What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World
Anyone who goes into the low-paying profession of teaching is too dumb to teach. That insult, delivered by a lawyer at a dinner party, set Mali to writing a poem in answer to the question—What do you make?—that sparked the insult. His poem, which went viral, addressed the question not from the perspective of monetary earnings but from the perspective of what teachers actually make or contribute to the lives of students. Teachers make students wonder, think, create—all the great things we hope for children. Mali left teaching to explore his love of poetry but kept at the theme of what teachers make, eventually taking on a commitment to inspire 1,000 people to become teachers. This book is in part an inspiring anthem for teaching and in part a practical guide to effective teaching techniques. Mali ends with a plea for better teacher training, incentives for teachers to teach in underperforming schools, and a heartfelt plea never to give up on struggling students, whatever their backgrounds. An inspirational tribute to teaching and learning. --Vanessa Bush