Why We Teach Now PDF
Preview Why We Teach Now
Why We Teach Now Why We Teach Now Edited by Sonia Nieto Teachers College Columbia University New York and London Published by Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 Copyright © 2014 by Teachers College, Columbia University All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Why we teach now / Sonia Nieto, editor. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8077-5587-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8077-5624-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8077-7361-1 (ebook) 1. Teaching —United States. 2. Teachers—United States—Conduct of life. I. Nieto, Sonia, editor of compilation. LB1775.2.W495 2015 371.102—dc23 2014035643 ISBN 978-0-8077-5587-7 (paper) ISBN 978-0-8077-5624-9 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-8077-7361-1 (ebook) Printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated to all those teachers who know why they teach Contents Acknowledgments xi PART I: INTRODUCTION: FROM WHY WE TEACH TO WHY WE TEACH NOW 1 1. Public Schools and the Work of Teachers 9 Sonia Nieto PART II: LOOKING BACK 21 2. Kids Are Far More Than Test Scores or Why I Continued to Teach in Spite of It All 23 Mary Ginley 3. Staying True to Why I Teach 36 Nina Tepper 4. Looking Forward Backwards: Teaching Freedom and Democracy in the Classroom 45 Berta Rosa Berriz, with Alice McCabe, Jerry Pisani, Amanda Smallwood, Taryn Snyder, Lesley Strang, Jeffrey Timberlake, and Erica Welch PART III: TEACHING TO DEFINE IDENTITY 63 5. Somos Maestras: Our Journey to Self-Confidence, Our Passion to Inspire Others— Two Teachers Write About Identity, Advocacy, and Activism 65 Jennifer Burgos-Carnes and Vanessa Burgos-Kelly vii viii Contents 6. Snowdrifts, Rattlesnakes, and the Children I Love: The Life of a Rural Teacher on the Prairie 75 Missy M. Urbaniak 7. Journey Down a Different Path 87 Pamelyn A. Williams PART IV: TEACHING TO SUSTAIN HOPE 97 8. Teaching in the Now: A Mini-Essay and a Poem 99 Christina Puntel 9. Creating Spaces That Breathe Hope 103 Mary Jade Haney 10. Same as It Never Was: On My Return to Teaching 112 Gregory Michie 11. Teaching Chemistry, Impacting Lives 122 John Levasseur PART V: TEACHING TO HEAL 129 12. Coming into Full Humanity Through Teaching, Sharing, and Connecting 131 Matthew Hicks 13. Teaching to Save Our Lives 138 Sharim Hannegan-Martinez 14. Teaching Jack, and Other Joys of Working with Special Children 143 Eileen Blanco Dougherty 15. Teaching in the Invisible Spaces 148 Chuck Greanoff Contents ix PART VI: TEACHING AND FIGHTING BACK 159 16. The Activist Teacher 161 Heather Brooke Robertson 17. Teaching for Social Justice and Community Empowerment 173 Jorge López 18. Doing Social Justice Work Through Math 183 Mary Cowhey 19. Teaching on the Frontline 194 Maria Rosario 20. We Can Win: Social Justice Advocacy Inside and Out of the Classroom 202 Jesse Hagopian PART VII: LOOKING FORWARD 211 21. Becoming the Teacher I Am Today 213 Amanda VandeHei 22. Indispensable Me (Wouldn’t That Be Nice?) 222 Criselda J. Guerra 23. Jumping Off Cliffs and Touching the Ground with Wings 233 Michael Silverstone 24. Conclusion: Why on Earth Teach Now? 243 Sonia Nieto References 255 About the Contributors 260 Index 269
The list of books you might like
