A Teacher's Tale


Book Description

It was never in author Joe Gilliland's plan to become a teacher, certainly not a college teacher and most certainly not an English teacher. But that's what happened, and he's never looked back. In A Teacher's Tale, he explains how by neither planning for nor seeking a life of learning and teaching, lacking a syllabus or lesson plan, he discovered that a life in academe lay in his path-a path he's followed for more than fifty years. A Teacher's Tale begins in 1932 with Gilliland's first experiences in schooling and concludes in the summer of 1955 just as he completes his apprenticeship and stands on the brink of becoming a qualified instructor in a small college in east Texas. This memoir presents a collection of stories about his experiences as a teacher and a college student. A story of schooling deeply immersed in the arts and humanities, A Teacher's Tale shares Gilliland's love of the university and how it compelled him to seek a life devoted to teaching, primarily in the community college arena. Through this narrative, he brings together a philosophy of higher education based on the importance of arts and humanities in today's high-tech world.




Losing My Faculties


Book Description

In his first nine years as a teacher, Brendan Halpin goes from wide-eyed idealist to cynical, heartbroken idealist. Unique among teaching memoirs, Losing My Faculties is not the story of a heroic teacher who transforms the lives of his hardbitten students; rather, it’s the inspirational and often unpretty truth about people who choose to get up ridiculously early day after day and year after year to go stand in front of teenagers. It’s also a rarely-seen, all-access view of both suburban and urban education, including the ugly truth behind the mythology at a much-hyped charter school.




The Battle for Room 314


Book Description

In this insightfully honest and moving memoir about the realities of teaching in an inner-city school, Ed Boland "smashes the dangerous myth of the hero-teacher [and] shows us how high the stakes are for our most vulnerable students" (Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black). In a fit of idealism, Ed Boland left a twenty-year career as a non-profit executive to teach in a tough New York City public high school. But his hopes quickly collided headlong with the appalling reality of his students' lives and a hobbled education system unable to help them. Freddy runs a drug ring for his incarcerated brother; Nee-cole is homeschooled on the subway by her brilliant homeless mother; Byron's Ivy League dream is dashed because he is undocumented. In the end, Boland isn't hoisted on his students' shoulders and no one passes AP anything. This is no urban fairy tale of at-risk kids saved by a Hollywood hero, but a searing indictment of schools that claim to be progressive but still fail their students. Told with compassion, humor, and a keen eye, Boland's story is sure to ignite debate about the future of American education and attempts to reform it.




Tales from the Teachers' Lounge


Book Description

From the critically acclaimed author of Daddy Needs a Drink—hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “consistently hilarious”—comes a series of irreverent, wickedly observant essays about what it really means to be a teacher today. With his trademark wit and wisdom, Robert Wilder dissects the world’s noblest profession—whether he’s taming a classroom full of hormonal teenagers or going one-on-one with the school bully. Wilder was twenty-six when he found his true calling. Leaving a lucrative advertising career in New York, he got a job as an assistant first-grade teacher at a Santa Fe alternative school—and never looked back. Now he brings his unique perspective—as a teacher, parent, and former student—to a series of laugh-out-loud essays that show teaching at its most absurd…and most rewarding. With brutal candor he chronicles his own lively adventures in modern education, from navigating cutthroat kindergarten sign-ups to subbing for a class experiment gone wrong–and dares to tell about it. He shares the surprising lessons he’s learned in the trenches of his profession, including how to bribe a four-year-old (his own) to stop swearing in a Lutheran preschool and the best way to teach moody teenagers…manage “helicopter” parents…and cope with bullies—whether of the school-yard, Internet, or parental kind. And he offers tough love for cheaters who log on to www.SchoolSucks.com, then puts to rest forever the question of why new teachers gain weight (hint: the free donuts don’t help). In Tales from the Teachers’ Lounge, Robert Wilder charts life’s learning curve with a warmth and humor you don’t find in textbooks. By turns heartwarming, eye-opening, and uproariously funny, these pitch-perfect essays offer priceless lessons in life, family, learning, and teaching from a true lover of education.




Obsolete


Book Description

Black Mirror meets Dead Poets Society, OBSOLETE is a thrilling adventure set in the not so distant future, where technology is invisibly engrained in every aspect of life, even finding a home inside of us. Crime, Disease, and Poverty are all but extinct. Democracy is decided in real-time with lightning-fast ease. Holographic projections are at everyone's fingertips, swallowing them in in a world of constant entertainment and communication. There's just one problem: the kids are all becoming hyperactive, disconnected screen-addicts. The America Learns Initiative, a federal program under the Department of Restructure, has a solution: The Success Spheres! Championing the mantra, "Do nothing and learn!" this state of the art technology promises to save the failing school system, its students, and teachers, once and for all. After an unauthorized history lesson, Professor T is reassigned to one of the worst performing schools around. There, unlikely allies and hidden threats lead T to revelations about a conspiracy with sinister roots. What T discovers could threaten to overturn the ALI's Success Sphere program and the very foundations of society, itself.




The Teachers' Lounge:


Book Description

Behind the doors of teachers' lounges, teachers share with each other. They share their frustrations and enjoyment. They also share stories about the students they serve. Sometimes these stories are meant to entertain, and at other times, these stories are designed to illustrate a message about the nature of students and the importance of teacher behaviors. Through the edited book volume, The Teachers' Lounge: Tales Told and Lessons Learned, the editors manage to capture the spirit of teacher communalism in print form. Fun, heart-warming, and even bewildering within-school tales are shared. Through the narratives presented, associated lessons are also shared. These lessons elevate new, as well as experienced, teacher capacity and encourage responsible teaching behaviors. Each chapter ends with questions and statements for reflection and discussion, creating a comprehensively engaging and didactic experience from which all teachers could benefit. Though it was especially developed for new and emerging teachers, this volume serves as a didactic glimpse into teaching and a powerful resource for all teachers."This volume made me reflect upon my time as a teacher. I could relate to every word within it. I also got a good laugh."-- Garrett Dennis, Councilman, City of Jacksonville, Florida"This volume is a considerate contribution to help prepare new teachers for the reality of the classroom. It is reflective, responsible, and resolute."--David H. Jackson, Jr., Professor of History, Associate Provost for Graduate Education & Dean School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education, Florida A&M University"I really wish I had a resource like this when I began teaching. I was bombarded with theory, but there was nothing that I could really relate to. I had so many misconceptions that I was forced to reconcile with reality. This book opens the door to the world of real teaching for new teachers. It will help many."--Lasonya G. Rentz, Guidance Counselor "Books like this are essential if we are going to prepare a new generation of teachers who are ready to assist and foster growth in all students."--Diedrich Arterberry, Veteran Teacher




How to Get Your Teacher Ready


Book Description

Learn how to get your teacher ready for back to school…from the first dayl to graduation! The kids are in charge in this hilarious classroom adventure--from the creators of the New York Times bestseller How to Babysit a Grandpa. This humorous new book in the beloved HOW TO . . . series takes readers through a fun and busy school year. Written in tongue-in-cheek instructional style, a class of adorable students gives tips and tricks for getting a teacher ready—for the first day of school, and all the events and milestones that will follow (picture day, holiday concert, the 100th day of school, field day!). And along the way, children will see that getting their teacher ready is really getting themselves ready. Filled with charming role-reversal humor, this is a playful and heartwarming celebration of teachers and students. A fun read-a-loud to prepare for first day jitters, back-to-school readiness or end of year celebrations.. The fun doesn't stop! Check out more HOW TO... picture books: How to Babysit a Grandpa How to Babysit a Grandma How to Catch Santa How to Get Your Teacher Ready How to Raise a Mom How to Read to a Grandma or Grandpa




Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul


Book Description

Most people recall a teacher or two who had a significant impact on their future. In fact, outside the family unit, teachers have more influence on our lives than anyone else. Good teachers help students believe in themselves with a glimpse of what they might become. They go the extra mile to make learning fun and meaningful, and they inspire students to dream and broaden their horizons. Teachers have the power to change lives.




Stories from a Teacher's Heart


Book Description

Better grab some tissues. Stories from a Teacher's Heart: Memories of Love, Life, and Family celebrates life's seasons, transitions, weathering storms, and greeting every day with purpose and gratitude. Most of all, Rita Wirtz inspires us to be our most optimistic selves, with determination to make a difference. Savor heartwarming stories about life, learning, and love as Rita shares the last few years of her journey as a widow, from the mountains of California to the vibrant community of Eugene, Oregon. Along the way you meet a cast of colorful characters from her schoolhouse and home. Take your pick of stories from eight uniquely interesting themes. Rita selected fifty-two favorites from a series of blogs written as a featured blogger for BAM Radio Network, EdWords. What in the heck do lemonade stands, play, homework, cursive writing, retentions, sleepovers, and speed-reading hacks have to do with one another? Everything in Rita's world as mother, nana, and teacher, it all blends into a glorious recipe for a life, well lived. You'll see!




My New Teacher and Me!


Book Description

"Weird Al" Yankovic's new tale of Billy, the irrepressible star of the New York Times bestselling When I Grow Up, is an uproarious back-to-school delight. Dazzling wordplay and sparkling rhyme combine in a unique appreciation of the rewards of unabashed originality and the special joy of viewing the world gently askew.