During Teacher Appreciation Week,
teachers and parents may be looking for some great books about teachers to
share with their students. Here are a few to consider.
My Face to the Wind: The Diary of
Sarah Jane Price, A Prairie Teacher
by Jim Murphy is an excellent fiction account of what life and the life of
a teacher was like in the late 1800s in the wild new west. The story is set in
Broken Bow, Nebraska, and tells the tale of Sarah Jane Price, a fourteen year
old, who becomes the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse where her father had
been hired to teach. The book is written in diary form, and the reader gets to
see Sarah's thoughts, from her first very sad recollection so the death of her
father, the resident school teacher, through her struggles to fit in after his
untimely death and finally, to the decision to teach in his stead and the
trials and joys that come along with being a "prairie teacher".
Sarah is not welcomed as the teacher
at first, and has to recruit students, set up the school, find materials, and
win the hearts of her students. It is a great read - and a great read-aloud,
and tells the story of a very courageous young lady and her journey to become a
teacher.
Another book which is very similar
in theme is The Secret School by Avi. This is also a story of a fourteen year-old girl, Ida
Bidson, and her one-room schoolhouse in Elk Valley, Colorado. The story starts
with Ida as a student at the school. When her teacher suddenly leaves, Ida's
classmates vote that she become the new teacher. But knowing that this would
not be approved by the adults, the idea of a secret school took shape. The rest
is a wonderful story of Ida's trials and triumphs as a teacher.
For younger readers, two books are
great fun and deal with the idea that many children have - that their teacher
lives at school! My Teacher's Secret Life by Stephen Krensky looks at what teachers do after the students go home for the
day. And what would you expect? They eat dinner in the cafeteria, do exercises
in the gym, hear stories in the library and sleep in their classrooms. That is
the belief until one student sees his teacher at the grocery store, the mall,
and even roller skating! The conclusion - she must have a secret life that the
other teachers don't know about.
Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room
10 by Judy Finchler covers much of the same territory as My Teacher's Secret
Life. What sets this book apart is the delightful pictures and the unusual
typeface - this book looks like it was actually written by a 6 year-old. The
teachers do the predictable things after school, like sleeping in the teacher's
room, and waiting in line to brush their teeth at the water fountain. The jig
is up when Miss Malarkey moves into the same apartment building as the young
student. Then he thinks he needs a pass to visit her - and even sees her bare
feet and RED toenails! A great read!
And one more - What Teachers Do
When No One Is Looking by Jim Grant is an inspirational book about dedicated teachers and what
they do when "no one is looking."
I hope you find one or two of these terrific
books to share with your students soon - they are all great looks at the lives
of teachers.
Copyright 2012 Irene Taylor.All rights reserved.
