Product Description

This book is a collection of essays, written by teachers at every level of practice, that honors the hearts of all teachers who struggle to reconnect with the source of their vocation. These teachers have found ways to serve their students, rekindle their passion for teaching, connect in life-sustaining ways with colleagues, and work towards creating educational institutions that seek to be places that, as Parker J. Palmer writes, "bring more light and life into the world." Their warm, practical, funny, and wise stories will provide inspiration, companionship, and hope to teachers who strive to reclaim the courage to teach.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #846068 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

From Library Journal
"It's the teachers, stupid!" With this simple play on Bill Clinton's rallying cry from 1992, Intrator (education, Smith Coll.) identifies the most important element in any proposal for educational reform. "Teachers," he argues, "have a colossal influence on what happens in our schools and, if we want to have successful schools, we must attend to the factors that influence the teacher's commitment to what he or she does in the classroom." This collection of essays by K-12 teachers, teacher educators, and college and university faculty members draws on the work of Parker Palmer (who has written the foreword), which examines issues related to the teacher's "heart," i.e., his or her commitment to teaching as a vital and creative enterprise and the personal and institutional factors that can serve either to support or to undermine that commitment. Successfully building on Dan Lortie's Schoolteacher, completed over 25 years ago, these essays look at the "intrinsic rewards" of teaching as a profession and consider how they can be sustained, especially given that extrinsic rewards, such as salary equity with other professionals, remain problematic. This collection will appeal to followers of Palmer's inspirational writing about teachers and to fans of similar works, such as William Ayers's To Teach. Scott Walter, Washington State Univ., Pullman
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
"...a high-quality work..." (Human Given, Summer 2002)

Review
"Stories of the Courage to Teach powerfully reminds us that this nation's schools and colleges are blessed with many good teachers and that we must be willing to respect, support, and deeply listen to them. It also indicates that teachers must also learn to listen to themselves. Our history books are filled with examples of the efforts of committed education employees who helped to make this country what it is today. Stories of the Courage to Teach challenges today's teachers to see themselves not only as school employees, dedicated to serving children, but as leaders in their schools and communities." --Bob Chase, president, National Education Association

"Articulate teachers recounting with great candor and imagination just how beautiful their calling is, also how challenging, depleting, and lonely it can be, and what to do about it. This outstanding and highly inspiring book offers cool, clear, and nourishing water from the wellspring of the heart, where all teaching originates, and will serve as both a reminder and guide for teachers at all levels to return over and over to the source and nourish what is deepest and best in themselves as they nourish what is deepest and best in their students and their schools." --Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are and coauthor of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

"Finally, a book for, by, and about REAL teachers. A book that reveals the pain as well as the joy, the shadow as well as the light. A book that is not another how-to cookbook, but a book that creates hope and promise and inspiration through its truth-telling." --Dr. Sally Z. Hare, Singleton Professor of Education, Coastal Carolina University

"It is the mark of every Golden Age that children are placed at the center of society and teaching is considered the most important profession. By this standard, we in the United States have a very long way to go. If we ever succeed in this cultural transformation, few will have contributed more than Parker Palmer." --Peter M. Senge, author, The Fifth Discipline and Schools That Learn

"The teachers' stories herein-told in frequently elegant prose and with palpable passion-serve to remind us of two things: the remarkable gifts present in our public school educators, and what constitutes the heart of true teaching. Intrator's ability to evoke their voices as well as to deeply hear them has created an unforgettable gift to the profession and to those who have been led to believe that education is nothing more than yet another business enterprise." --Marianne Novak Houston, public school teacher with forty years of classroom teaching experience and recipient of the Milken Educator Award

"A book for troubled times in teaching. This powerful and moving collection of essays argues that we must join the values of the heart if teaching is to transcend the punishing pressures, of one-size-fits-all juggernaut of school-reform mania. A must-read for teacher educators, principals, and school board members!" --Jay Casbon, dean, Graduate School of Education, Lewis & Clark College

"[This book] is a must-read for educators who often feel depleted from the demands of teaching and isolated from colleagues. Rediscover your purpose and passion for making a difference in the lives of children through stories of real people who teach with courage and integrity. There is something essentially human in these pages that speaks to the hearts of teachers who are disillusioned, depleted, and discouraged. You simply must reconnect with your identity, your true self, that spiritual being who felt called to teach children. It is powerful because it is the truth, spoken from the hearts of teachers who share a common experience." --Paula Naegle, Nevada Teacher of the Year

"Teacher voices must be heard, and teacher wisdom about the needs of children must be heeded. It has always been from the teachers who speak from their hearts that we find the best solutions to improving our schools. Our job as policymakers is to listen." --James B. Hunt, Jr., governor of North Carolina for four terms

"The core relationship in learning is between the student and the teacher. [This] book reminds us just how vital the forces of heart and spirit are to teaching and learning." --Wendy D. Puriefoy, president, Public Education Network

Customer Reviews

Honors the truth and complexity of our work
I need this book every day to help me understand and meet the complex demands of my work as a high school English teacher. Sam possesses a keen insight into and commitment to the challenges we face in the contemporary classroom. What distinguishes Sam's book from others is its concern for the teacher's entire life. Our teaching comes from our heart at its best and our teaching is the story of who we are. This book tells that story, through OUR stories, in a way that makes it new and makes me proud to be a teacher. The book never whines but always entertains even as it confronts the hard truths that make up our days in the classroom. When you finish this book---which you never will, for you will reread certain stories again and again---you will understand why your work matters and will sense, even at those difficult moments, the dignity inherent in the work you do. Thank you for the book, Mr. Intrator.

Honor is given to the hearts of teachers
What a joy! Sam Intrator's new book, "Stories of the Courage to Teach: Honoring the Teacher's Heart", indeed does what it's title claims. Our courageous, dedicated and, too often, maligned American educators are given voice to express their own inner realities...and it is most powerful. I could not put this book down. And Parker Palmer's words in the Forword and Afterword dramatically acknowledge the terrible reality of being a teacher today. Teaching is a profession that attracts people with passion and love for children, is absolutely essential to a healthy society, yet is an easy target for all that goes wrong.
To be a teacher today is to choose a vocation of profound worth and profound pain.

I strongly recommend this book for all who care deeply about our children and the extraordinary teachers who, every day, give their very selves on behalf of our future. Thank you, Sam, for a masterful job of capturing our teachers' hearts!

Honoring Teachers
This book truly touched me! I am a veteran teacher who is currently struggling with budget cuts, layoffs, and low morale as we face yet another year without a contract in my school. I happened upon this book, and am truly happy to say that my disheartened spirit found a ray of hope. Intrator's collection of stories from teachers across the country, like myself, have reminded me of many of the reasons that drew me to this profession. I feel inspired, and proud to be a teacher.

PS: For those of you who have wondered what a teacher's life is like, read this collection of stories and get a glimpse of our special world.