My First Year in the Classroom: 50 Stories That Celebrate the Good, the Bad, and the Most Unforgettable Moments [Paperback]

Stephen D. Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2009

?When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.?
?Lao Tzu

But is the teacher ready? That?s the question that haunts every teacher that fateful first day in the classroom. Making it through that day and the 179 school days that follow is how every career in education?and lifelong learning?truly begins. In this collection, fifty teachers share the trials, tribulations, and triumphs they?ve experienced during their first year on the job. Organized along the lines of the school calendar, these touching tales illustrate the learning curve experienced by new teachers:

• Facing Day One
• Meeting the Students
• Surprising the Students
• Bonding with Faculty and Staff
• Being Surprised by the Students
• Watching the Students Bloom
• Saying Farewell

From the hilariously obsessive-compulsive preparation of a rookie English professor to the poignant lesson a bold third grader imparts upon his novice teacher about love and acceptance, this moving collection is sure to motivate new and veteran teachers alike.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen D. Rogers (Buzzards Bay, MA) has taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels. He has also taught continuing education and online courses to adults, as well as the workshops offered by the nonprofit organization Literature Is for Everybody, Inc. His stories have appeared in the anthologies Chicken Soup for a Grandma?s Soul, A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Songs, and My Teacher Is My Hero.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media; 1 Original edition (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605506540
• ISBN-13: 978-1605506548
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Education > Education Theory > Classroom Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Little gift for The New Teacher, September 29, 2009

By 

Gwynne C. Spencer (Mancos, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My First Year in the Classroom: 50 Stories That Celebrate the Good, the Bad, and the Most Unforgettable Moments (Paperback)

There has to be a first time for everything, and most new classroom teachers gladly share their terror and delight with people who are willing to listen to their "first day of school" tales. In this cute little collection, teachers from all walks (preschool, elementary, middle and high school, college) share their memorable recollections of crossing the threshold into the extraordinary world of teaching. Notably absent in all these tales is the notion inculcated in many new teachers that teaching is a profession accountable to its clients; the insights and reflective essays are stories of how teachers start to learn the craft of classroom survival, by telling each other how things went. Not by lecture about classroom management or lesson plans or organizational strategies gleaned from motivational seminars and daytimers. It's a refreshing little book that probably ought to be issued by every state department of education when they send out new teacher certificates. While there aren't any cinematic episodes in these stories of quiet dedication, there are moments of hilarity and despair that we all can identify with. This would make a nice "teacher present" to welcome a new hopeful member to the staff.