"We must improve schools from within, utilizing our expertise as teaching professionals and placing ourselves at the center of the education reform movement. As Adrienne Mack-Kirschner informs us all in this important book, 'These stories represent what is happening in tens of thousands of classrooms. They hold within them the power of what could be if all teachers and schools provided opportunities for all children to experience powerful teaching and learning.'" --From the Foreword by Cathy R. Owens, NBCT Director of Teacher Leadership Initiatives The National Board for Professional Teaching StandardsInspiring stories from everyday classrooms to move your head, heart, and soul . . . In an increasingly rigid educational world dominated by standards, lock-step scope and sequence, and strict, scripted lessons, we can sometimes lose sight of why we chose to become teachers in the first place. This important book puts the heart and soul back in education, reminding us that we are not only teachers, but also parents, mentors, friends, and leaders. Powerful Classroom Stories from Accomplished Teachers contains 70 wonderful, inspiring stories told by accomplished classroom teachers, all of whom have achieved or are candidates for National Board Certification. These stories reach behind and around the statistics to highlight the art, craft, joys, and challenges of teaching in today's classrooms, breathing fresh life into the countless students we face every day. Creative, caring teachers invite you into their classrooms as they relate compelling and moving narratives, allowing us to witness, first-hand, essential teaching and learning moments in the lives of individual children. The stories offer examples of instructional activities that are real, student-centered, meaningful, and most of all-lasting! Stories are grouped in harmony with the Five Core Propositions of accomplished teaching, as defined by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Teachers are committed to students and their learning Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience Teachers are members of learning communities All of us have been touched in some way by the teachers we've encountered in our lives. This incredibly moving tribute to the artistry and love of teaching opens classroom doors and lets us look inside to find out what really makes a difference in the lives of our nation's students.