Notes from a Classroom: Reflections on Teaching - Hardcover

McSpadden, Kay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1580871313 ISBN 13: 9781580871310

Publisher: Ignatius Press, 2007

Synopsis

The author/educator takes readers on a journey inside the South Carolina high school where she has taught English for nearly thirty years.

About this title

About the Author

Kay McSpadden writes about teaching and education issues for the Charlotte Observer, where she has been a community columnist since 1999. Her writings draw from her experiences in the classroom. She has taught high school English in rural South Carolina for nearly 30 years.

In addition to her twice monthly Observer columns, Kay speaks regularly on education issues, and has written and recorded radio commentaries for WFAE, the Charlotte affiliate for National Public Radio.

Kay and her husband Randy, a Presbyterian minister, have two sons: Jamie, a senior at Yale, and Will, a sophomore at Emory.

From the Back Cover

"I truly loved reading Kay McSpadden's Notes from a Classroom. She is a special teacher who truly listens to her students, challenges them and makes them think." -- The Honorable Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education

"Kay McSpadden is an example of a great teacher who gives hope to the next generation of children." -- The Honorable Roy E. Barnes, former Governor of Georgia

"On rare occasions I read a book that leaves me feeling wiser. This is one of those books." - Ed Williams, Editorial Page Editor, The Charlotte Observer

"What comes through in all Kay McSpadden's essays are her wisdom, her understanding of human behavior, and her openness to learning--her own as well as her students'." -- Joanne Yatvin, President, National Council of Teachers of English

"...will inspire anyone who cares what happens behind classroom doors--and that should be all of us." -- Jane McAlister Pope, Deputy Editor of the Editorial pages, The Charlotte Observer

From the Inside Flap

"We all went to school," says Kay McSpadden, "but only a few people know what goes on in schools today." McSpadden is one of those few -- and in Notes from a Classroom she takes readers on a fascinating journey inside the South Carolina high school where she has taught English for nearly 30 years.

Here we meet Myra, the future valedictorian who shines in AP English; Daniel, a 17-year-old artist headed off to war; Jerry, a burly senior who lost both his parents to prison when he was 8 years old; and Tracy, a shy special-ed student who wins the applause of her classmates.

With these students we discover (or rediscover) the great poets and writers of English--from Chaucer to Shakespeare to Billy Collins. We see the written word transform lives. We argue good and evil, fate and free will.

And if we listen carefully, we begin to see the beauty and nobility of an "examined life."

If you've ever had a teacher who changed your life, read Notes from a Classroom and remember.

And if you've never had such a teacher, then come, take a seat in Kay McSpadden's classroom. It's about time you did.

Reviews

The latest in a recent spat of from-the-trenches teacher memoirs, this one is notable for McSpadden's clear-eyed understanding of teenagers, and her compassion for the underprivileged students she works with everyday. A collection of McSpadden's biweekly columns in The Charlotte Observer, these 70-some pieces share a knack for the well-observed detail, be it the "sadness" of a young man reciting a Sara Teasdale poem that quiets a "class of wriggly sophomores," or the startling significance of a student's note, placed among a student exhibit of photos they took of their homes, reading "We don't got a camera. Sorry." Though it suffers when McSpadden's attention turns away from her classroom to other, more sentimental topics, and the brevity of unexpanded newspaper columns can wear thin when reading straight through, most of these snappy lessons feature plenty of hard-earned wisdom, gentle humor and memorable student portraits.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580871313
• ISBN 13: 9781580871310
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 317