Teaching: Take This Job & Love It

When 25 percent of students who enter the ninth grade don't complete high school four years later, we have a problem. What's the cause of this malaise? Why aren't our children learning? Home environment? No, parents are wonderful. The kids? Certainly not, they're little angels. Must be the teachers!Teachers are much-maligned these days, usually by people who have no conception of the multiple challenges of a teacher's life. The job of a teacher-in a school system-can be exhausting, intimidating, frustrating, etc. etc. (I make the "school system" distinction because, in reality, we are all teachers. From that perspective, there is value in this book for people like store owners, manufacturing supervisors, and warehouse managers.) There are many factors that can work against a teacher's success in the classroom and in the career. These factors can easily lead to low performance, job burnout, lackadaisical attitudes. A good dose of motivation from someone who's "been there" could have some value. This book was written by former teacher Jerry King, now a motivational speaker and trainer. Essentially, it sounds like it might be his motivational seminar in written form. He urges readers to follow the book through step-by-step, reading the chapters in the order presented . . . just like following the flow of a seminar. There are a number of places where readers are asked to respond to questions, to write down their thoughts, just like in a workshop. The pages are filled with a cornucopia of inspirational stories, anecdotes, and humor that will be familiar to a number of readers. All those pearls of wisdom are collected in these pages, all the treasures in one box. King professes six "dynamic strategies of highly successful teachers," from self-image to classroom performance. A ten-day personal plan of action follows the instructional/inspirational strategy chapters. At times, the book seems a bit shallow, but most readers of this book would probably have difficulty with greater depth to grasp the concepts presented. The four-quadrant behavioral system, DiSC, is included, looking at teachers' behavioral style as well as students'. This kind of information can be interesting, particularly when delivered in an interactive workshop format. I'm skittish when I see it woven into a book like that, because the coverage is minimal and other vital aspects of the human dynamic are not covered. Life just isn't this simplistic.The structure, the design, of the book is a bit less professional than what might be found with a book produced by a larger publishing house, but the content is valuable. Teachers reading these pages will gain some reinforcement, some reenergizing, that will inspire them to remember the significance of their work. Recommended for teachers-and principals-looking for some light motivational reading, particularly if read with an image of being in one of the author's workshops, learning from a dedicated and experienced teacher who believes in the