In praise of our teachers : a muliticultural tribute to those who inspired us / edited by Gloria Wade Gayles.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gayles, Gloria Jean Wade.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Teacher-student relationships--United States--Anecdotes.

Teacher-student relationships.

Teachers--United States--Anecdotes.

Teachers.

Students.

United States.

Students--United States--Biography.

Genre:

Anecdotes.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xi, 140 pages ; 19 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Beacon Press, [2003]

Summary:

Teachers have always made an indelible impression on their charges. In this new book, Gloria Wade Gayles has brought together a winning and touching collection of pieces about teachers and teaching, with inspiring and dramatic anecdotes woven in. Each story offers a new and unique perspective on some of our country's most beloved teachers. With pieces by legendary writers like Langston Hughes and Alice Walker, we see how a strong teacher can turn a nervous child into a world-renowned artist. Robin D. G. Kelley frames a short history of busing with a sweet story about having a crush on his third grade teacher. Mieko Kamii writes about the difficulties of being Asian in a predominantly white classroom, but credits a few great teachers with helping her love school. Marian Wright Edelman celebrates Howard Zinn's teaching style, his insistence on exploration and questioning; and Zinn himself weighs in on the profession he has practiced for most of his life. But we also hear from a diverse group of students: writers who were part of the first wave of integration in their school system and immigrants who learned to speak English and participate in American culture in their schools. We hear stories from Catholic schools, public schools, college classrooms, and more. In this age of standardized testing, In Praise of Our Teachers is a wonderful reminder of the immeasurable influence that teachers will always have on their students.

Contents:

1 I Saw Them Believing

From a Conversation / Audrey Forbes Manley 3

Learning to Be Heard: Portrait of Teacher Sister Dolorosa, O.S.P. / Deborah J. G. James 4

In Praise of Good Teachers, with Love / Lydia Cortes 11

My History Lesson / Mieko Kamii 22

From Unbought and Unbossed / Shirley Chisholm 30

Mistresses of Magic / Lenore H. Gay 31

From Voices and Silences / James Earl Jones 37

"Oh Freedom": Education in the Piney Woods of Mississippi / Dorothy V. Smith 39

Gifts: Four Teachers, Four Stories / James Knudsen 41

Remembering Mo Hunt / Arthur J. Clement 50

A Teacher's Touch / Joyce King 53

2 Respect and Passion for the Discipline

From a Conversation / Jill Ker Conway 59

Mrs. Lewis, a Tribute / Anita Farber-Robertson 60

From With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together / Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee 71

My Lifeline / John L. Johnson 72

To My Teachers, "Well Done!" / Faye Wade Henning 74

First Crush / Robin D. G. Kelley 76

Awakening / Mary C. Lewis 86

From Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician / Toby Perlman 100

From The Big Sea: An Autobiography / Langston Hughes 104

Miss Delaney Was Right / Nikki Giovanni 105

3 Leading by Example

From a Conversation / Howard Zinn 109

From Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors / Marian Wright Edelman 111

Yes, They Could! And Yes, They Did! / Mary Alice Hubbard McWilliams 114

From Angela Davis: An Autobiography / Angela Davis 118

Dr. McAllister / Vita L. Jones 120

From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings / Maya Angelou 122

If You Can Read This ... A Letter of Thanks to One of the Great Teachers / David L. Collins 124

Vida Freeze / Lyndall Stanley 127

Planting Ivy: A Calling / E. Delores B. Stephens 129

From a Conversation / Michael L. Lomax 134

From a Conversation / Alice Walker 135.

ISBN:

0807031488

080703147X

OCLC:

49750525

Online:

Publisher description