Natalie Schwartz - May 12th -TEACHER CHRONICLES

Natalie Schwartz will be discussing her book, TEACHER CHRONICLES, This was research-based on interviews with fifty teachers. Of course her own experiences as a teacher, consultant, presenter, and parent helped her in her questioning and interpretation of results. She found five main areas of concern, but will talk about the others to. The five areas were classroom management,working with parents, office politics, heavy workloads, and the emotional burden of helping so many children confront the problems in their lives. Follow her blog on http://parentteacherpartnerships.blogspot.com The Teacher Chronicles dismantles the misconception that teachers have low-pressure jobs, work until 3 p.m., enjoy summers off, and accept mediocre salaries to pursue fulfilling careers. • Teachers deal with an array of behavioral issues in their classrooms that undermine their ability to teach effectively. • Well-intentioned efforts among parents to advocate for their children can create intense pressure on teachers and convey distrust, endangering the vital parent-teacher relationship. • High expectations for student performance from a broad group of interested parties, including parents, administrators, school boards, superintendents and government entities, trigger stress and anxiety. • Teachers confront the painful issues affecting children in our society, such as poverty, abuse, neglect, emotional distress and mental illness. The Teacher Chronicles delves into the challenges, frustrations and pressures that permeate the teacher’s world, a world that ultimately affects children, parents and all Americans.   Parents: Gain insight into the teacher's perspective and create more successful relationships with your child's teachers. Teachers: Discover how your colleagues around the country deal with the same challenges you face.