I am a Teacher
By Michael J. Woods
Retired teacher and union leader Michael J. Woods presents an uninhibited look at education in America’s public schools—including the fads, trends and politics—derived from his experiences starting in the 1950s through 2012. He brings broad interest and unusual understanding, as well as a little controversy, to a challenging and enticing facet of American life.
$20.00
"I wish I had taught with Mike."
— Ray Elliott, Tales Press publisher and retired Urbana, Ill., high school English teacher
About the Author
Michael J. Woods
Mike Woods retired from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as from a long career as both a public and private school social studies teacher, and a junior high and senior high school athletics coach. He served as president of the Champaign Federation of Teachers for 16 years and as one of the vice presidents with the Illinois Federation of Teachers for 10 years.
Read an Excerpt
I’m writing about what I know about life as a teacher. Many “experts” have written about educational issues and proposed their versions of education reforms. Most of them sit somewhere on a university campus safely removed from the realities of everyday life in public schools, where teachers deal daily with the issues the experts seldom experience. As a practitioner by choice, I want to reach out to teachers, new and experienced, and share some insights and understandings they may recognize. I want to touch base with their minds and their hearts about the virtues of our profession.
When I became a teacher, I knew that teaching was widely characterized as low in prestige and lacking in personal freedom. I wanted to make changes or at least participate with those who wanted change. In addition to being a classroom teacher, I had a burning desire to be a coach. To be honest, in the beginning that was probably my number one goal. What explains my interest in “change” may be due to the fact I started my career in 1963, a time when change was the battle cry of many young Americans, some of whom were my fellow teachers.