Teaching in Circles: My Journeys in Teaching High School

by Nathan Miller

Book Overview

Teaching is a profession of passion and disillusionment. People go into the profession expecting to shape young minds and educate the future leaders of our society. Many young teachers become... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 142779779X
• ISBN13: 9781427797797
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Honest and enjoyable

I read this book in two days. It addresses the love/hate/like/dislike/thisiswhyitsallworthit/whatamIdoinghere relationship that many teachers have with teaching. Is teaching rewarding? Sure it is - but not every day, and certainly it doesn't feel that way when staring at a stack of ungraded essays, when a principal backs up a student at your expense, or when an unknown kid challenges your authority in the hallway. Every chapter in this book reflected my experiences as a teacher, both good and bad... something I can't say about Hollywood-style books that paint their authors as heros. Nathan Miller, while owning up to his flaws, exhibits the qualities of a great teacher: Constant reflection, genuine concern for students, and a sense of humor. In the process he comforts all of us who strive to do right by our students, even on the bad days.

A painfully honest memoir.

As a teacher this book spoke to me. It was a brutally honest memoir of Miller's experience as a young teacher approaching the mid-point of his career. So many teaching memoirs come across as sugar-coated, smell of martyrdom, or have a holier-than-thou feel. This book kept my attention- I couldn't put it down and read the entire thing in just one day. I could identify with Miller's constant unanswered questions: Should I really be doing this? How log can I keep this up? Am I making any difference at all? I think educators, new and old, policy makers, parents, and students would all benefit from taking in Miller's perspective, as I think it represents a great number of teachers out there. It caused me to stop and reflect on my own practice and my life in general. Those outside of teaching who wonder about where their life and/or career are heading should also get a hold of this book and sit down for a good read.

recomend to anyone!

I thought the book was fantasic and kept me very interested in learning more. I love how author writes and tells his interesting storys. this book could give any teacher a new look on teaching. its worth it!