Now Available: First Annual Inspired Teaching Journal

The Inspired Teaching Journal

Volume 1

It is time to redefine the role of the teacher. It is not enough for teachers to merely deliver daily instruction filled with facts. Rather, if our children are to reach their full potential, teachers must take up the challenge of developing that potential in all its many forms. If democracy is to remain strong, teachers must focus more closely on their critical role in preparing citizens to be active participants in society. And if teaching is to attract and retain bright, passionate men and women who are up to this exceedingly difficult task, then we must make teaching the sort of profession that truly values teachers’ intellects as well as their emotions. The inaugural issue of The Inspired Teaching Journal is intended to provide a space dedicated to demonstrating the value we place on teachers’ minds as well as their hearts. From action research to poetry, the writing in these pages represents the work of teachers who don’t stop thinking about school when the bell rings at the end of the day. They take their questions, their frustrations, and their epiphanies with them, to the page, and now, they offer them to you.

The writing in these pages brings the noble ideal of ‘reflective practice’ to life, and to a new level. It is one thing to reflect on one’s own successes and failures privately, or with the support of a few trusted colleagues. It is another to commit to putting those reflections into writing, and to submit one’s self-assessment to public scrutiny. The teachers whose action research papers are included in this volume have joyfully embraced the risk of sharing their stories, warts and all, so that others may learn from them. In a profession that is often compared to an egg carton—each of us stays in our own room, nestled in our own little spot—making teaching visible and public in this way demonstrates an exceptional commitment to doing what’s best for children and for the profession.

Click here to download a PDF containing the journal text. If you would like a hard copy of the journal mailed to you, please email Dr. Julie Sweetland, Senior Research Associate.

---

The Inspired Teaching Journal provides a unique outlet for the work of Inspired Teachers in the Washington, DC area and beyond. We invite Inspired Teachers everywhere to submit essays, poems, descriptions of student-centered learning experiences, and classroom-based action research projects.

We respect the diversity of opinions held by teachers. Views expressed by authors do not necessarily agree with positions taken by Center for Inspired Teaching.

Future issues of the Inspired Teaching Journal are scheduled to appear in the spring quarter. Submissions are welcomed on an ongoing basis, but for timely publication, we encourage authors to submit their work by March 1. Inspired Teaching is committed to producing a journal that maintains high standards of quality while providing editorial support for teachers with limited experience in writing. If you have an idea but aren’t sure what to do from there, please contact our office.

Direct inquiries to Dr. Julie Sweetland, Senior Research Associate: julie@inspiredteaching.org