The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide (Paperback)

by Robert L. Fried (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Every teacher could be a passionate teacher—one who engages young people in the excitement of learning and ideas—if teaching were not being undermined by the ways we "do business" in schools. The Passionate Teacher draws on the voices, stories, and success of teachers in urban, suburban, and rural classrooms to provide a guide to becoming, and remaining, a passionate teacher despite day-to-day obstacles. A new afterword speaks to the special challenges facing first-year teachers.

"Convinces us of the value of passion by actually taking us into classrooms where teachers dissolve student disinterest not with 'tricks' but rather with an authentic commitment to what and who they are teaching." —Teacher Magazine

"A deeply felt meditation on the vital role of passion in good teaching . . . stuffed with . . . samples, stories, interviews with good teachers, lists of things to try. . . . Fried writes about education with passionate, engrossing pragmatism." —Anthony Rotundo, The Washington Post

"An inspiring look at a few of the best in our profession, practical suggestions, even insights into the ruts into which we occasionally fall. This is a marvelous book. I'd like to put a half-dozen copies in my teachers' lounge!" —Lawrence Bickford, math and computer science teacher, Hopkinton School, Contoocook, New Hampshire

"This is a book filled with details, the actual stories, the tradeoffs and compromises, the breakthroughs that make teaching worthwhile. It's my ideal of a 'how-to' book." —Deborah Meier, author of The Power of Their Ideas

About the Author
Robert L. Fried is associate professor of education at Northeastern University in Boston, and works with teachers and parents in schools around the country. Author of The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide, he lives in Concord, New Hampshire.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st edition (September 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807031151
• ISBN-13: 978-0807031155
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,148,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is an amazing how-to book., October 26, 1999

By	Lisa Haase (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

Robert Fried has designed a how-to book that articulates what passion in education is. This topic has been lost in a black hole somewhere because most often teachers are so busy that they do not have time to reflect on what worked and what did not work in their lesson plans. The Passionate Teacher demonstrates that we need to be more than just passionate about our field of study - we need to build a "stance" about students and learning. Fried clearly illustrates that the quality of a teacher's believing and behaving - what he calls "stance" - is what makes passionate teaching possible. Often times we find that the fear of humiliation keeps students from sharing their most innovative, controversial ideas, resulting in a lack of energy and enthusiasm in the classroom. Throughout this book, Fried offers real life personal stories and ideas about how he and other teachers have put their passions to work. After reading this book, one can picture the effects of passion in the classroom. Fried reminds us that what we think is important for students to learn in order to be successful in life, may not always be what our students will feel they need. He urges educators to build on knowledge that students already have and to start bringing their interests into the classroom. In the The Passionate Teacher, Fried explores the question, "Where do teachers hit the wall in their struggle to become or remain enthusiastic about their profession?" He offers strategies for getting out of the "game" and onto something better. To change the "game" teachers need to start seriously listening to their students and find out what is getting in the way of the kind of learning that they, like all of us, are naturally supposed to seek out and respond to. Fried also stresses the idea of having fun in the classroom. Why wouldn't this make sense? Most of a child's learning comes from play. Teachers need to take a step back and look at what they are doing - what they are teaching and ask themselves what do they want their students to remember a year from now. This is a book I am confident I will have by my side throughout my teaching career. Fried's ideas are so inspiring. I have already begun implementing his ideas and strategies into my planning. I believe all teachers have some element of passion for teaching, even though it may be lost. Fried teaches us how to put this passion to work and how to bring passion back into our classrooms.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Surprise, July 21, 2000

By A Customer

I recieved this book anonymusly by mail, and curiously dipped into it. Surprisingly I was captivated from the start. This is a book of soulful ideas made to mix the minds of our youth. It inspired me to redesign my entire year planning, and the impact has been tremendous. I bought 3 more and sent them to some peers of mine.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Thought-Provoking Book for Teachers, September 21, 2004

By	Ms. Alice - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

This book will give you permission and practical support to be the best teacher you can be, even if that is completely different from the teacher down the hall...

I used this book over the summer like an instruction manual to build a course, and I have already been very pleased with the results I see in my classroom! Fried shows you how to think about what you are teaching and why you want to teach it, working step by step, and building up slowly from a solid theoretical foundation.

This is a hopeful book, full of excitement about the possibilities of teaching and based on the idea that you can design your courses so that students will rise to the challenge and perform at their best.

I have not read a better book written for teachers about teaching. I wish I had read this before my first year, so I could have applied the method right from the start.