Welcome to Teaching!: An Illustrated Guide to the Best Profession in the World

Your Hands-On Guide to Thriving Your First Years of Teaching

You’ve made the incredible decision to become an educator because you want to impact the learning lives of young people. Thank you, and welcome. We welcome you to this amazing profession with open arms, and with an arsenal of experience and essential tools, strategies, and lessons to help you establish a successful and satisfying teaching career.

We wanted to make it easier for you to learn and practice these techniques that research shows increase student learning. To do so, we also considered cognitive psychology research that tells us that images and illustrations can help strengthen communication and our own understanding. This helped us develop the unique format for this book: part hands-on playbook, part professional book, and all highly illustrated, it is designed to make complicated concepts more digestible and memorable.

This extensive guide for new teachers provides everything you need to impact learning from your first day on, including:

• How to plan powerful learning experiences that ensure student engagement
• 22 step-by-step learning strategies for any grade and any subject
• Detailed guidance for developing formative and summative assessments
• 30+ classroom videos demonstrating the techniques and strategies in action

Teaching is without a doubt one of the most challenging professions there is. But those who chose to accept that challenge are what make teaching the best profession in the world!

Douglas Fisher is a professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Fisher was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, leadership, and curriculum design, as well as books such as Your Introduction to PLC+, Welcome to Teaching, How Feedback Works, Teaching Reading, and RIGOR Unveiled. Fisher loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others.

Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include The Courage to Learn, The Art and Science of Coaching, How Scaffolding Works, and The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Frey is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California and learns from teachers and students every day.

Taryl Hansen is a visual practitioner and the creator of Frame the Message Ink, LLC (framethemessageink.com). She is an associate trainer for Cognitive Coaching^SM and holds a doctorate in teacher leadership and innovation from Arizona State University. Taryl has been trained by Thinking Collaborative and Grove Consultants International, leaders in the fields of learning and cognition. As a live graphic recorder and illustrator, Taryl works internationally to create vibrant and engaging visuals that bring essential elements to the forefront for learners, enhancing retention, driving engagement, and inspiring learners to collaborate in more meaningful ways.