Vocation at Risk

New teachers need a resource which will accomplish three things. First, a work is needed that gives them the imminently practical information that they will need to succeed in their careers. This information includes tips on surviving the politics of a school and how to successfully communicate with the parents of the school. Second, pre-service teachers need a work that will provide them with a workable theoretical base that is clearly tied to their practice. There is no lack of theory in teacher preparation programs, but my research has shown that students do not see the connections between the theory that is preached and their career concerns. Finally, there is a great need for a work that will reacquaint pre-service teachers with the idealistic purposes of education. Many young people choose education as a career because of their desire to “make a difference” in the life of a child or in their community. But by the time they have completed the necessary course work, these same students no longer recall their earlier idealism. There is a tremendous need to remind new teachers of their ideals as they prepare to enter a classroom. This book does all three.

James A. Bryant, Jr. is an author and educator who lives in Western North Carolina. He is the author of Curley and Now More Than Ever: “Social Studies” in the 21st Century, as well as the founder and director of the Gadugi program, an early college program at Cherokee High School.