Teaching Is an Art
An A-Z Handbook for Successful Teaching in Middle Schools and High Schools
"I re-read this book every summer to help me maintain a balanced perspective as I plan for a new school year."
Gary Tsuruda, Math teacher
Jordan Middle School
Palo Alto, CA
"Teaching Is an Art can help new teachers adjust more smoothly into the education profession and can provide new ideas and insights for veteran teachers."
John Thompson, Assistant Principal
El Camino High School
South San Francisco, CA
If you read only one book on teaching, make it this one! A practical, direct, and humorous guide to teaching—you won't be able to turn the pages fast enough.
Drawing upon close to 30 years of teaching experience, the author provides teachers with practical information that is not always taught in teacher education courses. New and veteran teachers alike will find useful advice for managing their work both in and out of the classroom. The book covers 82 essential topics, including Cooperative Learning, Parents, Staff Meetings, Tests, Portfolios, Rules, and many more.
Teaching ability, wisdom, and fervor are not inborn; teachers learn the elements of their art. With that in mind, Spreyer provides information, games, book recommendations, specific lesson plans, and straightforward advice on all aspects of teaching, ranging from Back-to-School Night to Power in the Classroom, from Principles to Principals, from Homework to Substitute Teachers. And he does it in a reader-friendly style, with easy-to-follow lists, examples, and suggested resources.
Highlights include:
- Practical advice on over 80 subjects, to apply both in the classroom and out
- Book suggestions and games for the classroom
- For veteran teachers, suggestions for staying motivated and avoiding burnout
- For new teachers, specifics you can't get anywhere else, such as tips on the First Day and First Week of School, and gaining Respect in the classroom
"I re-read this book every summer to help me maintain a balanced perspective as I plan for a new school year."
"Teaching Is an Art can help new teachers adjust more smoothly into the education profession and can provide new ideas and insights for veteran teachers."
Where was this book when I was teaching? I’m going to show or tell every teacher I know about this book. I wish Leon Spreyer could win teacher of the millennium award (and I mean this new millennium not the last one)!"
"Spreyer’s experiences with students and colleagues form the core of the book. It includes humor, quotations, poetry, samples, and examples for practitioners to try within their classrooms."
"[It] is a practical and informative guide which is accessibly arranged . . . a very highly recommended supplemental resource for art educators of all experience, skill, and grade levels."