Teachers work hard, intensely hard, often too hard. Did they always work so arduously? What was it like to be a teacher in the early days of America? How did classrooms and instruction change between the 17th and the 21st Centuries? What if the answer to these questions was revealed by stress? Stephanie Crandall is a dedicated high school English teacher; and, like her predecessors, she works extremely hard. The good news is that her students benefit; the bad news is that her personal life suffers. However, there is another silver lining: when Stephanie's stress level is high, she receives a gift. Ms. Crandall visits the classrooms of educators from long ago. Sometimes she watches the writers she's introducing to her students. Can Stephanie learn to manage her stress? Does she even want to if it means relinquishing her gift?
About the Author: Elizabeth Anthony believes she was born to be a teacher. She admits that she tortured her younger brother and sister by making them sit in the play house in the backyard of their home while she relentlessly taught them numbers and letters and while she read aloud from their collection of Little Golden Books. By the time Ms. Anthony's siblings went to kindergarten, however, both were well ahead of their peers. Their parents were professional and literate, so she takes only minimal credit. She was a dedicated student, satisfied with nothing less than "straight A's" throughout elementary, middle, and high school. After graduating magna cum laude from college, she went on to teach high school, first in the Midwest and then in the Southwest where she not only taught English for a total of thirty years but where she also spent three and a half years as a high school administrator. Elizabeth retired in 2008 and began teaching part time at a state college where she continues to teach in the School of Education, hoping to pass along the torch of the art and science of excellent teaching. "A teacher hasn't taught unless the students have learned." This mantra taught to Liz by her beloved dad, defined Ms. Anthony's approach to pedagogy. The best principal of the seven or so with whom Liz taught gave her the following ideals: "If you don't learn the way I teach, I will teach the way you learn." Though not easy, this, Ms. Anthony believes, is the key to unlocking students' passion for learning of all kinds. "Where am I going to use what you are teaching me today?" This question guided the way Ms. Anthony planned lessons based on Standards and Objectives. If something isn't relevant, make it so! Finally, "Students don't care how much we know until they know how much we care," is the paradigm that Elizabeth believes needs to control classroom climate, the essential component, which, combined with engaging lessons creates an effective, efficient educational environment. "Elizabeth Anthony" is a pen name chosen to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent described in her memoir, Teaching: A Love Story. Her second book is Josh, a contemporary retelling of the Biblical story of Jesus. Elizabeth's first novel, Like A River is a story about the intersections between friendship and faith. All are available on Amazon in paperback and e-reader formats. If you enjoy her work, please leave her a review.