A large proportion of American students are not psychologically connected or engaged to what is occurring in their classes; in addition, they fail to take school seriously, have lost interest in school, and do not value or seek out success (Steinberg, Brown, & Dornbusch, 1996). In addition, the relationship in a mathematics classroom between…

Toni Austin Watt, the winner of the 2004 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching says that she was always an average student and had to invest more time in improving her skills and getting experiences, thus she is exhilarated that her efforts have received such acclaim and is honored that people thought her efforts were…

This article is part of the "Speaking My Mind" section of the journal that invites readers to speak out about controversial issues relevant to the teaching of English language arts. In this article the author discusses a time when schools had few teachers, lacked curriculum guides, and computers were nonexistent. The author's first…

The interview-based monologues created and performed by the high school students help them to talk about the critical issues that underlie their daily lives. Student samples and advices are given to the teachers who wish to provide their students with a powerful speaking and writing tool.

In this article, the author relates how he had touched the life of one of his troubled students. He relates how he had helped Diana, his student, make her life a little smoother after her mother's suicide. He relates that this is the very reason why he had loved teaching for most of his 40-year career as an educator. The author states that the…

Having been raised by liberal parents who had emphasized friendship and respect between people of all races, the author had often felt the desire to be a part of the continuing movement toward true equality. She viewed education as the key to reaching socioeconomic and political freedom, and she wanted to be a part of promoting that ultimate tool…

Through sharing critical episodes, the author reminds people of the importance of relationships and personal reflection in the development of teachers. The important early lessons from Mrs. Hanks, Charles, Dusty, and Twyla are the ones that have influenced the author the most, the ones that have inspired her to work at being a better teacher, the…

A qualitative study probing the connection between a high school English teacher's lived experience and beliefs about teaching students identified as having a disability using interview story method was undertaken. Struggles with family quickly emerged as a dominant storyline in the participant's discussion of her beliefs about teaching such…

In this article, the author describes some of his memories of Phil, one of the students he taught years ago at Bayside High School in Queens. He relates that Phil's true passion was food and not literature. Phil would always bring one his desserts for the author to grade it. Years ago, the author made his classes write an essay about a person who…

In this article, four urban high school students and their student leadership and social justice class advisor address the question, "What are high school students' perspectives on the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) definition of a highly qualified teacher?" As the advisor to the course, Garcia challenged her students to examine…

In this article, several teachers share their ideas on what they enjoy about coaching, directing, or advising. One of them, Mary Ann Yedinak, teaches middle school language arts, has a family, and has several partially written books still stored on her computer. However, she still wants to add an extracurricular activity such as Drama Club to her…

After being expelled from her mainstream girls' school, Bilikus, whose parents are Turkish and African, spent a year at Daniel House Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), a small alternative high school. At the end of her year there, she took seven GCSEs, which are intensive exams taken at the end of compulsory schooling and a prerequisite for college.…

A high school teacher describes his educational philosophy, which he feels would result in his ability to take the opportunities he missed with his high school students to teach future classes with the new philosophy in the mind. He also hopes that it would allow him to develop teachers who would be able to give more consideration to "the…

The students quoted in this paper attend New Rush Hall Pupil Referral Unit, an alternative high school for disaffected students in Redbridge, east London. Rose is 16 and in her final year of high school. Her previous school records document numerous instances of challenging/violent behaviour, spitting, screaming and shouting. She has been arrested…

This article shares the life of Yusuke, a 15 year-old high school student who is coming out and his future. Yusuke has never said that he is a gay person; he could not say that. He believed that there was no one who understood the feelings of gay people. However, he has gradually changed his mind after he started studying at this high school.…