Tales From The Teachers Lounge

From the critically acclaimed author of Daddy Needs a Drink—hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “consistently hilarious”—comes a series of irreverent, wickedly observant essays about what it really means to be a teacher today. With his trademark wit and wisdom, Robert Wilder dissects the world’s noblest profession—whether he’s taming a classroom full of hormonal teenagers or going one-on-one with the school bully. Wilder was twenty-six when he found his true calling. Leaving a lucrative advertising career in New York, he got a job as an assistant first-grade teacher at a Santa Fe alternative school—and never looked back. Now he brings his unique perspective—as a teacher, parent, and former student—to a series of laugh-out-loud essays that show teaching at its most absurd…and most rewarding. With brutal candor he chronicles his own lively adventures in modern education, from navigating cutthroat kindergarten sign-ups to subbing for a class experiment gone wrong–and dares to tell about it. He shares the surprising lessons he’s learned in the trenches of his profession, including how to bribe a four-year-old (his own) to stop swearing in a Lutheran preschool and the best way to teach moody teenagers…manage “helicopter” parents…and cope with bullies—whether of the school-yard, Internet, or parental kind. And he offers tough love for cheaters who log on to www.SchoolSucks.com, then puts to rest forever the question of why new teachers gain weight (hint: the free donuts don’t help). In Tales from the Teachers’ Lounge, Robert Wilder charts life’s learning curve with a warmth and humor you don’t find in textbooks. By turns heartwarming, eye-opening, and uproariously funny, these pitch-perfect essays offer priceless lessons in life, family, learning, and teaching from a true lover of education.

Behind the doors of teachers' lounges, teachers share with each other. They share their frustrations and enjoyment. They also share stories about the students they serve. Sometimes these stories are meant to entertain, and at other times, these stories are designed to illustrate a message about the nature of students and the importance of teacher behaviors. Through the edited book volume, The Teachers' Lounge: Tales Told and Lessons Learned, the editors manage to capture the spirit of teacher communalism in print form. Fun, heart-warming, and even bewildering within-school tales are shared. Through the narratives presented, associated lessons are also shared. These lessons elevate new, as well as experienced, teacher capacity and encourage responsible teaching behaviors. Each chapter ends with questions and statements for reflection and discussion, creating a comprehensively engaging and didactic experience from which all teachers could benefit. Though it was especially developed for new and emerging teachers, this volume serves as a didactic glimpse into teaching and a powerful resource for all teachers."This volume made me reflect upon my time as a teacher. I could relate to every word within it. I also got a good laugh."-- Garrett Dennis, Councilman, City of Jacksonville, Florida"This volume is a considerate contribution to help prepare new teachers for the reality of the classroom. It is reflective, responsible, and resolute."--David H. Jackson, Jr., Professor of History, Associate Provost for Graduate Education & Dean School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education, Florida A&M University"I really wish I had a resource like this when I began teaching. I was bombarded with theory, but there was nothing that I could really relate to. I had so many misconceptions that I was forced to reconcile with reality. This book opens the door to the world of real teaching for new teachers. It will help many."--Lasonya G. Rentz, Guidance Counselor "Books like this are essential if we are going to prepare a new generation of teachers who are ready to assist and foster growth in all students."--Diedrich Arterberry, Veteran Teacher

When an imaginative child peeks inside a teachers lounge, he embarks on a wild, funny adventure you'll never forget!

The extraordinary memoir of the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Freedom Writers Diary, who’s been hailed as “a true inspiration” (Hilary Swank) and “simply magical when it comes to inspiring people to action” (Los Angeles Times). Don’t miss the public television documentary Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart In this passionate, poignant, and deeply personal memoir and call to arms, Erin Gruwell, the dynamic teacher who nurtured an extraordinary group of high school students from Long Beach, California, who called themselves the Freedom Writers, picks up where The Freedom Writers Diary—and the hit movie Freedom Writers—left off and brings the reader up to date on where the Freedom Writers are today. Including their unforgettable trip to Auschwitz, where they met with Holocaust survivors; their tour of the attic of their beloved Anne Frank; and their visit to Bosnia with their friend Zlata Filipović, Teach With Your Heart chronicles what happened with the Freedom Writers as they made their way through college and beyond. Along the way, Gruwell includes lessons for parents and teachers about what she learned from her remarkable band of students as she traveled through the emotional peaks and valleys on the front lines of our nation’s educational system. A mesmerizing story of one young woman’s personal odyssey and of her unique ability to encourage others to follow in her footsteps, Teach With Your Heart is marked by the enviable radiance and irrepressible force of nature that are Erin Gruwell and her unbelievable determination to ensure that education in the United States truly meets the needs of every student.

This book was chosen by The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International as one of its Top 5 Must Reads for 2013. DKG is organized in 18 countries around the world and works to promote professional and personal growth for women educators and excellence in education. Teachers step to the front of the classroom every day and do their darnedest to capture their student's attention and keep it. But so many things get in the way: unruly kids, disagreeable parents, homes so broken it is beyond imagining, bureaucracy and red tape, the influence of technology and the media, a culture that celebrates misguided values, and most intrusively, government regulations that purport to improve teaching and learning, but in fact, are destroying it. The Teachers' Lounge (Uncensored) gives you a peek inside that classroom. Kelly Flynn takes readers by the hand and says, "Come inside my school, walk a mile in my halls, and then we'll talk about education reform." With breathtaking clarity and a healthy dose of humor Kelly Flynn shares with readers what all teachers know; that when you teach in a public school there are days that you laugh, days that you cry, and days that you laugh until you cry. Each student is surprisingly, delightfully, wildly different, which is precisely why one-size-fits-all education does not work.

When Kyle, Dusty, and Wilson sneak into the teachers' lounge to get sodas, other kids want some too!

It is uncommon to see the level of honest self-examination that exists in Secrets from the Teachers' Lounge, a fictional memoir that depicts a startling cross-section of the daily challenges faced by teachers and administrators in the public school system. The stories, unlike those found in many teacher biographies, are not primarily funny. Teaching is a difficult job, especially for those who take on the more "difficult" kids, and dealing with the struggles of one's students-at home and in the classroom-is what differentiates a good teacher from a great one. The short stories in Secrets from the Teachers' Lounge deal with sensitive subjects that contribute to the performance, or lack thereof, of the author's students. From the death of a family member to abuse to the inability to adapt to a strange new culture, the events that take place are treated with the seriousness they deserve. But the lives of the students aren't the only ones examined. Teachers and administrators are not perfect, and even the most veteran educator makes bad decisions on occasion. Green is able to look back on her mistakes with clarity and accept that she wasn't always the hero in her story.