and a university professor, Inez De Florio provides an evidence-informed and value-based approach to teaching and learning that takes the personality and the accountability of teaching professionals into account. Students' needs and interests are the primary focus of an evidence-informed teaching model, MET (Model of Effective Teaching), which is described and exemplified in detail. In order to allow for informed decisions and suitable applications of the steps of the MET, the book provides, furthermore, a succinct and comprehensible introduction to the main features and types of educational research, especially newer findings of evidence-based education such as presented in John Hattie's research.
"A rich, much-needed remedy for the standardized institutions that comprise too much of our school system today… ideal for teachers and parents intent on resurrecting and fostering students' inherent drive to learn…An essential resource." -Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND “Schools that Learn is a magnificent, grand book that pays equal attention to the small and the big picture - and what's more integrates them. There is no book on education change that comes close to Senge et al's sweeping and detailed treatment. Classroom, school, community, systems, citizenry---it's all there. The core message is stirring: what if we viewed schools as a means of shifting society for the better!" -Michael Fullan, author of Change Leader and Learning Places A new edition of the groundbreaking book that brings organizational learning and systems thinking into classrooms and schools, showing how to keep our nation’s educational system competitive in today’s world. Revised and updated - with more than 100 pages of new material – for the first time since its initial publication in 2000 comes a new edition of the seminal work acclaimed as one of the best books ever written about education and schools. A unique collaboration between the celebrated management thinker and Fifth Discipline author Peter Senge and a team of renowned educators and organizational change leaders, Schools that Learn describes how schools can adapt, grow, and change in the face of the demands and challenges of our society, and provides tools, techniques and references for bringing those aspirations to life. The new revised and updated edition offers practical advice for overcoming the many challenges that face our communities and educational systems today. It shows teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members how to successfully use principles of organizational learning, including systems thinking and shared vision, to address the challenges that face our nation's schools. In a fast-changing world where school populations are increasingly diverse, children live in ever-more-complex social and media environments, standardized tests are applied as overly simplistic "quick fixes," and advances in science and technology continue to accelerate, the pressures on our educational system are inescapable. Schools That Learn offers a much-needed way to open dialogue about these problems – and provides pragmatic opportunities to transform school systems into learning organizations. Drawing on observations and advice from more than 70 writers and experts on schools and education, this book features: -Methods for implementing organizational learning and explanations of why they work -Compelling stories and anecdotes from the “field” - classrooms, schools, and communities -Charts, tables and diagrams to illustrate systems thinking and other practices -Guiding principles for how to apply innovative practices in all types of school systems -Individual exercises useful for both teachers and students -Team exercises to foster communication within the classroom, school, or community group -New essays on topics like educating for sustainability, systems thinking in the classroom, and “the great game of high school.” -New recommendations for related books, articles, videotapes and web sites -And more Schools That Learn is the essential guide for anyone who cares about the future of education and keeping our nation’s schools competitive in our fast-changing world.
