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Many K-12 school districts adopt curriculum where all teachers must be on the same page on the same day regardless of their class's composition or achievement. Dr. I had the privilege of listening to Dr. His passion for education and his passionate reflections on teaching should be required reading for all policy makers who shape education.
The parallels between educating the college student and grammar school student were striking.As a classroom teacher for over 20 years, I deeply appreciated this book. I am an elementary school teacher and School Board member for the Claremont School District. Such an approach is anathema to instilling the love of learning that is portrayed in this book.Dr. Dr. Salwak's perspective and insights gave me a new look at teaching.
Salwak is an antidote to the factory worker approach to teaching. Salwak is a shining example of the "lifelong learner" so many schools and college want to produce. Salwak give a presentation about this book. The letters addressed to Kelly also include good advice for students and their families. The advice to any educator and the interplay between instructor and student are thoroughly enlightening.
His light touch on the role of pedagogy in education during a time of increased concern over test scores portrays many of the highs and lows involved in teaching. His love of reading is a great model for his students and all of us.Letters from a Life in Literature is a must read for anyone who loves books, values education, or is involved in learning. This book is a real treat.
Salwak: The topics suggested themselves to me as I moved ever deeper into the project. Salwak: To avoid the risk of coming across as "preachy" or dogmatic. My challenge is to find a way to connect with them, to encourage them to care about the material, to think about some of the deep issues of life, and to have a good time while doing so. Salwak: Every semester my classrooms are filled with Kelly's - bright, eager-to-learn men and women who are giving me three hours a week of their most precious possession - their time. That's not my style. Letters as personal as these permit the student to slip away from present concerns, open the door, and step inside the secret life of a teacher.
Overall I answer questions that many teachers (and students) ask of themselves and that I continue to ask of myself. Perhaps some students themselves will carry from the book the thought of entering this noble and personally rewarding profession. Writing letters "to" a former student was an indirect way of reaching my potential reader. The chapter on "Marriage" suggested itself because I was struck by how many of my colleagues across the country wrestle with balancing the academics with family life. Salwak: Yes, most definitely.
Many questions emerged over the years from discussions with my parents, both educators, as well as from my students. How do you think the book's organization of these topics affects the reader. Could you explain this in more depth. How did you decide which topics to address. Happiness is a gift, not a right, and most of us as teachers have been so gifted. Bravo: Why did you choose to format the book as a series of letters. Though Kelly didn't live to realize her potential as a teacher, my experience of knowing her and thousands of students like her continues to inspire me every day. I am speaking to teachers, yes, but I am also speaking to students as well as to the general public - and I don't want to alienate them.
In a recent interview with Samantha Bravo the author of TEACHING LIFE answers some questions about his writing of the book: Bravo: In TEACHING LIFE: LETTERS FROM A LIFE IN LITERATURE, each letter to Kelly addresses a different aspect of education, literature and life. At the very least I hope they will find here some useful suggestions for getting all they can from their educational experiences. Bravo: You say that Kelly has become a metaphor for all your students. What I say "to" Kelly in the letters I say to all of my students: make the most of your allotted time, seek the best in everything you do, and keep growing. Bravo: In the book's summary it says that "'Teaching Life" is an effort to impart lessons to the next generation of teachers." Would you also agree that these lessons are equally benefiting to students who read this book. Bravo: Thirty years after Kelly's death, why did you believe that this was the right time in your career to publish "Teaching Life." Salwak: There were many months, even years when I didn't know when (or even IF) I would complete the book. I knew I had to write "When a Parent Dies," for example, because the day after my father's funeral I returned to my class to discuss "Hamlet" and saw my father sitting in the back of the room. Coincidentally I did so while approaching my 35th year of teaching.
Also, this format helped me to establish a warm, personal tone that is the voice I try to maintain in the classroom. What sort of insight should a student expect to gain in contrast to a teacher. That's part of what keeps me coming back day after day, month after month, semester after semester. To borrow from Samuel Johnson, I believe that into every teacher's life there comes a "time to be in earnest." This is such a time for me.
"Teaching Life: Letters from a Life in Literature" is sure to leave an indelible mark on you, whether (or especially if) you are a teacher (first-year or veteran) or simply a lover of books, literature, and learning. Reading this book was also a way of renewing my own vows to my students: to honor and respect their time, to be an example of curiosity and knowledge, to listen and learn from them. I doubt I will ever be as well-read as the author, or acquire such rich and varied life experiences. But reading this book has inspired me to try. When I finished the last page, I was eager to find a quiet place to sit and reflect on everything I'd read. I'm sure I'll continue to do so for a long, long time.
This book has an incomparable value to me that is hard to explain with words. As his former student, he has changed my life in ways that I would never imagine and I am pretty sure that anyone who could have the chance of reading this book will certainly agree with me that his knowledge and wisdom are without comparison. I enjoyed each and every single chapter in this book, from the interesting classroom anecdotes to the sad and reflective moment that the death of a father represents.
As a future teacher, it was very important to me to experience through Dr. I would definitely recommend this book not only to anyone in the teaching profession but to everyone who wants to learn more about life from this wonderful professor and person: Dr. It has provided me with very valuable insight that I certainly could not obtain from any other source.
However, I think that for people like me, whose journey into the wonderful profession of teaching has just began, the chapter about "Transition" is a must read because it explains in detail the challengeable "transition from feeling like a student to living fully as a scholar-teacher." The book also covers other important subjects for early teachers, such as the art of lecturing, reading, and, the most important (I think), how to connect with students. Salwak's words all what this wonderful profession of teaching involves. Before reading the book, I certainly thought of teaching as my career goal, but now, I have come to realize that it is my vocation and my passion.
Salwak.
Salwak's book has provided me with a tremendous amount of knowledge and inspiration. After having been a college Professor for over 16 years myself, I thought I knew all (or at least most) there is to know about my profession. Dr. I am humbled by the realization that there is still much to be learned and very appreciative by the warmth and insightfulness with which the book is written.This book is a masterful piece of literature that can be of tremendous inspiration for readers pursuing a number of different careers.Letters from a Life in Literature feels like a warm cup of tea in a cold rainy day. I highly recommend it.
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