The Heart Of A Teacher

"This book is for teachers who have good days and bad -- and whose bad days bring the suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts, because they love learners, learning, and the teaching life." - Parker J. Palmer [from the Introduction] Teachers choose their vocation for reasons of the heart, because they care deeply about their students and about their subject. But the demands of teaching cause too many educators to lose heart. Is it possible to take heart in teaching once more so that we can continue to do what good teachers always do -- give heart to our students? In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with their vocation and their students -- and recovering their passion for one of the most difficult and important of human endeavors.

The Heart of a Teacher is a celebration of thanks to the teachers of the world. The Heart of a Teacher is filled with inspirational stories and poems that reflect the hearts of teachers and their commitment to making a difference in each life they touch. Mac Anderson explains why he chose to publish this book: "Part of my intention in publishing our gift book for educators, Heart of a Teacher, was to honor the teachers who had made a difference in my life. Ms. Bridges, who taught me in the 4th grade, was amazing! She made learning so much fun and made all of us feel as though we could do anything we wanted to do. Years later, I still remember the impact she made on me as a young child."

A gift book of thanks for the heart of a Teacher

This inspiring book presents the concept of a heartprint -- the distinctive impression that an educator's heart leaves on students and colleagues during his or her professional career. For teachers, understand how teacher motivation, teacher-student relationships, and collaborative teaching all affect your self-efficacy, career, and professional development. For school leaders and administrators, discover your impact on staff, students, and school culture as you progress in your career and gain perspective on creating sustainable change. Examine the 5 HEART aspects of your professional life: Happiness: a passion for teaching, a purpose, and a desire to positively impact education Engagement: teacher motivation, energy, and effort necessary to impact student learning Alliances: relationships, collaborative teaching, and teacher support Risk: vision-focused risk taking to create sustainable change in schools Thought: the knowledge and professional development integral to advancing your career Discover Your Answer to the Question "Why Teach" and Advance Your Career in Education: Reflect on your journey and the personal and professional qualities of the teacher or leader you want to be. Discover your distinctive heartprint on your students and colleagues, and decide what the qualities of a good teacher are for you. Gain personal development plan ideas and inspirational insights from Dr. Kanold as well as dozens of thought leaders and researchers. Connect your professional life to each chapter and reconnect to the emotion, passion, energy, growth, and collaborative intimacy expected when joining the teaching profession. Build collective teacher efficacy and academic optimism by using the resource as a book study for professional development. Contents: Part 1: H Is for Happiness Chapter 1: The Happiness Dilemma Chapter 2: The Happiness-Passion Connection Chapter 3: What's Love Got to Do With It? Chapter 4: Got Compassion? Check! Chapter 5: Wanted--Persons of Positive Character and Hope Chapter 6: The Joy-Gratitude-Stability Connection Chapter 7: Why Should We Weep? Final Thoughts: The World Happiness Report Part 2: E Is for Engagement Chapter 8: Gallup Says--Full Engagement Not Ahead Chapter 9: Getting Engaged! Chapter 10: It's Energy, Not Time Chapter 11: Name That Energy Quadrant Chapter 12: Avoid the Quadrant III Drift Chapter 13: Quadrant II Time Required Chapter 14: Grit--Deliberate Daily Practice Final Thoughts: The MTXE Perspective Part 3: A Is for Alliances Chapter 15: The Primary Purposes of Collaboration Chapter 16: PLCs--Serving the Greater Good Chapter 17: Oh, the Inequity Places We'll Go! Chapter 18: Reduce Our Professional Noise Chapter 19: Relational Intelligence Required Chapter 20: What Are Those Black Boxes? Chapter 21: Celebration--Making Above and Beyond the Norm the Norm Final Thoughts: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success Part 4: R Is for Risk Chapter 22: What's in a Goal? Chapter 23: Shared Purpose--Each and Every Child Can Learn Chapter 24: Results or Persons? Chapter 25: The Risk-Vision Dependency Chapter 26: Build Trust the Millennial Way Chapter 27: Fixed or Growth Mindset? Chapter 28: Warning--Entropy Ahead! Final Thoughts: A Sense of Urgency Part 5: T Is for Thought Chapter 29: Your Great Adventure! Chapter 30: Your Voice of Wisdom Chapter 31: Clean Up the Climate Chapter 32: Become a Feedback Fanatic Chapter 33: Yours, Mine, and Ours Final Thoughts: Hold the Mayo!

The best teachers are leaders, and the best leaders are teachers. Teaching by Heart summarizes the author's key insights gained from more than forty years of teaching and managing. It illustrates how teachers can both lift people up and let them down. It proposes that the best teachers are also leaders, and the best leaders are also teachers. In examining how to lead and teach, renowned Harvard Business School professor Thomas J. DeLong takes the reader inside his own head and heart. He notes that, as teachers, we often focus more on our inadequacies and missteps than on our strengths and unique talents. He explains why this is so by dissecting and analyzing his own experiences--using himself as a case study. The book's goal is to help readers learn about the intricacies of teaching and managing, and to impart lessons about how teachers can create a unique teaching atmosphere. To do this, the author analyzes the process of creating a curriculum, preparing for an eighty-minute class, managing the fifteen minutes before class begins, and evaluating the nature of the teaching experience after the session concludes. Along the way, he connects specific classroom behaviors with leadership issues--in organizations, in teams, and in personal relationships. He also asks--and answers--some provocative questions, such as: What happens on multiple levels when I teach or lead--with me, students, or professionals? What am I thinking and feeling as I process what students are thinking and feeling? How are my internal conversations affecting how I teach and lead? How do I manage my biases, including having "favorite" students? To what extent can I use teaching methods in the arena of management? Throughout Teaching by Heart, DeLong discusses why empathy and authenticity matter. When teachers embrace this mindset, students have the opportunity to have a unique learning experience. Teachers and managers will learn how to create moments of transformation for students. Whether you're a university professor, a student, a business leader, or just someone fascinated by teaching, this book will instruct, entertain, and--hopefully--inspire.

Give the gift of encouragement with this thoughtful Gift Book designed exclusively for teachers. Teachers are the ones working behind the scenes, helping to build up the future generations. Often times, teachers give selflessly without looking for anything in return. Bless the teacher in your life with this thoughtful gift book. Designed for the teacher who has steady faith in the Lord, this Gift Book has encouraging scriptures and thoughts to meditate and reflect on.

From the Heart of a Teacher exposes the ugly truth about the current educational system in the United States from a man who was once the student no teacher wanted in their classroom but is now the teacher that all students want to be in his. In this breath-taking, eye-opening, ""oh no he didn't"" literary work, author Rodney Jordan holds no punches when it comes to the breakdown of American schools and all parties involved, which has left those who truly care about the futures of our children, scratching their heads. With refreshing honesty, From the Heart of a Teacher not only raises awareness of the ineffective policymaking, teaching, and parenting impacting the lives of our students in grades K-12, but also offers solutions on how to fix this crisis. Jordan, a back-to-back Teacher of the Year award winner in 2010 and 2011, brings the truth to light in this book from beginning to end, challenging all who are involved when it comes to student achievement.

What you do matters. You may not hear it often (or ever), but if you're an educator, you're making a difference in the lives of learners. And that impact has a domino effect. In Because of a Teacher, more than fifteen of today's leading educators remember the teachers and administrators who inspired and supported their careers. Through a series of heartfelt and uplifting stories, they reflect on their early years teaching, offering advice and strategies suited to first-year teachers and longtime educators alike. These personal stories offer hope for new teachers, encouragement for educators tiptoeing into burnout, and reassurance that the work you're doing right now will inspire generations to come. Because of a Teacher will inspire you to remember those who encouraged your love of learning; honor and thank educators who have advocated for you, championed your career, and equipped you with the skills necessary to lead; reflect on how far you've come since you entered the profession. Endorsements "Whether you are in your first year of teaching or nearing your last, Because of a Teacher will remind you why you went into education in the first place and help us all focus on what is really important: the legacy we will leave with the students and staff we are blessed to work with." -Allyson Apsey, principal and author of The Path to Serendipity "I would highly recommend this book to any educator I know!" -Morgane Michael, educational consultant and author of From Burnt Out to Fired Up! "Because of a Teacher is filled with voices from the field who remind us of the impact we can make with all students, even on our toughest days. If you are looking for an inspiring read to remind you why you went into the profession, this book is it." -Jimmy Casas, educator, author, speaker, and leadership coach