Good Morning, Children: My First Years in Early Childhood Education
Author(s): Sophia Pappas (Author)
Publisher: Gryphon House
Publication Date: 1 April 2009
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 192 pages
ISBN-10: 0876590784
ISBN-13: 9780876590782
Book Description
Based on Pappas’ popular blog, this book by a veteran of the Teach For America education program provides an up-close and personal view of the challenges and successes of a beginning teacher.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Drawing from her experiences teaching inner city children in Pre-K classroom 114, Sophia Pappas speaks directly to educators about her journey from new teacher to teacher leader. Grounded in the vital responsibilities vested in those who teach our very youngest children, Ms. Pappas’ book is filled with insightful thoughts on day-to-day life in the classroom and is sprinkled with liberal doses of good humor.” – Kathleen McCartney, Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development
“Sophia provides invaluable insights for policymakers, administrators, and teachers seeking to shape effective early childhood education programs. Her anecdotes and reflections not only reveal what it takes to be a successful early childhood educator, but they dispel the notion that we must choose between approaches that advance children’s academic progress and those that promote social skills. It’s clear that Sophia’s self-reflection and persistence enabled her to improve and to successfully meet the needs of her students. Her process provides vital lessons for any teacher and for all those involved in designing policies and programs to promote the success of early childhood educators and their young pupils. The book provides a glimpse into the potential of a young woman who will no doubt contribute significantly to early childhood education policy in the future. The candid voice that reveals her missteps and accomplishments introduces to the public an aspiring public leader with a unique combination of persistence, vision, and humility.” – Libby Doggett, Deputy Director, Pew Center on the States, The Pew Charitable Trusts
“This book brings the voice of a Teach For America teacher and her students into the public discussion around how to provide children with the early education necessary to set them up for long term success. Sophia chronicles her accomplishments and challenges in ensuring her economically disadvantaged students excel and communicates important insights about how to ensure that all of our nation’s children have the educational opportunities they deserve.” – Wendy Kopp, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Teach For America
From the Back Cover
The first years of teaching are full of any number of unexpected problems and issues that can frustrate even the most prepared early childhood educator. Based on her popular blog, Sophia Pappas’ book Good Morning, Children provides an up-close and personal view of the challenges and successes of a beginning teacher. The book describes daily encounters with students, family members, and administrators; reflects on the state of early childhood education in America; and celebrates the ways the pre-K teacher can help prepare every child to succeed in both school and life. In chronicling her successes and failures in her first three years as an early childhood educator, Ms. Pappas, a veteran of the Teach For America education program, covers a range of topics that both new and experienced educators face in the early childhood classroom. Among other important issues, Ms. Pappas provides smart and witty insights about the importance of classroom preparation, for both the school year and each individual day. She provides ideas about how to interact successfully with over- and under-involved parents and family members, while clarifying how critical family interaction and involvement are to a child’s success. Similarly, Ms. Pappas describes the activities, lessons, and teaching techniques that she used to help her students learn and grow. Ms. Pappas stresses the significance of being able to listen and adjust, not only to the needs of the children in your care and to the family members of those children, but, equally, to listen and adjust to your own needs as an educator.
About the Author
Sophia Pappas graduated from Georgetown University. She then joined Teach for America as a Newark corps member, and taught public school pre-K. In 2007, Sophia left the classroom to help expand Teach For America’s early-childhood education initiative in urban and rural areas across the country. Sophia is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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