ABSTRACT
Traditionally, union organizers have used songs to encourage workers to join their ranks. Woody Guthrie, perhaps America's best-known labor minstrel, rewrote a religious hymn, “Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley” as “You Gotta Go Down and Join the Union.” The point of Guthrie's song is that no one can make the decision to join a union for you. You have to make that decision for yourself. That advice holds true for teaching as well. Other people's ideas and experiences will only take you so far. You need to practice teaching, think about teaching, and talk about teaching for yourself. The idea that teachers have to continually evaluate what they are doing in their classrooms is called reflective practice. To help you develop the habit of reflective practice, sections in this book generally end with an activity that invites you to join the conversation and present your own ideas. Share your ideas with classmates in education classes and with other teachers. You will discover that you have much to offer your colleagues and it will make the process of becoming a teacher much more exciting.
