"This book explores the value of sharing stories in ways that speak to our hearts and connect learning communities. It grounds this affective work in a discussion of five affective elements of story - healer, inspiration, clarifier, compassion, and connector - and includes narrative discussions, rationale, and contributions from influential educators and children's book creators along with tons of book recommendations and suggestions for direct classroom...

"We've all had great teachers who opened new worlds, maybe even changed our lives. What made them so great? Everyone agrees that a great teacher can have an enormous impact. Yet we still don't know what, precisely, makes a teacher great. Is it a matter of natural-born charisma? Or does exceptional teaching require something more? Building a Better Teacher introduces a new generation of educators exploring the intricate science underlying their art....

According to The National Education Association, 160,000 children won't go to school on any given day for fear of being bullied-a figure that represents nothing less than an epidemic. Whether a student is overweight, openly gay, perceived as promiscuous, or just plain different, more and more young people are tragically choosing to take their own lives because they can't take it anymore. Are schools not doing enough? Should parents take a share of...