What It Means to Be a Teacher: The Reality and Gift of Teaching

Gose (humanities/teacher education, Pepperdine U., Malibu, California) draws on years of experience as a teacher and an administrator in both K-12 and higher education as he reflects on the challenges and rewards of being a teacher. Incorporating anecdotes and stories from his own teaching career, he first explores the particulars of teaching--first-year teaching, job conditions, successes, failures, curriculum, memorable students, administrators, dilemmas, honor and betrayal, vulnerability, joys--and then distills this information to describe the essence of what it means to be a teacher. For current, former, and aspiring teachers, and interested general readers. No subject index. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Michael Gose, Ph.D. has been a fourth-grade teacher, tenth-grade English teacher, director of an experimental school, vice principal, principal, professor, director of secondary education, social science teacher, and teacher education division chair. He is currently professor in the Humanities/Teacher Education Department at Pepperdine University's Seaver College, Malibu, California.