Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach [Hardcover]

Sam M. Intrator (Author), Megan Scribner (Author), Parker J. Palmer (Author), Tom Vander Ark (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787969702 | ISBN-13: 978-0787969707 | Publication Date: October 10, 2003 | Edition: 1

Reclaim Your Fire

"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children....Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
?Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities

"When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going....Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense."
?Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York

"In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us - for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
?Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline

Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from such well-loved poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally.

Teaching With Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Royalties from this book will be used to fund scholarship opportunities for teachers to grow and learn.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children...Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all." - Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities "When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going...Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense." - Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York "In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us - for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?" - Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline T001 0787969702

Review

"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children . . . Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
— Johnathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities

"When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going . . . . Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense."
— Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York

"It is said in the Confucian tradition that the mark of any golden era is that children are the most important members of a society and teaching the most revered profession. Today, fear, anxiety, overwork, and under-appreciation characterize a great many professions, but few more so than teaching. Realism tells us that the journey to regain our sanity regarding children and teaching will be a long one. Passion tells us that the path to the future is the one we tread here, now. The editors of Teaching with Fire say it is to sustain teachers. I say it is to sustain us all— for who are we at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
— Peter Senge, author, The Fifth Discipline

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (October 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787969702
• ISBN-13: 978-0787969707
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Poetry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All my FAVORITE POEMS!!!!!, November 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach (Hardcover)

I've long loved poetry, but have struggled to use it successfully in the classroom. This book is absolutely PERFECT for me! First of all, it has poems from my favorite poets like Rilke, Marge Piercy, Mary Oliver, Annie Dillard, Billy Collins, Anne Sexton, and a whole bunch of others. And then there's wonderful poetry by authors I didn't know until now. I'm always delighted to find a new poet!

But the icing on the cake? The short introductions to each poem, each written by a different teacher. The one that really spoke to me was the teacher who taught "There But for the Grace" by Wislawa Szymborska on Sept. 12, 2001. It really shows the power of poetry in students' lives!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Words to Inspire Those Who Teach & Learn, November 18, 2003

By 

M. Craemer "literature lover" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach (Hardcover)

This fine collection of 88 poems introduced by the educators who submitted them gives readers a new appreciation for the power poetry can provide to those who teach as well as those who learn. Though all these poems may not be new to you, the deeply-felt reflections on the opposite pages will give you a new appreciation for them.

Editors Sam Intrator and Megan Scribner weaved together these well-known poets with everyday educators so readers can take inspiration on any given page without a sequential read-through. Or, by choosing a section such as "Holding On," one can select Rubin Alves' poem "Tomorrow's Child" and take heart and courage from the commentary by Sarah Smith, academic director of Rainier Scholars in the state of Washington. "I met this poem with the heaviest of hearts, a depleted spirit, a feeling that I was failing myself and my own personal mission." And later, "I recommitted myself to the work. I reclaimed my hope and belief in the notion that education could truly be the great equalizer."

Although I'm not a teacher, I am a life-long learner and encouraged that such a book is available to help support and restore the faith of the people we put in charge of our childrens' education. Nothing could be more important or more vital.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasured Collection!, May 5, 2006

By 

Nadinne Cruz "Nadinne Cruz, Co-author (Stanto... (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach (Hardcover)

I absolutely treasure this book! For several years now, everywhere I give talks or do workshops on service-learning and civic education in higher education, I find an excuse to read a poem or two from this compelling collection of poetry. I think educators are yearning for renewal, and the combination of each poem along with a teacher's note on the meaning of the poem, strikes a chord. I know this, not only from audience reactions to my reading from the book, but also because I always get asked for the citation! I am always happy to recommend the book--(no one in higher ed has said to me they were not interested in the book, when I tell them the poems were selected by K-12 teachers). Suggestion for gift-giving: whenever it fits the occasion, it is a great present. It is also perfect for end-of-year giving for groups (appreciation gift for graduating seniors, recognition of teachers, thank you to participants in service-learning and community involvement programs, etc.).