By Ted Kesler, Elementary Education, White Plains, NY: When I started teaching, I worried that I would become stale, teaching the same subjects year after year. I had a perception of teachers, late in their careers, who had become jaded. I was dismayed by negative perceptions...
By Terri Pantuso, Secondary ELAR, Preservice Teachers, Cypress, TX: For new teachers, the best piece of advice I have is never to be afraid to admit that you don't know all the answers. It's okay to allow your students to see you struggle with some of...
By Katie Wheeler, 7th grade English Teacher, Cheyenne, WY: A BBQ sandwich wrapper and empty beer can sit on the desk of my hotel room. It is my last night in Atlanta and the evening before I return home from the annual National Council of Teachers of...
By Monica Soulsby, Preservice High School English Teacher, Grand Ridge, IL: As a student teacher, I have already had the privilege of working as an educator in multiple settings. Through this experience, I have learned that as a teacher and as a person I am more...
By Kristi Schmidt, Teacher Specialist for Secondary ELA in Frederick County, MD: Imagine being tasked with teaching a classroom full of restless adolescents, all of whom have different learning styles, strengths, interests, and needs. Or perhaps this daunting scenario is not so far fetched at all. A...
By Sherri Williams, English, Grades 6-12: I grew up in an urban environment; I'd never been outside of the city until I was in my preteens/early teens. Thus, I was quite ignorant about the rest of the world, particularly country and farming life. My family had little...