This thoughtful volume about becoming a teacher is structured as a series of reflective conversations between a young woman about to begin her first year as a school teacher. Readers will find themselves effortlessly drawn into these fascinating dialogues that encourage them to reflect on, reexamine, and refine what they believe to be the elements of good teaching and the characteristics of good teachers: Mission and Vision; Expectations; Caring; Commitment; Respect; Observation; Cultural Awareness; Balance; Teambuilding; Growth and Knowledge. The writing style is highly readable and engaging, and the conversations extend from educational theory through practical classroom strategies and teaching models. This volume will challenge beginning teachers to think about how they can become the teachers they want to be and will revitalize veteran teachers by reminding them of the reasons and desires that compelled them to teach in the first place. An eclectic list of suggested readings rounds out the volume and a detailed index allows access to core topics covered throughout the text.
J. Victor McGuire, PhD, is a 25-year veteran of the education field. As an alumnus of the international Fulbright-Hayes Schol-arship organization, Dr. McGuire uses his global educational experience to inspire and motivate the next generation of teachers. Recently, he founded the National Associa-tion for Beginning Teachers (beginning teachers.org), which offers service and sup-port to preservice and beginning teachers. He has authored and published a variety of practitioner-based educa-tional books and is the editor of Inspire, a magazine for beginning teachers. Currently, Dr. McGuire is on the faculty in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. If you are interested in having a conversation about teaching with Dr. McGuire, please visit www.teachingconversations.com.
Foreword - Thomas R. Giblin Acknowledgments About the Author Conversation One: Mission and Vision Conversation Two: Expectations Conversation Three: Caring Conversation Four: Commitment Conversation Five: Respect Conversation Six: Observation Conversation Seven: Cultural Awareness Conversation Eight: Balance Conversation Nine: Teambuilding Conversation Ten: Growth and Knowledge Recommended Readings Index
"This is a beautiful book. It should be read by every beginning teacher, and it will lift the hearts of older teachers, too." -- Nel Noddings "Provides a 21st century book that is a 'model' of what we would like education to be--a conversation and a journey. . . . It is well written, clever, engaging, entertaining, moving, and meaningful." -- Thomas Giblin, Superintendent of Schools "Short, to the point, and written in a new and entertaining format that lends itself to extended, in-depth discussions among professionals. . . . The dialogue format and reflective nature create a genuine and authentic foundation on which to discuss the complex art of teaching." -- Sue Braun, Principal "An easy read, but very powerful in its 'conversation' style. . . . It will stimulate rich discussion among its readers." -- Karyn Wright, Director, K-12 Teacher Development "Reading each chapter brought me back to why I chose this profession and why I must stay. . . . The book can easily be read in one sitting although I recommend using each chapter as topics for reflection and introspection. This is one of those books I plan to keep and reread each time the going gets tough." -- Marta Cruz-Janzen, Associate Professor
