The Joy of Teaching: Effective Strategies for the Classroom

Over the centuries multitudes of women and men have gone into teaching as their chosen profession. Most successful instructors find joy in teaching and are glad to share that joy with others. Harry Hazel is one teacher who has found his forty years in the classroom highly satisfying. In this book he not only includes insights from other Canadian and American teachers he once interviewed but he primarily reflects on a long and happy career. While the material in this book is slanted toward college teaching many of the techniques could also be applied to other levels of instruction such as elementary secondary or adult education. Key principles include Motivating yourself Motivating students Polishing your speaking skills Taking the pain out of writing Making the joy last Filled with memorable quotes and anecdotes Harry Hazel moves from motivation of teachers and students to humor and along the way offers much practical advice for teachers on all levels. The book will benefit not only those who are just beginning to teach but also those seasoned veterans who need to be reminded of the many aspects of their careers and of the joy that should carry them through the difficult times. --Michael L. Cook SJ Gonzaga University Harry Hazels labor of love constitutes an inspirational series of accounts about how motivated teachers make a positive difference not only in their students lives but in their own. Reading this book will likely help new and veteran teachers to cultivate the positive attitudes necessary for inspiring meaningful teaching and deep student learning. In fact readers could even interpret Hazels emphasis on teaching through positive thinking as part of a larger argument about how people might approach every aspect of their lives. The Joy of Teaching in other words might also be a book about the joy of living. --John Eliason Gonzaga University Harry Bud Hazel is an emeritus professor at Gonzaga University. He has authored or coauthored four books on communication including The Power of Persuasion (2nd edition; Resource Publications 2005). In 2003 he was voted the Teacher of the Year by a faculty panel.