From The Classroom

My First Year in the Classroom

""When the student is ready, the teacher will appear"--Lao Tzu. But is the teacher ready? That's the question that challenges every teacher on that fateful first day in the classroom. Making it through that day and the 179 school days that follow is how every career in education-and lifelong learning-truly begins. In My First Year in the Classroom, you'll laugh, cry and undeniably empathize when you read about these fifty teachers' trials, tribulations, and triumphs they've experienced during their first year on the job. Organized along the lines of the school calendar, these touching tales will illustrate for you the learning curve ex[experienced by new teachers as they: Face day on, meet the students, surprise the students, bond with faculty and staff, be surprised by the students, watch the students bloom, say farewell. From the hilariously obsessive-compulsive preparation of a rookie English professor to the poignant lesson a bold third grader imparts upon his novice teacher about love and acceptance, this moving collection is sure to motivate you whether you've been teaching for years-or days!"

Activities for the Classroom and Beyond

Since 1975, the Association for Childhood Education International has published a column called "Classroom Idea-Sparkers" in each issue of Childhood Education journal. The column provides practical help for classroom teachers, preschool through middle school, offering educators ideas and activities to help extend learning and make it more relevant to students' everyday lives. This collection comprises those activities from "Classroom Idea-Sparkers" columns published since 1994. The activities have been organized by six categories: language arts and history, art and music, science and math, environment, back to school, and parents. The activities, which can be adapted for younger or older children, range from those intended to encourage reading and to involve students in art, music, science and math, to those that promote environmental and multicultural appreciation. (JPB)

Databases in the Classroom