Introduction
Teaching might be the most compelling and interesting occupation ever invented. A teacher is a shaper of kids’ souls. Teaching is being implemented in everyday life by every parent no matter if he is a teacher by profession or not. We have to teach our kids to live wisely and carry out decisions properly. However, if we talk about teaching as occupation then a bit different tasks come along.
Professionalism in Teaching by Beth Hurst and Ginny Reding
A good explanation of those is presented in a book called Professionalism in Teaching by Beth Hurst. It is a remarkable book of various approaches towards teaching for newcomers. Unfortunately, I cannot label this book as the one that can separately rival others in education – it still is a companion to manuals for education courses, though a brilliant one. The first problem the newly born teachers face is the lack of practical knowledge. Of course, one can be a top student during the academic years, however, when it comes to the interaction with kids it seems like everything goes wring and you have no clue how to sort out things. Thereby, when reading the foremost study books used in class one should definitely get to read Professionalism in Teaching hints. Indeed, those are of great help because the book is full of practical pieces of advice from professional teachers, and what can be more helpful than a hint from a person who has already gone though similar problems. Professional attire, technologies, and techniques – there is everything a young teacher should know besides the actual flow of the course.
There are some favorite chapters in a book I liked best. For example, there is no doubt a teacher first of all wants to gain favor of his/her students since complete trust towards teacher gives birth to more effective communication. This is described in chapter called Communicating Effectively and Building Relationships. Moreover, I have to admit this book’s importance for a new teacher since one doesn’t fully understand what particular responsibilities he is going to face. That’s is why it is essential to read this very book as a perfect addition to other textbooks on education because one can learn about after school functions, committee work, professional teaching portfolios, etc. These and much more are the inside affairs of school a teacher will enroll in. One can hardly deny that an employee gets to know the details of work only after the first experience, whereas this book gives a precious opportunity to learn what is out there for you.
It is significant that Professionalism in Teaching brings about the main purpose of the set of books on education; it teaches how to become a confident, professional, and skilled teacher. No wonder, the readers of this book are those who really care for their future students to get a professional teacher. It is important to know how to get to the point of self-improvement when you can call yourself a wonderful classroom instructor. Moreover, the reading talks about communication with parents, administrators and future colleagues. Of course, we are not talking about any huge corporation’s internal rules and requirements; those are much stricter than the ones a teacher should remember about. Nevertheless, one has to know the non-verbal ways of social communication. In a word, the book is full of useful information for a would-be teacher. Besides, there are links to Internet recourses that are of great use, too.
Becoming a Student of Teaching: Linking Knowledge Production and Practice
Another prominent book by author Robert V. Bullough Becoming a Student of Teaching is a nice representation of what a teacher should be prepared to within his/her occupation. “The methodologies described are intended to enable the exploration and reconstruction of context, in particular the school context” (Bullough, p. xiv). This book is a very successful publication because it holds the innovative teaching methodology. The main theme of this book is to show that the teacher’s own experience and biography are the main helpers in their professional skills acquiring. Of course, it is important to know how to convey your knowledge to your students as it is described in Professionalism in Teaching, though the innovative techniques outlined in Becoming a Student of Teaching are not of less importance. The characteristics of your own life and career may hugely help when teaching others.
Conclusion
To crown it all, I must say that there hundreds of books on teaching. The theoretical knowledge gained is a wonderful ground in order to know what to do. However, the actual how-to-do’s are about to be unveiled before a new teacher only whole actual practice. For that there are the two mentioned books Becoming a Student of Teaching and Professionalism in Teaching that are likely to explain (though in theory) what a new teacher should expect of the chosen career. Both books contain the techniques and practical life facets explanations of the career of a teacher.
Works Cited
Bullough, Robert V., Gitlin, Andrew. Becoming a Student of Teaching: Linking Knowledge Production and Practice. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.