Don't Smile Until December, and Other Myths About Classroom Teaching

Peggy Deal Redman is director of teacher education and professor of education at the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA.

Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author 1. Myth #1: Don't Smile Until December Reality: Smile as Early On and as Often as You Can to Build a Healthy Classroom Climate 2. Myth #2: Teaching Is a Cushy Job Reality: Teaching Is Hard Work and Requires Year-Round Planning in Addition to Daily Preparation and Professional Development 3. Myth #3: Good Teachers Are Born, Not Made Reality: Teachers Are Lifelong Learners Continually Growing in Their Profession From Their "Aha" Moments Through Their Veteran Mentoring Years 4. Myth #4: Good Teachers Don't Make Mistakes Reality: Good Teachers Learn From Their Most Dramatic Mistakes 5. Myth #5: Good Teachers Teach Facts Reality: Good Teachers Teach the Whole Child How to Think and Learn 6. Myth #6: They Can't Learn; They Belong in Special Education Reality: Every Child Can Learn and Is Legally Entitled to the Best Education 7. Myth #7: Teaching Is a Lonely Job Reality: Teaching Is a Collaborative Profession and Today's Schools Are Professional Learning Communities 8. Myth #8 Teaching Is a Dead End Job Reality: The Rewards of Teaching Are Unending Afterword References Index

"...gets the message across without resorting to an excess of technical language...the stories and examples invite the reader into the author's world..." -- John Pieper "A great read, and the title is a winner! Upbeat, validating, different from a highly technical or research-oriented piece...refreshingly light and readable, yet substantive." -- Patricia Clark "We teachers don't have a lot of time, so the length was perfect! ...I felt inspired and renewed and validated." -- Cathy Lutz "Shows a human side to teaching--very important for success in any grade...the chapters are short and to the point, something I really liked. They are easy to read, and the personal examples really make the key points effective." -- Mary Eby "Reminds me of the writing of Harry Wong who conveys his experiences very effectively...The book title is very catchy. It would make me pick it up in the bookstore and look further...both practical and inspirational." -- Chris Laster "I would use it as shared text-based reading for my school's Critical Friends Group. We are seasoned teachers K-6, special education teachers and our school social worker, who want to continue to grow professionally and need a source to use for discussions and for reflecting on teaching practices, and to keep us from burning out...having a book of this nature helps us realize we are making a difference each day one child at a time." -- Pam Roller "The book is uplifting...excellent readability...it reminds us of why we wanted to be teachers..." -- Carrie Carpenter "I think this would be a fun book to share and to just have around the desk or home...I can definitely hear the readers saying, 'I didn't know that'....This is a book I want to utilize with my pre-service students. It is right on, a great positive PR tool for our new teachers." -- J. Victor McGuire "I would publish it as 'comfort reading' for seasoned teachers and a guide for new ones...This would be especially good reading for students and new teachers who are bound to hear some of these sage myths from sage teachers as they begin their careers." -- Gail McGoogan "The book's focus on human interest stories, examples from real classrooms, and the author's teaching and observing experiences lends interest and realism to the content...The author's voice is clear and comes from a deep set of values and beliefs that should be heard by contemporary teachers in training and by practicing teachers." -- Marilyn Katzenmeyer "Each chapter stands alone, which makes them a handy resource for a quick reference or re-read...I loved all the references and quotes--good resources for additional information...would be a great recommended course book for student teachers." -- Debbie Gordon