Review
Advance Praise for See Me After Class:
โSadly, new teachers are often thrown in to the sea of teaching and are left to ""sink or swim."" All too often, they are swallowed up and lost to the profession forever. This gem of a book (along with an anti-anxiety drug prescription and the film CHALK) will serve as one of those little life-saver ring things - not only will it keep rookieโs heads above water... it will have them swimming with the best in no time."" โThe filmmakers of Chalk
""Covers all the bases for the beginning teacher from a practical, no-nonsense approach."" โNancy Polette, 30-year educator, presenter, and author of over 150 professional books for teachers
""This book uses humor to shed light on how to deal with the difficult times of being a rookie teacher. It should be a required read for all pre-service and beginning teachers."" โDr. Lawrence Orihuela, founder of Teaching & Learning Inc
โSarcastic humor mixed with gentle, tangible advice.... a quick and easy read by someone who doesnโt take herself too seriously. I wish I could give every teacher I supervise a copy of this book.โ โAbena Osei, program director (Breakthrough Collaborative)
โRoxanna Elden demonstrates great insight into the teaching profession and the many obstacles new teachers encounter. Teachers will find the answers to many of their questions and, most importantly, will find that they are not alone in experiencing this great profession of ours. I especially enjoyed the shared stories from those educators that have been in the profession for the long haul. Great job!โ โHerminia V. Martinez, lifelong educator and retired Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Support Services, Edinburg CISD (Edinburg, Texas)
Product Description
This is the book that will save rookiesโ souls when they lose the strength to save their classrooms. With tales from more than one hundred veterans from across the country, teachers everywhere will find themselves laughing, maybe crying, and definitely taking notes. Readers at the toughest schools will be relieved to find a resource that deals specifically with their struggles instead of insisting that all teaching situations are the same. This is the book that will keep the great teachers of the future from quitting before they become great.
Many new teachers have been waiting for someone to break the โstay positive!โ code and talk about the parts of the job that make teachers question their career choices. While other books cover the eyes of readers to keep from scaring them, this one asks teachers to be brutally honest about how tough teaching truly is and whether the rewards are still worth it. The answer is yes.
From the author:
I have never understood why so many books for the new teacher show apples and paper airplanes on their covers. In six years of teaching, no one has ever given me an apple. Any snacks students have offered me have come from vending machines, and teachers are not allowed to accept unwrapped food anyway. I have never seen a paper airplane, either. This generation of students knows that crumpled-up-paper balls are faster to make and easier to aim. Some unlucky teachers have had books thrown at them. In at least one case, a teacher was hit in the back with chunks of plaster from her crumbling classroom wall.
Even without serious discipline problems, new teachers often feel like failures. Not only do they take on all the issues plaguing the school system, they cause many of their own problems because of their inexperience. As a beginner, I sat through countless workshops listening to the heartwarming success stories of others. Then, carrying home piles of un-graded papers the night before report card day, all I could think was, โHow did these poor students get stuck with a teacher like me?โ
I also remember some generous, experienced coworkers who shared their own first-year horror stories. One described a parent who threatened to โf___ (her) upโ during class time. Another talked about a hard-working student who was tormented every time he turned in an assignment, and a third confided that she was so overwhelmed she repeatedly turned in the same lesson plan. These stories were not inspirational, but during my first year they kept me sane. These were people who had become top-notch professionals. If their start had been so rocky, maybe there was hope for me.