What It Takes to Be a Teacher: The Role of Personal and Professional Development

All too often teacher education and professional development projects focus on what teachers should do – without addressing how teachers should be and how they should change and grow. With What It Takes to Be a Teacher, Penny Freppon helps fill that void, revealing the struggle and joy of learning to teach and the kind of instruction that teacher development creates and sustains. What It Takes to Be a Teacher is a conversation between Freppon and nine teachers, who offer a better understanding of not only the “big picture” of effective teaching, but also specific techniques that have transformed classroom practices. Their stories provide insight on issues that are vital to understanding and supporting ourselves as human beings and professionals, addressing such questions as: What kind of resources and experiences do effective teachers draw upon? How do these resources and teachers’ roles coalesce in professional development? What are some of the factors that help teachers acquire and sustain a positive professional journey? How does this feel and what is it like to find one’s place in the profession? The book’s unique interactive format makes it the perfect resource for teacher education courses, professional development projects, and teacher study groups. Following each chapter and each teacher’s discussion are questions and ideas for generating additional conversations. Readers can use this material as is, adapt it for their own needs, or create new ideas and questions from it.