Customer Reviews

To Honor A Teacher: Students Pay Tribute to Their Most Influential Mentors

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How many of us can look back on our education and formative years and remember a particularly enlightening moment, when a teacher, or coach, or mentor, opened our eyes and changed the direction of our lives? For me it was ninth grade honors biology class, taught by Mr. Wong. He was so enthusiastic and motivating, I decided right then and there to study biology. I majored in biology in college and have never regretted it. This wonderful book is filled with memories of these great moments. Some of these entries are filled with heart-warming emotion, others with clarity and logic. Yet all pay tribute to a special teacher or mentor who made a lasting difference in someone's life. Oftentimes we don't realize the impact until it is too late. Several of the entries are written from that perspective, as tributes to teachers who are no longer alive, but never forgotten. Inspiring, thought provoking, refreshing, and motivating, every one who teaches should read this.

I am so happy I bought this book - it has now become my favorite gift for all those who have been teachers and mentors in my life. There are so many excerpts which connect straight to the heart of the mentor/student/life learner relationship. I hope that Jeff Spoden comes out with a second volume for next year's holiday gifts!

Anyone with any skill as a teacher quickly becomes accustomed to the platitudes thankful students and parents use. This gift book gets pass all of that.

Here is a bouquet of thoughtfully written stories about the important work teachers do challenging, inspiring and guiding their charges. It is about teaching that goes beyond the routine of instruction to affect lives.

A teacher somewhere in your life deserves this book. Make a gift of it to him or her.

To Honor A Teacher is a wonderful gift book! How many coffee mugs can one person use? I'm always looking for creative ways to thank the teachers (including piano and coaches)that work so wonderfully with my children. I've already given several as gifts and the receipiants have all been delighted. The entries are moving without being sappy. The stories illustate that it's sometimes the little caring gestures that really matter to people. How nice it would be if anyone considering a teaching career could hear these first hand accounts of what is important from a student's perspective.

To Honor A Teacher is a collection that will give inspiration to all of those who teach--whether their teaching is in or out of a classroom. The essays and poems within the collection honor teachers and honor students also by realistically rendering the difficult process of learning and how a good teacher can break through and change lives. The collection honors students as well as teachers by establishing the connections that last a lifetime...that spark that once lit can last forever. The writers are famous and unknown, of all ages and ethnicities, from all parts of the U.S. As one of the writers selected for the anthology I felt doubly honored: first, to be selected, secondly to be part of such a moving collection of voices--telling stories that touch anyone who has had a teacher who has changed their life for the good.

Every person (I presume) has had a teacher or teacher who has made a lasting and important impression.

This book honors teachers by letting them know just that. My favorite chapter is Chapter 2 entitled "The Thinker" devoted to teachers who sparked the love of knowledge. Reading this Chapter reminded me of those who have influenced my intellectual development.

One tribute, written by Judith Bell Ungar for Professor Hogan, an English teacher she had at the University of Illinois, is particularly memorable. In her writing class, Ms. Ungar states that Professor Hogan used the metaphor of climbing a mountain to demonstrate the shifting nature of perspective. Ms. Ungar then used that same metaphor to explain how her perspectives have evolved over time and how, like climbing a mountain, she has acquired knowledge through life's journey.

Reading this book revives memories of student days when times seemed simpler and dreams were wildly alive.

This gem of an anthology should make all of us feel gratitude to the author for making us remember our mentors and teachers. It would be a perfect teacher gift.

Well, I can't claim anything near objectivity since I'm the author of this book. I will say that I'm very proud of the finished product, and know that teachers, coaches, and other mentors will be thrilled to receive it as a gift.

It was a joy to assemble a collection of stories and poems about such wonderful teachers. As I collected, read, and edited these tributes from 1996 to 1998, they were a constant source of inspiration for my own teaching. Reading them again, this time in polished and beautifully-presented form, has inspired me anew. Though a veteran social studies teacher, I am still moved and motivated by accounts of excellent teaching. Some of the teachers honored in this book offered emotional support in times of need; others fostered a deep love of thinking and learning. Some taught more about life than their actual subject matter, while others pushed students to redefine their own limits and capabilities. Every strength that a great teacher can possess is found on the pages of To Honor A Teacher, making it a book that is compelling and inspirational to laypeople and professional educators alike.

Here are two excerpts that are indicative of the book's quality throughout:

After Mr. Payne's death, I realized that I should make the most of my life. Someone once told me that human nature may try to make me forget this promise of dedication, but I will never forget. My music and service to my community are commitments for life . Each time one of my goals is achieved I feel a form of that musical ecstasy. The victory proclaimed in Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" is my victory each time a baby is born healthy or a hungry soul is fed. Cannons explode gloriously and spirits rise; my gut reaches up to nudge my throat as I smile with pride. One song ends and I prepare for the next one to begin. ---Padmini Parthasarathy writing about H.T. Payne, her orchestra director

It is strange to say that a dance professor taught me to taste wine, and cook pasta sauce with just the right amount of garlic, but these are the tools that Alice used to refine our senses and, in turn, our dance style. She would bring her awareness for beauty into the dance studio and awaken her students to their surroundings. Simply by acknowledging the scent in the air, the warmth of her coffee, or the feeling of a movement , we as students began to take notice of daily life. ---Katie Kruger writing about Alice Condidina, her college dance professor

I know that you'll enjoy To Honor A Teacher tremendously. To learn more about the book,and the Teacher Appreciation Project, please visit honorateacher.org in late January, 2000.

Students pay tribute to teachers from all walks of life and show that all of life's lessons do not take place in the classroom. It gives teachers and ,mentors hope that even if no one ever thanked them personally, they can relate to some of these tributes and know that they still touched the lives their students in ways they will never know.

To Honor A Teacher is a wonderful gift book! How many coffee mugs can one person use? I'm always looking for creative ways to thank the teachers (including piano and coaches)that work so wonderfully with my children. I've already given several as gifts and the receipiants have all been delighted. The entries are moving without being sappy. The stories illustate that it's sometimes the little caring gestures that really matter to people. How nice it would be if anyone considering a teaching career could hear these first hand accounts of what is important from a student's perspective.