The stance of this book is not about showcasing our “expertise” on all we know about teaching. On the contrary, this is a book that describes how we have learned what we know about teaching — our journeys to becoming the teachers we are proud to be on behalf of the children and families we have and continue to serve. We explore why teaching matters to us. Our purpose here is to reflect on the values, beliefs, and practices we have as teachers who are reflective practitioners, conscientious, and committed to the work ensuring that each child in our care reaches his, her, their full potential.
Our story that has led to the writing of this book reflects the work that these teachers do – their passion and commitment to it; the beliefs and attitudes they bring to the work; the challenges and frustrations faced in doing the work; the joy and excitement of the work; the lessons they have learned by the doing the work of teaching; what matters to them in doing the work; why it matters to them; and how it could matter to others who teach and care about teaching. A goal of this volume is that here, In Their Own Voices, actual teachers tell their stories of teaching from which others can learn.
As teacher educators, committed to quality, equitable public-school education for all children, where do we find the next generation of teachers? How do we prepare them to enter the school house doors to work with children like and different from themselves? What is informing our academic on-campus preparation that reflects the lived experiences of teachers, children and their families, in the actual field of practice? This book raises these issues as it describes the relationship between a local public school on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan and its student teacher field supervisor from the University.