The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide

by Robert L. Fried

Every teacher could be a passionate teacherâ one who engages young people in the excitement of learning and ideasâ if teaching were not being undermined by the ways we "do business" in schools. The Passionate Teacher draws on the voices, stories, and success of teachers in urban, suburban, and rural classrooms to provide a guide to becoming, and remaining, a passionate teacher despite day-to-day obstacles. A new afterword speaks to the special challenges facing first-year teachers.

"Convinces us of the value of passion by actually taking us into classrooms where teachers dissolve student disinterest not with 'tricks' but rather with an authentic commitment to what and who they are teaching." â Teacher Magazine

"A deeply felt meditation on the vital role of passion in good teaching . . . stuffed with . . . samples, stories, interviews with good teachers, lists of things to try. . . . Fried writes about education with passionate, engrossing pragmatism." â Anthony Rotundo, The Washington Post

"An inspiring look at a few of the best in our profession, practical suggestions, even insights into the ruts into which we occasionally fall. This is a marvelous book. I'd like to put a half-dozen copies in my teachers' lounge!" â Lawrence Bickford, math and computer science teacher, Hopkinton School, Contoocook, New Hampshire

"This is a book filled with details, the actual stories, the tradeoffs and compromises, the breakthroughs that make teaching worthwhile. It's my ideal of a 'how-to' book." â Deborah Meier, author of The Power of Their Ideas

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

328 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I have read this book previously, I recently reread it with a fresh perspective and I am happy to say that it still holds up. Fried's articulation of a stance is, for me, the soul of his book. As I continue through my teaching/coaching career, I see the value of a stance because of how it impacts every choice that I make in all facets of my work (like planning and student/teacher interactions, to name a couple). Fried assumes that readers of the book have a common element in their stances, that they care deeply about teaching. Their reasons for caring deeply may be mostly because of caring for students or mostly because of caring deeply about their subject (for high school teachers), but those who get the most out of this book are likely those that have that trait in common with Fried.

[Jasper Cansler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide by Robert L. Fried is a guide/journey into the heart of teaching. Fried’s approach combines practical strategies with heartfelt stories, inspiring educators to teach with passion and purpose. While also focusing on fostering meaningful connections with students and teaching them how to love learning as well. This book is a must-read for any educator who is eager to make lasting impacts in the classroom. From having an appropriate classroom environment to nurturing creativity and critical thinking. Fried’s wisdom shines through every page, making this book a valuable resource for teachers at any stage of their career.

[Veronica Herrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Passionate Teacher by Robert L. Fried delves deep into what it truly means to be a passionate educator and the profound impact such teachers have on their students. Fried shows this through personal anecdotes, insights, and practical advice, he emphasizes the importance of passion, creativity, and authenticity in teaching. Overall, the book is a thought-provoking and inspiring read for both novice and experienced teachers alike. This book is a testament to the enduring value of passion, creativity, and commitment in the noble profession of teaching.

[lydia carmelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Passionate Teacher is a must-read for every education major considering a career in teaching. It sets the standard for what it means to be a dedicated, passionate educator and offers guidance on how to embody those qualities. This book inspired me to clearly define why I chose to become a teacher and solidify my stance on the importance of fully committing to the teaching profession. If you’re ready to take the leap and invest wholeheartedly in shaping young minds, this book is the perfect starting point.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fried develops the thesis that it is crucial to be passionate about what we teach. In this book he uses real examples to show us what this means while developing the theory behind his thesis. He then goes on to show us how it can be done in practice, again using real classrooms as examples to illustrate his ideas. While admitting the difficulties in enacting such teaching, he also pushes teachers to look for where and how they can begin to make changes.

[Britta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide is a lovely book intended to get teachers thinking about how to make their classrooms more engaging and inviting for students. I enjoyed much of Fried's commentary on what makes a passionate teacher, and I enjoyed many of the examples he provided of passionate teachers who are doing their own incredible work in classrooms. I also found the last chapter aimed at giving advice to new teachers incredibly useful, given that I'm currently a pre-service teacher. My one large complaint is that many of the teachers he spotlighted in the book were in middle school and high school classrooms. While these teachers are doing incredible work, a lot of their classroom structures and techniques would not work quite the same in elementary classrooms. I wish Fried included more elementary teachers in his examples. This book was also originally published in 1995, so there was very little discussion of the use of technology in passionate teaching, a conversation that I believe is worth having in the present day.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that this book is a little outdated, and that might be why a lot of what Fried says is not possible in a lot of schools today. Teachers do not have as much flexibility and freedom as he suggests that could have in making classes and content more interesting and interactive. I would love to be able to engage in some of the examples he explained in the book, but with constant testing and strictness in schools today (at least the ones I have worked in), it's just not possible.

[Aaron Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would only make sense that I read any book that deals with passion and education being that this has been a major platform of mine this year.

Doing some research into the merits of passion and how far you pursue this mindset lead to this author Robert Fried.

I had never heard of him or any of his work. I was lucky enough to find a copy of this book at one of the libraries here in the state of Iowa. The book is 12 years old, but was such a breath of fresh air to my mind.

This book brought a lot of new ideas to my mind and challenged some of the things that I was developing on my own.

I found this book to be quite important to my reading and development as an educator. What I liked best about this book is that he offered practical ideas, units, and forms to use to help transform our thoughts and teaching.

As I work to develop my own book on education I realized that I must do the same. If I am going to challenge a system, I must come up with how I would actually go about making the change.

I took about a half of a legal notepad full of notes. I would be willing to share my thoughts and ideas. If interested let me know and I will send the link to my Evernote.

At the end of the day, there has to be a balance between the passion of the teacher and the interest of the students. If your passion is in education, then the role of student voice must play a part.

This book drove home many new ideas for me, but more importantly it reinforced some key concepts that I have been focused on personally.

To have passion grants us a way of honoring our life's work. We must show our students what it means to be passionate learners.

We are role models for what we are still learning, not what we already know. This is a monster mind shift for many educators.

Teachers wear success so hesitantly. We need to broadcast and share. Students need us to help them discover the right questions.


Change must be quality and not just a trend.

Teachers need to go for it. It is time to go with our hearts and gut instinct and make it happen.

How are you going to be stay out of trouble? This should be the question for teachers. We should be experimenting more and testing out new ideas and ways of teaching. If we feel safe, then we are not really pushing ourselves as learners and teachers.

Challenge yourself as a learner so you stay passionate

In closing this was a great read. One that I am so happy I found. Rarely do I go back and read books more than a few years old, but this one exception made me realize that perhaps I should change this reading rule. If you are looking for some ideas about changing your ways and more insight on passion driven teaching, then this one must be on your nightstand.
- See more at: http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com...

[Adriane Devries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meant to serve as a jumpstart to a teacher’s more thorough enjoyment of his or her vocation, Robert L. Fried’s The Passionate Teacher, in its honest presentation of the almost insurmountable “effects of sexism, racism, and social class prejudice on the spirits of all children” in school settings, spurred me on to teach young people in class situations within heartfelt bonds of carefully maintained relationship and creativity, with not a little shrewdness thrown into the mix; while at the same time reminded me very specifically why learning is so difficult in the current school system, causing many parents like myself to take their chances with homeschooling when circumstances permit.

Whether a new teacher or an established one, this book will redefine the purpose of driving to work in the morning. Fried warns of the churning waters of school politics, fellow teachers and administrators whose financial and career goals are often far removed from the needs of children. He lays out practical examples of how to navigate these pitfalls, while also deftly redirecting the energies of kids whose natural curiosity and intelligence has been squashed by a system of grading and judgment, along with a morass of social challenges including poverty, crime and mental illness. Teachers who are organized, focused, get to the heart of their subjects, and above all, model a lifelong love of learning, stand the best chance of winning over their reluctant disciples to have a fun and intellectually enjoyable year together.

While Fried does not propose how to magically alter the 40% of unsafe school buildings, he does offer useful tools for altering outdated curricula, materials and technology. Above all, he aims to transform the game of school from one of routine grading and testing and bureaucracy into one of learning with no limits, both for the students and teachers alike. This is an honest eye-opening must-read for all who strive to influence the next generation as a local school hero.

[Eileen Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all want to have a passionate (and effective) teacher or even be one but how does this happen? What does it mean to be a passionate teacher? Robert Fried successfully tries to answer these questions but sharing the meaning of passionate teaching, how to design and implement lessons, obstacles, and how to open up the dialogue. He shares stories and practical examples and obstacles teachers face each day. I am using some of the author’s tips for new teachers in my letter to graduates who will be first year teachers in the classroom, gymnasium, music, art, and health classrooms. If anyone needs to reboot their battery then pick up this book, or better yet read this book late summer before school starts!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this book was a very valuable professional resource. There were many ideas where I said "wow I can't wait to try this," and other ideas I could draw inspiration from. The only reservations I had were about implementing some of the ideas based on the restrictions of the middle school timeline. Giving students ample time to complete assignments and giving them an incomplete until they did complete it seems like more of a high school concept, where students are completing credits to graduate. I can't wait to try some of the ideas, like revamping my course outline and some of the end-products of units, I just wish I could visualize how all of the ideas would work in a middle school.

[Jessica López-Barkl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I finished this book yesterday for my class at Santa Fe Community College that will allow me to be a legally certified teacher in the state of New Mexico. It was a fine book and an easy read. I think anyone who is struggling or in a rut as a teacher should read it because it doesn't take long, and it has many ideas as to how to reinvent your process as a teacher. I thought the end of the book, Chapters 14-19 were the most useful to me as I am transitioning from the college world to the K-12 world...they apply to both, but they are more needed in the K-12 world. Anyway, not a waste of time, and a really simple workbook.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this doesn't stick out a decade later, in looking over my annotations, this book really shaped my view of teaching. One of the ideas I took away was the notion of 'playing school' and "The artificial and superficial replaces what's authentic and purposeful." (p. 99) Another was to expect pride in work, and if a student doesn't have pride in a piece, saying "Oh,too bad," rather than offering a harangue. (p. 247) This is a good overview for those looking towards a humanist, constructivist approach. Still relevant after a decade.

[Tena Edlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book rang my bell. It zeroed in on the need I have to be excited and, well, passionate about what I teach. It also addressed some of my worries like inspiring excellence from my students who have already learned how to play the "game of school" and do the minimum required. I have high expectations for my students, and sometimes I worry that I'm too tough. This book makes me worry less about that. As long as I'm living the example, I believe my students can get there too. I recommend this book for any stage of a teaching career. It's not a new book, but its powerful message is timeless.

[Ted Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew that "passionate" would also be practical? I'm already using this book to help me overhaul my curriculum. It encapsulates many of the same ideas as the last several Education theory books I've read in the last couple of years. But Fried makes the same concepts clearer, more concise, meaningful, relevant, relatable and approachable (for me anyway). I've made notes and underlines on almost every page. Most books I read, I put on a shelf and forget about, but I can see myself pulling this one out and using things from it routinely- at least I hope I do.

[Megan]

"here's where your challenges really begin, and you start to exercise a passionate discretion over content. You must distinguish what is truly essential from the other, less useful, stuff. Ask yourself what it is that you expect your students to remember about this unit and be able to apply elsewhere a year from now, after they have forgotten most of the details. "
"years after students have performed these projects, the experience and the pride remain for all involved."

[Yousuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quote from this book that I have committed to memory should more than capture how this book reads:
“we must be ready to sacrifice breadth of content in order to achieve the depth of engagement that passionate teachers seek to engender in their students.”

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my faves!

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first text book for the Teacher Certification program. I thought it was a bit short on data and too fluffy.

[H]

ch3

[Elena]

Okay, I did the best I could . . . I tried. I couldn't.

[Danielle Beeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very passionate. Wonderful ideas. Idealized ideas.