Teaching is a lifelong challenge, but the first few years in the classroom are typically a teacher's hardest. This expanded collection of writings and reflections offers practical guidance on how to navigate the school system, form rewarding relationships with colleagues, and connect in meaningful ways with students and families from all cultures and backgrounds.

I need a new bum! Mine's got a crack. I can see in the mirror a crack in the back. What to do when you need a new bum? Should you get one that's blue or yellow spotted? A Chevy bum, a rocket bum that's all fire and thrust, or a robo-bum? The options are endless - but wait, Dad's bum crack is showing too? Maybe this is contagious.

Who controls today’s conversation about what education should be in the classroom? Bill Gates? Arne Duncan? Michelle Rhee? Media? Politiicans? Who has gained more and more control of what actually goes on in the classroom? Bill Gates? Arne Duncan? Michelle Rhee? Media? Polticians? Why? Where are the voices of the thousands of talented and loved teachers whose classrooms should be models of what works regardless of the socioeconomic environment they are located. I am but one of many. Each of us has gotten to be who we are as teachers through our own set of circumstances. We, like all other professionals learn our craft through our experiences as well as our academic preparation. Some of us get to pass on what we have learned about our craft by becoming supervisors, mentors, or university lecturers. I have mentored new teachers. I have taught a graduate education class. But those endeavors have reached relatively few. I have even spawned new teachers, inspired by me, but those are even fewer. Initially it is why started writing this book. Much of it started as advice to give to my mentees. Then some suggested to me to write a book. So I did!

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking history of 175 years of American education that brings the lessons of the past to bear on the dilemmas we face today—and brilliantly illuminates the path forward for public schools. “[A] lively account." —New York Times Book Review In The Teacher Wars, a rich, lively, and unprecedented history of public school teaching, Dana Goldstein reveals that teachers have been embattled for nearly two centuries. She uncovers the surprising roots of hot button issues, from teacher tenure to charter schools, and finds that recent popular ideas to improve schools—instituting merit pay, evaluating teachers by student test scores, ranking and firing veteran teachers, and recruiting “elite” graduates to teach—are all approaches that have been tried in the past without producing widespread change.

What if excellent teaching were guaranteed in every classroom? This is a guide for anyone who is serious about making that possibility a reality.

Overwhelmed teachers, this book is for you. The truth is that you can be remarkable without burning out. Drawing from the latest research and her own teaching experiences, author Morgane Michael delivers doable strategies to reignite your passion and replenish your well-being. Make a commitment today to begin a new chapter--one where you continue to make a difference while maintaining a deep sense of wellness, worthiness, and wholeheartedness. Learn why burnout happens and what you can do to thrive once again. Explore the five Rs--reflect, reframe, refocus, reconnect, and reveal--and understand how each can help counter burnout. Acquire a clear road map for reigniting your love for teaching. Inspire others to reignite their own passion for education. Discover how to sustain your passion and avoid burnout going forward. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Reflect--How to Tune In and Check Up on Yourself Chapter 2: Reframe--How to Be Resilient in the Face of Adversity Chapter 3: Refocus--How to Harness Intentionality to Reach Your Goals and Dreams Chapter 4: Reconnect--How to Boost the Quality of the Social Connections in Your Life Chapter 5: Reveal Your True Self--How to Embrace Creativity as an Expression of Your Humanity Chapter 6: Reignite--Craft Your Own Roadmaps to Go From Burnt Out to Fired Up! References and Resources Index

Dealing with student misbehavior and encouraging student motivation are two of the most important concerns for new teachers. Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers, Ninth Edition, provides new and experienced teachers with the skills, approaches, and strategies necessary to establish effective management systems in the elementary-school classroom. Based on 30 years of research and experience in more than 500 classrooms, the newest edition of this best-selling text presents step-by-step guidelines for planning, implementing, and developing classroom management tasks to build a smoothly running classroom that encourages learning. Students can apply what they learn as they review and complete the examples, checklists, case study vignettes, and group activities presented in each chapter.

Reclaim Your Fire "Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children....Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all." ?Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities "When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going....Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense." ?Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York "In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us - for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?" ?Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from such well-loved poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally. Teaching With Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Royalties from this book will be used to fund scholarship opportunities for teachers to grow and learn.

What you do matters. You may not hear it often (or ever), but if you're an educator, you're making a difference in the lives of learners. And that impact has a domino effect. In Because of a Teacher, more than fifteen of today's leading educators remember the teachers and administrators who inspired and supported their careers. Through a series of heartfelt and uplifting stories, they reflect on their early years teaching, offering advice and strategies suited to first-year teachers and longtime educators alike. These personal stories offer hope for new teachers, encouragement for educators tiptoeing into burnout, and reassurance that the work you're doing right now will inspire generations to come. Because of a Teacher will inspire you to remember those who encouraged your love of learning; honor and thank educators who have advocated for you, championed your career, and equipped you with the skills necessary to lead; reflect on how far you've come since you entered the profession. Endorsements "Whether you are in your first year of teaching or nearing your last, Because of a Teacher will remind you why you went into education in the first place and help us all focus on what is really important: the legacy we will leave with the students and staff we are blessed to work with." -Allyson Apsey, principal and author of The Path to Serendipity "I would highly recommend this book to any educator I know!" -Morgane Michael, educational consultant and author of From Burnt Out to Fired Up! "Because of a Teacher is filled with voices from the field who remind us of the impact we can make with all students, even on our toughest days. If you are looking for an inspiring read to remind you why you went into the profession, this book is it." -Jimmy Casas, educator, author, speaker, and leadership coach

Stressing the positive, creative aspects of power and innocence, Rollo May offers a way of thinking about the problems of contemporary society. He discusses five levels of power's potential in each individual, what each is, how it works, and more.