Edward Greenstein's article reminds us of the important contributions that academic scholars of subject matter can make to the discourse of Jewish education. This response highlights some of Greenstein's argument and explores an area that his article does not examine in depth: the role of teachers' beliefs in the pedagogic decisions that they…

I have been an English teacher for 38 (gulp!) years. For over 20 of those I have taught "English methods" courses in initial teacher education programs. As the retirement light glows increasingly brighter at the end of my career pathway, I reflect on three aspects of teaching English that have been--and remain--the cornerstones of my…

Teacher and students are inherently unequal in the classroom, even when both are adults, because one has what the other wants: subject matter expertise. While this hierarchy is generally viewed as appropriate, it can be detrimental to learning, particularly where English is being taught to adult immigrants. This article explores why. Adult ESL…

Over the past two decades, numerous textbooks have been published on teacher leadership; however, this is the only volume that provides a definitive overview of the scholarship and writing being done in the field of teacher leadership. This book introduces the reader to the scholarship of over 35 authors, and thus, becomes an essential tool needed…

An important challenge for media literacy education in the next decade will be to cultivate a commanding voice in the cultural conversation about new and emerging communication media. To really have a stake in the social, economic and educational developments that emerge around new digital media in the U.S. and globally, media literacy educators…

The work and lives of teachers have always been subject to external influence as those who are nearing the end of their careers will attest, but it is arguable that what is new over the last two decades is the pace, complexity, and intensity of change as governments have responded to the shrinking world of economic competitiveness and social…

Underpinning many of the ongoing debates over the means and ends of teacher education are serious differences about the purposes of education in general and about the relationship between schooling and a democratic society in particular. At stake in these debates is the nature of what counts as "democracy," a word with multiple political meanings.…

The author discusses the language of education reform and suggests that teachers keep their eyes open to loaded language about education reform and to spread the truth, on their own terms, to as many people as they can. The author asserts that now is an opportune time for teachers to band together on the battlefield, fighting for real education,…

A friend and fellow academic recently told the author that her dean, who directs a professional school at a state university, spends most of his time at conferences hanging out with professors from his institution, as well as with their graduate students and his co-authors on research papers. She said, and the author agreed, that such habits…

Though teaching yet has its advocates, more and more teachers are leaving the profession after only a few years in the school setting. The satisfactions of this impossibly complex and difficult profession are less and less obvious in this era of accountability and high stakes testing. Indeed, I suggest that the satisfactions often ascribed to the…

In the new century, calls to promote "college readiness" among high school students have accelerated to a degree that would have astonished even the privileged and powerful colleges of the past. The most conspicuous evidence for such acceleration is the increasing popularity among schools, students, and colleges alike of dual-credit programs,…

The author shares how he helps a student who is a drug addict and reflects about the role of teachers on the campus. He believes that most teachers on the faculty are caring individuals, often parents themselves who want the best for their students. But the author also realizes that teachers are pressed for time, have a wide range of conflicting…

Faculty-in-residence programs aim to strengthen the intellectual climate in residential facilities. This article presents the author's reflections on nine years of living in a residence hall as a Faculty-In-Residence (FIR) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The author shares an insider's observations on the role he played as a…

In this article, the author discusses how today's student generation has a spectacular hunger for life and more life. They want to study, travel, make friends, make more friends, read everything (superfast), take in all the movies, listen to every hot band, keep up with everyone they've ever known. They live to multiply possibilities. The author…

This article presents the author's response to Karlsson (2007) who pointed out that the author's original article that appeared in the "Points for Debate" section of "Teaching in Higher Education" (Greenbank 2006) did not discuss the concept of service as comprehensively as teaching and research. Karlsson's paper--together with the work of…