ABSTRACT

This book offers a selection of stories about teaching, learning, and school life that you can use in a variety of PD formats and settings.

Grouped into four categories—students, teachers, administrators, and parents—these tales offer a powerful entry point for thinking and reflecting on your school environment in a new and meaningful way. Each brief tale is presented to spark a 10–15 minute group discussion that will help educators think more deeply about the complex, human problems they confront on a daily basis. Suggested questions and a brief commentary following each tale can be used to explore the issues embedded in the tale and, thereby, empower staff to generate creative responses to them.

Ditch your "sit and get" professional development and "tap into the wisdom of the ages" by using these powerful tales to give educators the gift of time to think and talk about what it really means to educate hearts and minds.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

Connecting the Dots

chapter 1|10 pages

Why This Book?

chapter 2|8 pages

How to Use This Book

chapter 3|1 pages

Student Tales

chapter 1|4 pages

Lost Imagination

chapter 2|4 pages

Social Emotional Learning

chapter 3|4 pages

The Red Vest

chapter 4|5 pages

The Lesson

chapter 5|5 pages

Robbie Remembers

chapter 6|5 pages

Character Education

chapter 7|5 pages

A Buddy and a Pal

chapter 8|5 pages

X Marks the Spot

chapter 9|4 pages

The Slur

chapter 4|1 pages

Teacher Tales

chapter 1|4 pages

Invisible Learning

chapter 2|5 pages

The Unlikable Student

chapter 3|5 pages

The Good Old Days

chapter 4|5 pages

Under the Table

chapter 5|4 pages

The Perfect Scenario?

chapter 6|4 pages

Data-based Decision Making

chapter 7|5 pages

Journey of a Chair

chapter 8|5 pages

The Mistake

chapter 9|5 pages

Nathan’s Office

chapter 10|4 pages

Eleven Inches

chapter 5|1 pages

Administrator Tales

chapter 1|4 pages

The Fifteenth Hello

chapter 2|4 pages

The Best Teacher

chapter 3|5 pages

The Superintendent’s Son

chapter 4|5 pages

Fault Lines

chapter 5|5 pages

Two Questions

chapter 6|5 pages

From Point A to Point B

chapter 7|5 pages

Three Questions

chapter 8|5 pages

From the Ground Up

chapter 9|5 pages

Placement

chapter 6|1 pages

Parent Tales

chapter 1|6 pages

No Evidence

chapter 2|5 pages

Against the Evidence

chapter 3|5 pages

Slack

chapter 4|5 pages

TEA Time

chapter 5|6 pages

At the Round Table

chapter 6|5 pages

Celebrating the Holidays

chapter 7|5 pages

Shame