This humorous picture book answers the question all kids want to know?what do teachers do when the bell rings at three? Once the students go home, teachers finally have the run of the school. They skate down the halls, have a food fight in the cafeteria, even mix up wild concoctions in the science lab with disastrous results! All night long, teachers are busy goofing off at school. Kids will never look at their teachers the same way after reading this book!

Rhyming text reveals the surprising ways that teachers behave when their students are not at school.

Jonathan Kozol, National Book Award-winning author and one of America’s foremost writers on social issues, offers a passionate and provocative critique on the role of the teacher in America’s public school system. Writing as a teacher, Kozol advocates an approach to education that is infused with ethical values: fairness, truth, and integrity, and a driving compassion for the world beyond the classroom. Kozol not only sheds light on what it means to be a teacher, but gives constructive suggestions on how teachers can work conscientiously within the system to foster these values in concert with parents, students and fellow teachers.

A perennial favorite, Dr. Seuss’s wonderfully wise graduation speech is the perfect send-off for children starting out in the world, be they nursery school, high school, or college grads! From soaring to high heights and seeing great sights to being left in a Lurch on a prickle-ly perch, Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and illustrations, while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within. In a starred review, Booklist notes: “Seuss’s message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ‘Great Balancing Act,’ but through it all ‘There’s fun to be done.’” This Read & Listen edition contains audio narration.

Learn why today’s best teachers are leaving—from the teachers themselves. Low pay, increased responsibilities, and high-stakes standardized testing—these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers all over the country, Katy Farber presents an in-the-trenches view of the classroom exodus and uncovers ways that schools can turn the tide. Farber's findings, which have been featured on Education Talk Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and in the Huffington Post, paint a sometimes shocking picture of life in today's schools, taking a frank look at • Challenges to teacher endurance, including tight budgets, difficult parents, standardized testing, unsafe schools, inadequate pay, and lack of respect • Strategies veteran teachers use to make sure the joys of teaching outweigh the frustrations • Success stories from individual schools and districts that have found solutions to these challenges • Recommendations for creating a school environment that fosters teacher retention Featuring clear analysis and concrete suggestions for administrators and policy makers, Why Great Teachers Quit takes you to the front lines of the fight to keep great teachers where they belong: in the classroom.

The statistics are familiar: almost 50% of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years in the classroom. The challenge of recruiting and retaining teachers carries high costs for today’s schools and students. This book uncovers some of the reasons behind the elevated attrition rates in the field of education through a long-term study of beginning teachers in one urban school district. Drawing upon research conducted over a seven-year period, this book sheds light upon the role that teachers’ intentions play in shaping their later career paths. It also shares the deeply personal and professional journeys of teachers who stayed, teachers who shifted into education-related positions, and teachers who left the field altogether. Through eight in-depth case studies, this book clarifies the factors influencing teachers’ career paths and depicts the toll that teacher attrition takes on the teachers themselves. Finally, it makes an argument for placing teachers’ voices clearly at their center of their own career development as a way to enhance autonomy, satisfaction, and ultimately career longevity.

It's okay to change your mind about teaching. Fortunately, with advances in technology and employers hungry for the skills that teachers hone through their everyday routines, educators who wish to exit the classroom now have viable, fulfilling options for alternative employment. If you've honestly lost the will to return to your classroom, it's important for you-and perhaps more important for students-that you settle down with this short book and think through your options. After reading the author's perspective, you may find that teaching in the classroom is still the best fit for you. Or not. Either way, you'll have some guidance for your next steps toward fulfillment in your chosen career.Bestselling novelist Michelle Stimpson has taught English and math in public elementary, middle, and high schools. She endured both confusion and a sense of loss when she walked away from the system many of us have been in since pre-school. But after a string of experiences in corporate America, Michelle finally found her groove writing books and training English teachers. She hopes to help other educators find their best fit as well.