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To Teach: The Journey, in Comics [Paperback]

William Ayers , Ryan Alexander-Tanner
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 1, 2010 080775062X 978-0807750629 3rd Edition
''A serious book, but laced with humor... a novel approach. Required reading for all educators.''- Harvey Pekar, American Splendor

''An utterly original and deliciously irreverent book...''- From the Foreword by Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities

''This book is a treasure chest of insight. It represents what dedicated, imaginative teaching is all about and is a blueprint for everyone who wants to explore the intimate connection between teaching and learning.'' - Peter Kuper, Diario De Oaxaca

''To Teach is hilarious serious and fabulous! A broad manifesto that will change many people's lives.''- Laurie Anderson, artist and musician

''Weaving in inspirational anecdotes and playful visual metaphors, Ayers and Alexander-Tanner's collaboration cleverly illustrates the vital importance and moral necessity of teaching.'' - Josh Neufeld, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge

''I wish I'd read this book before I started teaching and making comics a decade ago, it's chock full of practical and philosophical advice. I know this book will inspire a generation of teachers to come.''- Lauren Weinstein, Girl Stories

''To Teach represents a fresh breeze in the educational and social science research community. It takes daring to reconceptualize entrenched practices and traditional modes of research.'' - Elliot Eisner, Professor Emeritus of Art, Stanford University

''The perennial dance of learning that can also be teaching at its best is both brilliantly and graphically shown herein by Messrs. Ayers and Alexander-Tanner. Do keep in mind that although they can show you the right steps, you still have to listen closely to your interior music and follow its changing melodies and rhythms.'' - Gary Dumm, artist, Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story, and American Splendor

''To Teach is great reading not only to student teachers but to anyone who has a vested interest in our education system. I especially appreciated the smack down of the dehumanizing trend to pigeonhole every other kid with some kind of ''at risk'' syndrome! It also is a great example of how comic art is a very efficient way to communicate complex ideas.'' - Peter Bagge, comics journalist and author of the Buddy Bradley series

This graphic novel brings to life William Ayers s bestselling memoir To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher, now in its third edition. From Ayers early days teaching kindergarten, readers follow this renowned educational theorist on his ''voyage of discovery and surprise.'' We meet fellow travelers from schools across the country and watch students grow across a year and a lifetime.

To Teach is a vivid, honest portrayal of the everyday magic of teaching, and what it means to be a ''good'' teacher debunking myths perpetuated on film and other starry-eyed hero/teacher fictions. Illuminated by the evocative and wry drawings of Ryan Alexander-Tanner, this literary comics memoir is both engaging and insightful. These illustrated stories remind us how curiosity, a sense of adventure, and a healthy dose of reflection can guide us all to learn the most from this world.

This dynamic book will speak to comic fans, memoir readers, and educators of all stripes.

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To Teach: The Journey, in Comics + The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Quinn is a pudgy and energetic boy, whose enthusiastic embrace of snack time prompts a school administrator to label him hyperactive disordered. His teacher, however, notes, it's too easy to caricature every excitable African-American boy as 'at risk' and goes on to identify Quinn's many strengths and then persistently encourage them. That teacher is Bill Ayers, the school reform activist and a cofounder of the Weather Underground who got so much attention during the Obama campaign. Ayers is all teacher in this graphic novel ode to the power and potential of his profession. Alexander-Tanner's black and white ink drawings show a classroom in full bloom with activity and learning, while Ayers's text offers pointed discussions of what's wrong with the current state of education in this country. Ayers doesn't just present critiques like the one relating to Quinn that labeling students has become an epidemic in our schools; he also shows the methods he uses to develop a permanent readiness for the marvelous in his classroom. With plenty of anecdotal examples, he demonstrates ways of opening up a child's eagerness to learn. This fascinating and, yes, educational book will certainly be of interest to teachers, but it will also teach, inspire, and entertain anyone else who picks it up. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

''[Ayers] understands that schools should be places of great joy where it's OK to be goofy...a delightful book that will make readers smile.'' --Phi Delta Kappan

''A book about what is possible; the educators featured are real people making real magic in real classrooms.'' --Harvard Educational Review

''A book about what is possible; the educators featured are real people making real magic in real classrooms.'' --Harvard Educational Review

Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Teachers College Press; 3rd Edition edition (May 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 080775062X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0807750629
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.4 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
(15)
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Advancing the conversation July 7, 2010
By Rachel
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this rendition of Ayers' great "To Teach" tremendously. Alexander-Tanner's subtle but complex visual interpretation of Ayers' educational philosophy gives new life to his ideas. As someone who works in educational reform in public schools across the country, I'm so glad to see a work like this live on-- one where realism does not come at the expense of idealism. Ayers' colloquial approach to this sophisticated subjet matter is well suited to comics as a popular form. Highly recommended!
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read in Teacher Education July 7, 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a professor of special education and I find this book to be a fascinating read. I believe my students will actually read this assigned book now that it is in comics versus the traditional text. I will also encourage my students not to sell back this book because they will need all the ideas on how to create a conducive learning environment for their students. To me, this is not just another graphic book, there are a of irrefutable and creative strategies that are cleverly conveyed through the fine artwork. Have fun and enjoy reading!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories from a great teacher April 13, 2011
Format:Paperback
"Greatness in teaching engages students, interacts with them, draws energy and direction from them, and offer reasons to plunge into classroom life. Greatness in teaching is always in pursuit of the next challenge, the next encounter... greatness demands an openness to the new and the unique. For great teachers, it must always be, `Here I go again.'"

Bill Ayer's reworking of his book, To Teach: The Journey, in Comics is a wonderful, inspiring read, reworked into a comic medium (don't call it a genre) with illustrator Ryan Alexander-Tanner. One can only imagine the twists and turns of Ayer's journey from being on the FBI's wanted list as a member of the Weather Underground during the height of anti-Vietnam protests to being a kindergarten teacher and now professor or education.

I first met Mr. Ayers when he keynoted the Humboldt State University inaugural Education Summit. As part of the organizing committee under my then-mentor Eric Rofes, I was gifted with hours of conversations with Mr. Ayers over breakfasts and dinners. He is an amazing storyteller and a wonderful teacher.

Most of the story is about Bill thinking about teaching and about how his children learn. There are great stories about exploration, creativity, perseverance, and wonder.

Sprinkled through out are vignette from other teachers that Bill clearly admires. One such story talks about an elementary school teacher who has her class fill up a bookshelf every year as they learn about something that she, the teacher, knows nothing about. Together the teacher and the students become co-learners, exploring where their collective curiosity leads them.

Another story is about a high school teacher who is trying to "teach a really good kindergarten class with 18-year-olds." In this story, we learn about how scary it is to allow students to control the learning environment, and how rewarding it can be.

Periodically the "specialists" form the central office show up in Bill's classroom to explain to Bill how his children should be labeled as deficient or "at risk" and what standards he should be covering with his kindergartners. When they leave, Bill jumps upon his soap box to talk about how the standards movement, and it's enforcers, get in the way of the very human relationship that is teaching and learning. After one such meeting, when his children are diagnose as ADHD, learning deficient, and "at risk" he states, "Focusing on what I can't do diminishes hope and limits possibility. It pays no attention to what I can do."

When the "specialist" leave, one of Bill's children asks, "Are they coming back?" When Bill answers in the affirmative, the child speaks with what many teachers may agree is their own voice... "They're weird."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it
I love the book and I encourage everyone to read it especially if you are going to be a teacher, know a teacher, have been taught by a teacher or know someone who knows a teacher. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Fwarren
5.0 out of 5 stars Journey through comics
This was a great book! The only one of my college books that I actually looked at before having to read it in class. It was in excellent condition and arrived quickly. Thank you!
Published 15 months ago by CK
2.0 out of 5 stars take a closer look
I had an incredibly mixed reaction to this book. On the one hand, it is quite readable and appealing. Read more
Published 20 months ago by John Clayton
1.0 out of 5 stars do your research ayers
As a teacher in one of the schools represented here I would like to challenge Mr. Ayers to do his homework. Read more
Published on October 29, 2010 by teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars Learning and laughing: don't miss this book
Don't miss this book. I have sent copies to all my young teacher friends, and they tell me they laughed and cried all the way through. Read more
Published on July 10, 2010 by Jeff Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars I used To Teach with my grad students
I teach a graduate level course for middle school teachers and had them read To Teach: The Journey in Comics and offer critical
reviews. Read more
Published on July 8, 2010 by Michael Klonsky
5.0 out of 5 stars love this new edition!
I have used Bill Ayers' To Teach for the last ten years and my students have always responded very positively. Read more
Published on July 7, 2010 by Mara Sapon-shevin
5.0 out of 5 stars An energizing, entertaining, inspiring graphic memoir / manifesto
Bill Ayers could have easily given his famous book To Teach to a cartoonist and said "turn this into a graphic novel." And you know what it probably would have come out decent. Read more
Published on July 6, 2010 by Jeffrey Newelt
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
To Teach: The Journey, in Comics is one of the few books out there that truly engages with the lived realities of youth today in a completely articulate and accessible way. Read more
Published on July 6, 2010 by Jamchos
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful piece on teaching
Forget what you know about the radical William Ayers, instead re tune your view of him as an educator. Read more
Published on July 6, 2010 by Josh F
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