A Cup of Comfort for Teachers: Heartwarming Stories of People Who Mentor, Motivate, and Inspire [Paperback]

Colleen Sell (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Cup of Comfort | Publication Date: April 2004

Virtually everyone can recall a special teacher, coach, or mentor who opened his or her eyes to a new outlook on life. Teachers guide us to read, write, imagine, explore, and understand; they teach us to count, and they teach us what counts in life. Teachers touch millions of young lives every day with their dedication, passion, and generosity.

A Cup of Comfort for Teachers offers parents, students, and anyone with a treasured mentor a way to repay our devoted educators. The spectacular success of A Cup of Comfort for Mothers & Daughters on Mother’s Day and A Cup of Comfort for Christmas during the holidays exemplifies the power of this special brand to provide the perfect "thank you" to the people who deserve it most.

A Cup of Comfort for Teachers is the ideal reward for teachers, featuring such remarkable stories as:

·When a classroom computer goes missing, a disheartened inner-city teacher gets an unexpected gift—and boost—from her students
·A sign language interpreter and music tutor helps a determined deaf woman pass a college piano course and play her first song—solo!
·A dedicated and successful teacher meets her greatest challenge: Her own son refuses to learn to read
·Ordinary "show and tell" unexpectedly teaches a new kindergarten teacher a valuable lesson about education
·A teacher coaxes an illiterate thirteen-year-old street urchin in Africa into an adult-education classroom, opening the door to a better future

Every teacher needs a lift from time to time and a token of recognition for the powerful positive influence they have on their students. A Cup of Comfort for Teachers is the perfect gift for these dedicated professionals.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpt from "Because It Matters" by Greg Beatty

Mr. King gave us the first test, and being grade-driven honors students, we were anxious to see who had gotten the highest score. My friend, Paul Larick, grinned as Mr. King began. "Mr. Larick, you earned the highest grade on the test." Paul’s smile vanished as Mr. King continued. "You earned a D. . . . The rest of you earned a D-minus or below."

"But—" someone objected.

"That’s not fair!" someone else cried.

"You tested us on things we hadn’t studied," a third person tried.

I was too stunned to speak.

"The work you submitted," Mr. King said softly, "was not honors quality."

Mr. King was not unfair. He threw out all the grades for the first test. He was not unkind. He never discussed grades publicly again. He was not without a sense of humor. And he was not, finally, ever unclear about his standards, and that was a shock to us. We were so used to getting A’s as a matter of course that we tried every strategy in the book.

"You graded my paper down for grammar and spelling. This isn’t English class," one of us would whine.

Mr. King would say, "If you apply your skills only in the classes in which they are studied, what good are they?"

I remember trying a similar tactic. "What do you mean my thesis isn’t supported? Isn’t my idea original?"

Unblinking eyes gazed at me through a heavy pair of glasses. "Those two points are not, as I trust you know, related. Your idea is quite original. Daring, even. Now you need to support it."

Bitter, I tried again. "It would have been good enough in honors English."

"Well, it’s not good enough here." Mr. King spoke quietly, to keep the matter private.

My answer was louder, an attempt to enlist the entire class behind me. "Well, why isn’t it good enough?"

"Because the subject matter is important," he said. "Because it is desperately important for you to learn your country’s history—not just the names and dates, but the laws and the debates behind the laws, their economic implications, and what the period perspectives were. Because it is desperately important for all of you to be able to form a cogent, well-supported argument that you deliver in clear, grammatically correct prose."

I didn’t become a teacher until years later, and I didn’t realize how much Mr. King had influenced me until a student asked me a question late one semester.

"Why are we doing more work in this class than they’re doing in other freshmen English classes?"

"Because it matters," I said.

Product Details

• Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593370083
• ISBN-13: 978-1593370084
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,375,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas is an award winning writer, newspaper reporter, TV news producer, playwright and essayist. He writes "The Writing Life" column for The Christian Communicator magazine, and the "How NOT to be Published" column for Christian Fiction Online Magazine. Thomas was named the American Christian Writers Association Writer of the Year in 2004, 2005, and again in 2006. He has written jokes for Joan Rivers and his comedy material has been used on The Tonight Show. Born in 1958, he is considerably younger than many people born the same year. He is probably the only writer who has worked on projects with Stephen King and the Rev. Rick Warren at the same time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers Need to Know, December 9, 2004

By 

Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cup of Comfort for Teachers: Heartwarming Stories of People Who Mentor, Motivate, and Inspire (Paperback)

The work of a teacher is a daunting sacred trust that is placed on a mere mortal. The work is hard, the hours long, and the pay -- whatever it may be -- is insufficient.

Teachers need to be able to stop and deliberately refuel emotionally on a regular basis. The life of a teacher has many days when one wonders whether all that is involved is worth it. Kids aren't always too generous in letting teachers know that they are appreciated. While some parents go out of their way to acknowledge their child's teacher, others treat teachers as a public utility of sorts: -- I pay taxes; create miracles with my child -- it's your job!

So, in the midst of the ongoing challenges that define the life of a teacher, especially during those times when there seems to be little hope, teachers need to be able to reach for some external sources of inspiration and reinforcement.

A Cup of Comfort is one of those refueling sources . It is a wonderfully inspiring book of success stories. Many of the stories are of teachers who made a pivotal impact in the life of a student through their generosity of spirit and their unwillingness to give up.

Comfort offers glimpses of the miracles and hope that education can make in the life of a student through the work of dedicated and caring teachers.

A wonderful book for all teachers!

Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cup of Inspiration, April 14, 2004

By 

Aurora Matthews - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cup of Comfort for Teachers: Heartwarming Stories of People Who Mentor, Motivate, and Inspire (Paperback)

I found this book to be especially warming and encouraging. The best story by far is the last in the book, appropriately title "The Last One Out" by Priscilla Whitley. Not only is it written in eloquent style, but it tells the an inspiring story of one teacher doing the best he can to make a difference. I encourage everyone of all ages to read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUELY WONDERFUL AND AMAZING WORK., November 15, 2009

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cup of Comfort for Teachers: Heartwarming stories of people who mentor, motivate, and inspire (Paperback)

I initially bought this book for my daughter, a veteran of over 19 years of teaching first grade. Before giving her the book I read through the first chapter, or story, and was hooked. Being one who likes getting his monies worth, I proceeded to read the entire work.

I must state right now that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that teachers hold, beyond a doubt, the most important positions in our society, bar none. As I look back over my past, beginning with kindergarten and attending grad school, on through a very fulfilling work career and delightfully exciting and even more fulfilling personal life, raising a family and living in general, I realized that no group of people, family included, has had more influence on my life; every aspect of my life! I am what I am today because of my teachers. I have also observed the state of, life of and life of teaches for many years now. I can think of no profession that is quite so under paid, under appreciated, has a more day in and day out task and so much responsibility. Those "easy jobs" where you only work part of the year and have summers "off" are a complete myth. A teacher is "on" 24/7, three hundred sixty five days of the year.

This book is a collection of the stories from 51 different teachers, all of which are an absolute inspiration. These stories taken from the lives of these remarkable individuals inspire, lift the spirit, motivate and most of all leave you in awe of the job these folks are doing for us. Some of the stories are funny, some rather whimsical, some have a rather sad aspect and some reach your heart is a very special way.

This collection is well written and Colleen Sell has done a wonderful job of editing; taking a wonderful cross section of individual experiences and blending them into a work that is really quite remarkable and quite comprehensive. If you read closely you will find an underlying theme; that of dedication and love of children, learning, teaching and guiding. Each story also has a comforting effect, one that leaves the reader with hope and a bright positive attitude.

This is the perfect gift for any teacher although it really should be read by anyone who has a child in school and certainly should be read by any young person contemplating becoming a teacher themselves. They should make this work a mandatory read; first during the beginning teacher's freshman year and again upon the year they graduate.

My highest recommendation goes with this work.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks