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chloekg's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet, simple, made me cry and encouraged me to finally enroll for my master's in education which starts this summer.
manda2491's review against another edition
3.0
William 'Bill' Ayers shares his teaching philosophy in To Teach: The Journey, in comics, both by elevating excellent educators in the field and critiquing the system of education. Ayers champions a social justice based curriculum as well as a nontraditional approach by decrying the use of standardized tests and advocating for more authentic, project-based learning experiences. Though Ayers makes an interesting argument, I wonder who his target audience is. Both educators and preservice teachers will likely be familiar with his pedagogical stance, and if they are not, likely won't be moved by his prescriptive tone. Still, this book presents familiar philosophy in an accessible, alternative format.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Something about the blurbs on the back of this book made me think this would be much more of a autobiographical text - I was hoping for something with lots of funny anecdotes like in the zine On Subbing.
This was the wrong thing to expect. This is a primarily didactic, theoretical text about the art of teaching. Which has its place, of course. Adequate and fine for what it is. I do agree with the philosophy for the most part, though have little hands on experience as a former homeschooler.
This was the wrong thing to expect. This is a primarily didactic, theoretical text about the art of teaching. Which has its place, of course. Adequate and fine for what it is. I do agree with the philosophy for the most part, though have little hands on experience as a former homeschooler.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
Radical and philosophical are two words I'd use to describe To Teach by William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. It will make you question every tradition, rule, and classroom procedure we foist upon children in the name of education and discipline.
In this book, Ayers attempts to squash the notion of the mythical heroic teacher "saving" his students from their lives, but in a somewhat contradictory fashion, this book is also a kind of hero's journey in its own right, as the teacher sets out on a quest with her students and returns transformed.
Read my entire review on my blog.
In this book, Ayers attempts to squash the notion of the mythical heroic teacher "saving" his students from their lives, but in a somewhat contradictory fashion, this book is also a kind of hero's journey in its own right, as the teacher sets out on a quest with her students and returns transformed.
Read my entire review on my blog.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book for educators. Assigned it for reading in tomorrow's class. Can't wait to see how it goes.
courtandspark's review against another edition
4.0
This book does a great job capturing the magic of K-12 classroom teaching.
leahlink's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
This is a book I needed to read for class. Easy read, however, I felt like a lot of the information I knew as a second-year elementary education major.
brinnet's review against another edition
5.0
To Teach is a graphic novel about the elements of being a good teacher. There is a lot of pontificating and getting up on soap boxes, but as a teacher, I loved it.
The book is peppered with vignettes of incredible teachers and stories within the author's own classroom.
Even though I don't teach young children, I could myself identifying with so many situations and so excited to teach.
The intro to the book is material straight out of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, so if you find yourself enamored with concepts of how artists make meaning through the medium of graphic novels, then look that way.
For parents, administrators, and of course teachers, this book is an excellent read. And thanks to its form factor, it's also a bit easier to digest!
The book is peppered with vignettes of incredible teachers and stories within the author's own classroom.
Even though I don't teach young children, I could myself identifying with so many situations and so excited to teach.
The intro to the book is material straight out of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, so if you find yourself enamored with concepts of how artists make meaning through the medium of graphic novels, then look that way.
For parents, administrators, and of course teachers, this book is an excellent read. And thanks to its form factor, it's also a bit easier to digest!
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
5.0
This book should be required reading for students in schools of education. Ayers delivers a series of crucial ideas about the craft and art of teaching in a way that is engaging and very accessible. He shows us what it truly takes to be a teacher (no, it is not technique. There are plenty of teachers who can do good lessons plans and manage a classroom only to be proven bad teachers). The narrative not only deals with Bill's story, but he also introduces us to his kindergarten class as well as other teachers and the work they do. The book is warm and moving at times, and it is very inspiring. In between the narrative, we also get lessons on teaching philosophy and pedagogy, but again, it is very accessible. The simple style of the art complements the story very well. It brings the story to life and makes it a bit more entertaining.
I will say that I have read a good number of books about teachers; I am a former teacher now librarian, and I can say with confidence that a lot of those other books were a waste of time. This one is one that I wish I could put in the hands of every student teacher. In fact, this is a book that a lot of parents need to read in order to understand the work that the teachers do in educating their children. Maybe then those parents will have a better appreciation of the challenges and obstacles teachers face (starting with the terrible construct that is standardized testing).
I will say that I have read a good number of books about teachers; I am a former teacher now librarian, and I can say with confidence that a lot of those other books were a waste of time. This one is one that I wish I could put in the hands of every student teacher. In fact, this is a book that a lot of parents need to read in order to understand the work that the teachers do in educating their children. Maybe then those parents will have a better appreciation of the challenges and obstacles teachers face (starting with the terrible construct that is standardized testing).