Why We Teach

by Sonia Nieto (Editor)

Why teach? Listen to the voices of both veteran and new teachers as they share their most heartfelt and thoughtful replies to this simple but important question. Sonia Nieto, a distinguished teacher in her own right, has gathered the insights and inspirations of K–12 classroom teachers as they examine how and why they find purpose and value in the work they do. The teachers in this book, like so many across the country, do the kind of work that may not grab headlines but is far more important than even the highest test These teachers listen closely to their students. They share in their students’ struggles and successes. They create a classroom climate that encourages growth, direction, and purpose. They help students develop into thoughtful, engaged citizens. The teachers in this book show us the kinds of learning that really matter, and the kinds of lessons that students can take with them for their entire lives. This inspirational book focuses on the quintessential values of teaching, challenges current notions that focus on only accountability, testing, and standardization, and provide a compelling message of hope for public education.

Genres: Education, Teaching

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sonia Nieto is Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy and Culture at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.

Reviews

[Maryam Alhamadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ملهم إلى أقصى حد
جعلني أفخر لكوني معلمة

يطوف بك في تجارب معلمين أدركوا جوهر المهنة وسعوا لتحقيق هدفها الأسمى

[ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an inspirational text-- I read a library copy, and now I think I might purchase it for myself so that I can go back to it every once in a while when teaching seems a bit too big for me. I appreciate it for the core messages that the teachers tried to send, though it doesn't mean I don't have my own criticism of it. Most of the teachers came from the East Coast which rendered them not as representative of the teacher population as well as their students not as representative of the student population across the United States. Moreover, although I don't think the teacher workforce in the U.S. is that diverse anyway, I would also love to see teachers from more diverse background culturally, religiously, etc. such as Asian teachers, Jewish teachers, for example, and how it's played out in their career, if it has affected their career at all, etc.

[Nan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought I would love it, but not so much. While this book claims to contain essays from all kinds of teachers, most were from the Boston or New York areas and primarily from urban schools. I would have preferred a wider cross-section of stories. For some reason I found myself skimming through most of it. However, reading this made me think about what I would say if I wrote an essay of my own.

[Marlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and informative on how/why individuals went into the field of teaching.

[Tracy Baisden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready to begin reading this tonight; it's the book our summer institute lead facilitators decided to read this summer.