Review
"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children . . . Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
— Johnathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities
"When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going . . . . Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense."
— Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York
"It is said in the Confucian tradition that the mark of any golden era is that children are the most important members of a society and teaching the most revered profession. Today, fear, anxiety, overwork, and under-appreciation characterize a great many professions, but few more so than teaching. Realism tells us that the journey to regain our sanity regarding children and teaching will be a long one. Passion tells us that the path to the future is the one we tread here, now. The editors of Teaching with Fire say it is to sustain teachers. I say it is to sustain us all— for who are we at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
— Peter Senge, author, The Fifth Discipline
Book Description
Reclaim Your Fire
"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children....Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
–Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities
"When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going....Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense."
–Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York
"In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us - for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
–Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline
Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from such well-loved poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally.
Teaching With Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Royalties from this book will be used to fund scholarship opportunities for teachers to grow and learn.
Book Info
Text provides a collection of 88 poems from well-loved poets such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in her or her life's work. DLC: Poetry--Collections.
From the Publisher
"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children . . . Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
-- Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities "When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going . . . . Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense."
-- Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York "It is said in the Confucian tradition that the mark of any golden era is that children are the most important members of a society and teaching the most revered profession. Today, fear, anxiety, overwork, and under-appreciation characterize a great many professions, but few more so than teaching. Realism tells us that the journey to regain our sanity regarding children and teaching will be a long one. Passion tells us that the path to the future is the one we tread here, now. The editors of Teaching with Fire say it is to sustain teachers. I say it is to sustain us all-- for who are we at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
-- Peter Senge, author, The Fifth Discipline
From the Inside Flap
Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from well-loved poets such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life’s work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally. Teaching with Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
From the Back Cover
reclaim your fire
"Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children . . . . Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all."
–Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities
"When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going . . . . Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It’s inspiration in the very best sense."
–Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York
"In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us–for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?"
–Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline
About the Author
Sam M. Intrator is assistant professor of education and child study at Smith College. He is a former high school teacher and administrator and the son of two public school teachers. He is the editor of Stories of the Courage to Teach and author of Tuned In and Fired Up: How Teaching Can Inspire Real Learning in the Classroom. Megan Scribner is a freelance writer, editor, and program evaluator who has conducted research on what sustains and empowers the lives of teachers. She is the mother of two children and PTA president of their elementary school in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach FROM THE PUBLISHER
Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from well-loved poets such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally. Teaching with Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Intrator (education & child study, Smith) and Scribner, an editor and program evaluator, have organized this book simply but powerfully to capture the relationship between educators and the poems that have become their inspiration. Text on the left-hand side of a spread explains where and why an educator teaches, while the facing page offers a poem that has sustained him or her through long droughts in the classroom. The diversity of poems is impressive; the poets represented in this book range from British, white, classic, and dead to recent award winners from all over the globe. The educators also come from diverse backgrounds, and they have multifarious reasons for choosing their profession. Although many traditional teachers from public school settings are represented, the educators also come from parochial schools, urban charter schools, Teach for America, and colleges and include artists in residence, principals, and curriculum directors. It is the pluralistic, inclusive approach this book takes that makes it such a worthy read. Highly recommended for all school and college libraries.-Maria Kochis, California State Univ., Sacramento, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
