Finding the Teacher Self - by Eric Shyman (Paperback)

About the Book

This offers a foundation to begin and sustain a discussion with preservice and in-service teachers about the role of teacher identities in the classrooms, what their teacher identity is, and how they can continue to develop it.

Book Synopsis

Finding the Teacher Self offers a foundation to begin and sustain a discussion with preservice and in-service teachers about the role of teacher identities in the classrooms, what their teacher identity is, and how they can continue to develop it. The book is intended to create a backdrop to deepen conversations with and between teachers and administrators on topics that are often avoided or devalued in the contemporary education discourse. Through the delineation of background information from scholarly sources and related discussion prompts and questions, real and constructive conversation can be fostered across the educational landscape including undergraduate and graduate classes, faculty meetings, professional development workshops, or ongoing district-based or school-based reflective teaching projects.

Review Quotes

"Eric Shyman provides preservice and in-service teachers and administrators an accessible guide for critically reflecting on how educator identities are shaped by our political culture and how educators who aspire to be culturally responsive can turn reflection into practice that serves all children. With a wide variety of reflective exercises, Shyman helps educators to name and work through alienating workplace constraints in order to develop into critical decision-makers and activists for peace and social justice in their schools and communities. These highly recommended pages give substance to what it can mean to become a life-long critical learner and educator." --Michael Vavrus, Professor Emeritus, The Evergreen State College; Past-president of the Association of Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education

"Finding the Teacher Self: Developing Teacher Identity Through Critical Reflection is a surprisingly compact book with a rich and multilayered message: We teach who we are; and we are all complex cultural beings who share an essential humanity. Shyman takes the reader on a journey to understand our teaching selves. It is well worth the trip." --Dan Liston, professor, University of Colorado at Boulder, coeditor, Teaching, Loving, and Learning: Reclaiming Passion in Educational Practice; coauthor, Reflective Teaching

"Eric Shyman's Finding the Teacher Self: Developing Your Teacher Identity Through Critical Reflection provides a cogent reminder that we all understand, interpret, and interact with our world through deeply-situated perspectives or frames. As such, the process of knowing the world around us must begin with a critical examination of the various frames and identities that comprise the self. Shyman's book provides a fresh take of the importance of critical self-reflection as a vehicle to better understand ourselves, our craft as educators, and the lived realities of the students, parents, and communities with whom we work and interact on a daily basis." --Gerardo Lopez, Michigan State University; co-author of Persistent Inequality: Contemporary Realities in the Education of Undocumented Latino/a Students

"Eric Shyman's text is a useful companion for teachers and reflective practitioners working at the intersections of education and social progress, particularly those looking for innovative methods for teaching. His analysis in the book is critical yet hopeful. He brings together meta-narratives and micro-practices to explore the challenges and possibilities for educators seeking to contribute creatively to social transformation. The book will be valuable today for those teachers concerned with the role of critical reflection in enhancing educational practices toward peace and justice." --Kevin Kester, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea

Eric Shyman provides preservice and in-service teachers and administrators an accessible guide for critically reflecting on how educator identities are shaped by our political culture and how educators who aspire to be culturally responsive can turn reflection into practice that serves all children. With a wide variety of reflective exercises, Shyman helps educators to name and work through alienating workplace constraints in order to develop into critical decision-makers and activists for peace and social justice in their schools and communities. These highly recommended pages give substance to what it can mean to become a life-long critical learner and educator.

Eric Shyman's text is a useful companion for teachers and reflective practitioners working at the intersections of education and social progress, particularly those looking for innovative methods for teaching. His analysis in the book is critical yet hopeful. He brings together meta-narratives and micro-practices to explore the challenges and possibilities for educators seeking to contribute creatively to social transformation. The book will be valuable today for those teachers concerned with the role of critical reflection in enhancing educational practices toward peace and justice.

Eric Shyman's Finding the Teacher Self: Developing Your Teacher Identity Through Critical Reflection provides a cogent reminder that we all understand, interpret, and interact with our world through deeply-situated perspectives or frames. As such, the process of knowing the world around us must begin with a critical examination of the various frames and identities that comprise the self. Shyman's book provides a fresh take of the importance of critical self-reflection as a vehicle to better understand ourselves, our craft as educators, and the lived realities of the students, parents, and communities with whom we work and interact on a daily basis.

Finding the Teacher Self: Developing Teacher Identity Through Critical Reflection is a surprisingly compact book with a rich and multilayered message: We teach who we are; and we are all complex cultural beings who share an essential humanity. Shyman takes the reader on a journey to understand our teaching selves. It is well worth the trip.

About the Author

Eric Shyman is an Associate Professor of Child Study at St. Joseph's College on Long Island, NY. He received his doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University.