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Classroom Chronicles: So Now Do You Know the Real Story?.

1992; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Volume: 49; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

0013-1784

Marge Scherer,

Diverse Educational Innovations Studies

Ask teachers what they remember about their first year of teaching, and stories tumble forth. One teacher remembers being so controlling of his students that they were afraid to step out of line, while another remembers ignoring bad behavior to extent that her students' animal noises drowned out her book discussions. One teacher looking back recalls that he once threw his desk in a fit of anger over his students' lack of moti vation. Forever after, he had earned himself nickname Geyser. Another teacher calls to.mind day her desk was strewn with flowers. Her students — whom everyone else called the retards — were saying thanks for believing in them. A good number of teachers remi niscing about their year as a neophyte remember, although not always by name, fellow teacher, principal, or department chair who Joked or coun seled them through their rookie year. Not surprisingly, for many career teachers, memory of their entire first year can be evoked by one student's name — David, Leo, Adrianna, whose life touched their own in some lasting way. The First Year of Teaching: Real World Stories from American Teachers, Editor Pearl Rich Kane collects 25 of such stories. Chosen from more than 400 submitted in a nationwide contest called In The Beginning, essays chronicle the pivotal decisions, lessons learned, dramatic, poignant and funny inci dents that make up teachers' experi ences. While each is specific and unique, collectively stories reveal realities of classrooms that experi enced teachers will recognize and beginning teachers will appreciate. The book sheds light on some educational issues worthy of reflec tion: difference between way men and women approach teaching; moral dilemmas teachers face in classroom (from plagiarism to racism): and, most problematic, effectiveness of teacher training. Interestingly, for all teachers who lament that their preservice texts and training didn't adequately prepare them, an equal number pay tribute to educational strategy, psychology, or philosophy that guided them through early days. Finally, stories remind readers how different teaching is from other professions. As Kane writes in her introduction, Indeed, few other jobs offer immediate challenge, magnitude of responsibility, or potential for intrinsic satisfaction and learning that teaching in an elementary or secondary school affords from first day of employment.