Teaching Through the Storm: A Journal of Hope

I read this book because I was considering using it in a college level diversity issues class that I teach for teachers and those preparing to be teachers. Once I read it, I knew that I would have to use it; I couldn't put it down! It was like a great novel. Hankins reminded me of the importance of truly listening to students and knowing them. That is an important message for teachers at any level. Plus her meditations on journal writings as data for qualiative research are fascinating. I recommend this book for anyone who could use a little inspiration.

Any teacher, from pre-service to veteran, would be greatly served by reading this book. The marks of a great teacher are those that cannot be taught in even the best of teacher ed programs. These are the qualities of compassion, empathy, and sincere love for one's students. The author possesses these qualities; she shares them with the reader time and time again in the text. The book is part reflection, part narrative. Through reflection/narrative, we enter into the lives of several first graders. At times, the horror of what children live through is overwhelming. At other times, Ms. Hankins' tender and creative methods of teaching the children are what leaps from the page (you find yourself wondering if you would ever have been able to think of such ingenious strategies for soothing the troubled 6 year old). What stands out, though, is not the heartbreaking stories (although they are unforgettable), but how Ms. Hankins was able to better inform her teaching, and therefore better serve her students, by reflecting on the everyday occurrences in the classroom. Highly recommended book.