Why we teach now

289 Pages·2015·12.705 MB·English

by  Nieto, Sonia

Why We Teach Now

Why We Teach Now
Edited by
Sonia Nieto
Teachers College
Columbia University
New York and London
Published by Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
10027
Copyright © 2014 by Teachers College, Columbia University
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the
publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Why we teach now / Sonia Nieto, editor.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8077-5587-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8077-5624-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8077-7361-1 (ebook)
1. Teaching —United States. 2. Teachers—United States—Conduct of life.
I. Nieto, Sonia, editor of compilation.
LB1775.2.W495 2015
371.102—dc23 2014035643
ISBN 978-0-8077-5587-7 (paper)
ISBN 978-0-8077-5624-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-8077-7361-1 (ebook)
Printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated
to all those teachers who know
why they teach

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
PART I: INTRODUCTION: FROM WHY WE TEACH
TO WHY WE TEACH NOW 1
1. Public Schools and the Work of Teachers 9
Sonia Nieto
PART II: LOOKING BACK 21
2. Kids Are Far More Than Test Scores
or Why I Continued to Teach in Spite of It All 23
Mary Ginley
3. Staying True to Why I Teach 36
Nina Tepper
4. Looking Forward Backwards:
Teaching Freedom and Democracy in the Classroom 45
Berta Rosa Berriz, with Alice McCabe, Jerry Pisani, Amanda Smallwood,
Taryn Snyder, Lesley Strang, Jeffrey Timberlake, and Erica Welch
PART III: TEACHING TO DEFINE IDENTITY 63
5. Somos Maestras:
Our Journey to Self-Confidence, Our Passion to Inspire Others—
Two Teachers Write About Identity, Advocacy, and Activism 65
Jennifer Burgos-Carnes and Vanessa Burgos-Kelly
vii
viii Contents
6. Snowdrifts, Rattlesnakes, and the Children I Love:
The Life of a Rural Teacher on the Prairie 75
Missy M. Urbaniak
7. Journey Down a Different Path 87
Pamelyn A. Williams
PART IV: TEACHING TO SUSTAIN HOPE 97
8. Teaching in the Now: A Mini-Essay and a Poem 99
Christina Puntel
9. Creating Spaces That Breathe Hope 103
Mary Jade Haney
10. Same as It Never Was: On My Return to Teaching 112
Gregory Michie
11. Teaching Chemistry, Impacting Lives 122
John Levasseur
PART V: TEACHING TO HEAL 129
12. Coming into Full Humanity Through Teaching,
Sharing, and Connecting 131
Matthew Hicks
13. Teaching to Save Our Lives 138
Sharim Hannegan-Martinez
14. Teaching Jack, and Other Joys of Working with
Special Children 143
Eileen Blanco Dougherty
15. Teaching in the Invisible Spaces 148
Chuck Greanoff
Contents ix
PART VI: TEACHING AND FIGHTING BACK 159
16. The Activist Teacher 161
Heather Brooke Robertson
17. Teaching for Social Justice and Community Empowerment 173
Jorge López
18. Doing Social Justice Work Through Math 183
Mary Cowhey
19. Teaching on the Frontline 194
Maria Rosario
20. We Can Win: Social Justice Advocacy Inside and
Out of the Classroom 202
Jesse Hagopian
PART VII: LOOKING FORWARD 211
21. Becoming the Teacher I Am Today 213
Amanda VandeHei
22. Indispensable Me (Wouldn’t That Be Nice?) 222
Criselda J. Guerra
23. Jumping Off Cliffs and Touching the Ground with Wings 233
Michael Silverstone
24. Conclusion: Why on Earth Teach Now? 243
Sonia Nieto
References 255
About the Contributors 260
Index 269