Stories from Novice Teachers

Real books about teaching are always a treasure. Not told from the lofty perch of an ivory tower or by another blue-ribbon committee intent on producing a top-down approach to learning, this book is special because it is the voice of teachers - English teachers, special ed teachers, and just plain teachers - filled with all the complexity and ambiguity that all good teachers face when they are met with the realities of classroom life. This is a terrific read, one that will be embraced by all teachers of all levels and interests - who are seeking to do the 'right thing' for kids (students) of all ages. -- Jeffrey S. Kaplan, Ph.D, associate professor, teaching and learning principles, College of Education, University of Central Florida
…authors Lisa Scherff and Mike Daria provide tremendous insight for administrators and mentor teachers in understanding the needs of new teachers from real-life experiences. What comes across clearly is that a "one-size-fits-all" approach will not work; new teachers need differentiated, individualized support and attention. Stories From Novice Teachers: This is Induction? will provide schools and districts with thoughtful guidance to review and revise their concept of induction programs for new teachers. -- Vicki Stockman, director, staff development, The School District of Lee County, Florida
Through the use of the real-life experiences, struggles, and stories of a dozen novice teachers, Scherff (Univ. of Alabama) and Daria (practicing educator) present an informative insight into the life of a first-year teacher. A key concept advanced in Stories from Novice Teachers is that "new teachers must have the time to focus on learning opportunities of the first year of teaching." The authors encourage administrators to be ready to assist first-year teachers with "those issues that detract them from their abilities to teach," which include inadequate mentoring, additional extra-curricular responsibilities or duties, insufficient knowledge of school/district rules, lack of administrative communication and/or encouragement. The stories of these novice teachers and the authors' use of "Questions for Administrators" can certainly inform district-level administrators about ways to assist new teacher development. However, with the issues and needs facing any first-year teacher, as well as any master teacher within a given year, it may be that more succinct assistance is contained in Lane's response in the epilogue: "I've realized that to find success as an educator requires one to focus solely on the well being of his or her students, not the external forces that are beyond anyone's control anyway." Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and professional collections.