Teacher Training Books

This book is a very useful tool in both understanding and planning educationally for students who have visual impairment in addition to other disabilities. This population of learners is not often included in educational literature. This book provides a much needed comprehensive guide to the needs of this unique population and I highly recommend it to both regular and special educators as well as teachers of the visually impaired. You will be inspired to meet the needs of these students after reading this book and you will refer to it often.

I liked this book because it gives inside information from a variety of teachers. Since I don't know any teachers personally, this was the information that helped me to get a realistic feel for the job of being a teacher. I found out that there are a lot of other people who feel the same way that I do about the importance of education, and I think that I will fit into the world of teaching very well. I liked the fact that the book included information about teacher training programs and certification requirements because it seems like that type of detail is hard to find. I am going to use this book in the future too, once I begin applying for my first teaching job because it has good info. on how to apply and also succeeding on the job once you get one. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about how to become a teacher.

I liked this book because it gives inside information from a variety of teachers. Since I don't know any teachers personally, this was the information that helped me to get a realistic feel for the job of being a teacher. I found out that there are a lot of other people who feel the same way that I do about the importance of education, and I think that I will fit into the world of teaching very well. I liked the fact that the book included information about teacher training programs and certification requirements because it seems like that type of detail is hard to find. I am going to use this book in the future too, once I begin applying for my first teaching job because it has good info. on how to apply and also succeeding on the job once you get one. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about how to become a teacher.

This is the story of a dedicated, serious young woman who has done a lot to put education front and center. She gets a lot of credit and deserves it. We can also look at things this way: why is Teach for America necessary? This is the peace corps in America, is it not? How did this come to pass? The fact is that TFA's applicants wouldn't otherwise dream of being teachers. They don't want to be teachers. Had they wanted that, they would never have gone to good schools and great universities. The peace corps model is followed because the premise is that teaching in Africa or in America is a summer job, a fling, an internship, or a kind of junior league volunteer job for bored affluent boys and girls who are terrified of being identified with their aloof, pampered , suburban parents. Two years in Compton gives a Yale grad street cred, which can be used in job interviews. Girls can use it to persuade employers that they "care." It may or may not be helpful to have the kids hanging around American public schools. It's hard to say whether their presence is useful or not. No doubt "studies show" that TFA is the best thing that ever happened. What I can say is that one of the biggest problems in our schools is the revolving door of people coming and going. Almost every Principal in LAUSD has his or her transfer in with the hope of getting as far away from the inner-city as possible. Those who don't enjoy the combat pay. TFA only adds to this perception and to this reality.

ONE DAY, ALL CHILDREN is the story of how Wendy Kopp started Teach For America. For those unfamiliar with the program, Teach For America is an organization that recruits college graduates and young adults to work for two years at inner city and rural schools where there are teaching shortages. Corps members are sent through an extremely extensive three week training program during the summer before heading off to their various assignments in the fall. Teach For America has come under criticism by the professional educational teaching programs because corps members aren't forced to go through a teacher education program before being hired. Personally, I think the program is a great idea that is meeting the needs of our nation's underprivileged children; instead of throwing money at the savage inequality of education, Teach For America is attempting to fix the problem.

ONE DAY, ALL CHILDREN explains how Kopp came up with the idea, how she got the organization started, the trials and tribulations of the organization during the first year, growing pains that happened years later, etc. Those who are familiar with Teach For America might find the book interesting as well as anyone looking for a somewhat inspiring story of a person who creating a national life changing educational agency from scratch. Those who are involved in education might enjoy reading the book, too, though professional teacher educators might balk at the idea of sleeping with an enemy that they seem to hate. For everyone else, the book has some interesting moments, but most of those come near the beginning so you might want to spend your time reading something else.

Several years have passed since Wendy Kopp wrote this account of how she established what has since become one of the most effective change agent organizations throughout public school education in the U.S., Teach For America. As I read her book, I was reminded of the song "Come Fly with Me" and the invitation extended by Cahn and Van Heusen's lyrics:

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly
Pack up, let's fly away!"

That is essentially the same invitation that Wendy Kopp has been extending to college graduates since 1990 and an invitation they, in turn, have then extended to public school students throughout the United States. Those recruited, trained, and assigned by Teach for America - making a two-year commitment to classroom teaching -- continue to help children entrusted to their care to dream what may at first seem "an impossible dream" to them, then pursue it. For many children, especially those growing up within low-income, high-crime communities, education can be their "passport" to a higher standard of living and better quality of life.

As Kopp explains in this book, after graduating from Princeton, she (age 21) raised $2.5 million of start-up funding for Teach For America, hired a skeleton staff, and launched a grass-roots recruitment campaign. During its first year in 1990, 500 men and women began teaching in six low-income communities across the country. Since then, Teach For America's network has grown to 17,000 individuals and has become the nation's largest provider of teachers for low-income communities. This year, Teach For America serves 26 urban and rural regions and impacts three million students. To date, it has served more than 5,000 communities, has more than 12,000 core members, more than 425,000 alumni, and has impacted nearly 3 million students since its inception almost 20 years ago.

Kopp traces the process from her original vision (i.e. "a national teacher corps of top recent college graduates who would commit two years to teach in urban and rural schools") to what Teach For America has become. She acknowledges all of the sources of support she received along the way and is especially appreciative of those who challenged her ideas, not because they disagreed with any of those ideas but because they wanted to help her sharpen and clarify her thinking. Here is a composite excerpt from Kopp's narrative near the end of this book that indicates some of the lessons she learned along the way.

"What I have learned in building Teach For America and from our corps members and alumni suggests that it will take three things to raise achievement levels in low-income schools. First, it will take committing ourselves to the vision that one day, all children in our nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education...Second, we must recognize that accomplishing our mission will take more of just about everything - including more time and, ultimately, more resources...There's an understandable discomfort with the idea that it will take more money to make schools in low-income areas work. We've all seen and read about too many examples of wasted resou8rces in schools. In some cases merely reallocating the resources already spent in low-income areas can make a difference. And I learned through my experience with Teach for America that money isn't everything, that tough financial situations force high-quality, innovative thinking. But I've also learned that although resources are not the solution to everything, they are necessary to carry out the big plans...The third aspect of realizing our vision is the recognition that it will take a long-term, institution-building approach...when people think about what makes great organizations work, they see it's not a unique strategy. It's that the organizations have built the systems to achieve results, respond to change, and continually improve...Building effective school systems will not be easy. It will take superior leadership and a lot of hard work. It will require a critical look at all the forces - from how school boards govern to how states regulate - that could prevent school district leadership from taking any an institution-building approach. The good news is that there's no mystery about what it will take. The solutions are within our reach."

One man's opinion, what Wendy Kopp expressed then (in 2001) is even truer today. She concludes her book with "a personal invitation to all college seniors and recent graduates who are reading this book" to consider becoming part of this movement. For more information about Teach For America, she asks them as well as those who wish to support its programs to visit this Web site: http://www.teachforamerica.org.

"One Day, All Children" is a captivating story of how Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America, and how she followed her dreams to DO SOMETHING about the harsh realities and failures of many of our public schools. Mind you, the book TELLS ALL, from fundraising nightmares to team member turmoil; this is not simply a book on idealistic pedagogy. The story is guaranteed to frustrate you and inspire you. That a fresh college grad, assisted by other fresh young people, established Teach for America is incredible. This is worthwhile reading for Teach for America applicants, new teachers, education students, and social justice-minded people.

In less than 200 pages, Ms. Kopp details every step she took in establishing Teach for America, the national teaching corps for recent college graduates. Chapters 1-9 are a primer for fundraising techniques, non-profit organizational set-up and strong management skills. But, Chapter 10, the most interesting by far, is a lengthy description on what makes good educators. You may be inspired enough to join in the efforts in ensuring excellent education for all children in this great nation of ours.

I thought this book would be like other graduate level program manuals and explain all the complicated and tedious parts of the application process, but it does not. It gives a brief and useless description of all the programs in the US but it would be easier and more helpful to just look them up online. There is really no useful information in this book, it will probably be best put to use in my wood burning stove.

Eric Jensen's 1000 suggestions are all practical and common sense. As a presenter, new ideas are always welcome and one certainly gets their money's worth from this book. The games, activities and energizers were very useful. This book is a must for all trainers and presenters!

Very easy reading material. This book is for the beginner; someone who has absoulutely never taught anyone before and who had not chosen teaching as a profession. Anyone who has instructed for 6 months or more will already know most of what is in this book. I was disappointed. I was anticipating new concepts and ideas.

This book literally listed more than 1000 tips and tools, covering every detail of presentation. You get "10 Hot Tips for Flip Charts and White Boards", "46 Ideas: Starting Off on the Right Foot"... The author is meticulously thoughtful. First read "5 ways to get the most out of this book" and then study the detailed Table of Contents. From there you can select what would be of interest to you. A lot seems to be common sense. Yet it is still good to be reminded, e.g. avoid: starting late, or starting with an apology, or an equipment failure. This is not a book for reading from cover to cover. But it is valuable for presentors or trainers to come back to it again and again.

This book is a powerhouse of ideas and tips for making your next training workshop/seminar outstanding. Nitty-gritty basics as well as great tips and recommendations. Its easy-read format makes it accessible and you can focus on areas where you need to strengthen your presentation/training skills. I haven't seen another book that puts so much USEABLE information and help into one small, inexpensive book. I'm ordering multiple copies for those I train.