St. Clair (EJ1072357) provides a summary and lays out some of the important issues inherent in the broad strategies articulated in "Making Skills Everyone's Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States" (MSEB) (United States Department of Education [USDoE], 2015) (see ED558793). In this commentary, JoAnn Weinberger…

High on any Top 10 list of the most frequent advice offered to young faculty members is this: No good deed goes unpunished. The aphorism at first seems cynical, pessimistic, dysfunctional. Doing good, as members of a higher-education community, is their job. What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system--which…

In this "At Last" essay, Susan Lytle addresses issues of teacher research, work that is shaped by and that shapes the complexity of teachers' knowledge and learning, and is based on the accumulation of robust and meaningful experiences leading to classroom expertise. Assuring her readers that teacher research is alive and well, even in the current…

In this article, the author provides brief answers to the top 10 questions other educators ask her about her time teaching overseas: (1) Do you teach English?; (2) Do you work for the military? Do you work on an army base?; (3) So, what's the school like?; (4) How did you get a job like that?; (5) What made you decide to go overseas?; (6) Do you…

As heated as the controversy is and has been, most opponents of homework actually support at least a modest amount of "independent study," and the most ardent advocates are likely to emphasize moderation in the amount of homework and emphasis on the quality of independent assignments. In this article, the author focuses on this troublesome issue…

New teachers need to know about the political context in which they are working, and the best way to do this is to adopt and maintain a quiet watchfulness and avoid allegiances. Listening and observing, reserving judgments, reflecting on the motivations of the participants in the debate--these are the crucial behaviors for the teacher learning the…

In this essay, the author laments the fact that middle schools are so often neglected both within and outside of the world of education. She issues a call to action for middle school teachers: in order to make communities aware of just how valuable middle schools are, educators should create opportunities to show off what their students are doing,…

The study of the history of the English language can help students become aware of major issues in several academic fields, including history, literature, political science, anthropology, communication, economics, the Arts, and, of course, languages and linguistics. Even though instructors may not have an especially broad background in the…

The author believes that very young children are able to understand the abstract concept of peace. In her primary classroom she introduces the concept of peace to the children in a low energy environment with low lights, and soft music. When children feel at peace in their hearts, they relate peacefully to those around them. She begins with the…

Many young men and women who have just received the degree Doctor of Philosophy and are looking forward to a career in college teaching do not know very much about their future career. A political science professor shares some tips that he has picked up during 37 years of teaching. (RM)

Survival tips and resources to make the first year teaching experience a better and more memorable one for music teachers are provided. (RM)

In this paper, the author describes his experiences after relocating to a new school. He explains that starting at a new school is a different experience than being a first year teacher, and that becoming a part of the team is not a one-day process.

The common theme uniting this collection of six essays is the deceiving simplicity of teaching. Their underlying purpose is to uncover the complexity of the craft as embodied in the two dominant outlooks on educational thought and practice: the "mimetic" and the "transformative." Discussions are presented on five crucial issues: (1) on knowing how…

Several aspects of living and teaching in Czechoslovakia are presented from the point of view of a 1983 Fulbright lecturer at Comenius University in Bratislava. Included are a brief history of Czechoslovakia, details of the University degree program, time commitment expected of instructors, observations on Czechoslovakian students and Vietnamese…

In this brief article, the author advises teachers to not only exhibit self-discipline and motivation, but also to develop the courage to embark on a personal journey. He asserts that in order to grow professionally, it is necessary to become a reflective practitioner as well as an active teacher.