Teachers who read A Dozen Things will be engaged with the personal stories of teaching, while also gaining strategies for success in their classrooms. A quick glance at the table of contents provides insight into the issues teachers face and how to thrive and succeed. Successful teachers prepare personally and professionally for their jobs. Strong teachers organize and manage a classroom, while planning to use a variety of effective teaching methods and strategies. Both new and veteran teachers use technology to their advantage, and know when to just use paper and pencil to teach. Successful teachers master how to assess student work with straightforward, usable evaluations, and not just the standardized tests. While striving to meet the needs of all students, effective teachers communicate with all stakeholders - especially the students!
How do teachers keep their jobs from taking over their lives? They recognize that teaching is too difficult a job to do alone, and too important a job to do alone. They find strong colleagues for mentors and for local support networks. They join professional associations to stay current in their fields and to have a larger support network.
This book leads teachers to reflect in a practical way about teaching and their success. Teachers need to remember why they entered this profession and to develop a simple philosophy for why they get up each morning to do the important work of teaching.