The Ones We Remember

A volume in Adolescence and EducationSeries Editors Tim Urdan Santa Clara University and Frank Pajares Emory UniversityPaulo Freire wrote that sometimes a simple almost insignificant gesture on the part of a teacher can have aprofound formative effect on the life of a student. Sometimes of course this formative effect is not the resultof a simple isolated gesture but rather of a proactive and sustained series of gestures on the part of a teacher.Many of us have been deeply influenced by one or more teachers who have exercised a formative effect in ourdevelopment as students and individuals. We remember these teachers with fondness tell their stories to ourown children think of them with affection respect gratitude even reverence. Sometimes we recognized thisinfluence as it was happening and we grew close to these remarkable individuals keeping them in our liveseven after we graduated from their classes. Often however they themselves were unaware of the influencethey exercised over us for it was not until years passed that we realized their effect. If time and distance did notprevent it perhaps we found our way back to these educators and shared with them our appreciation and gratitude.In this volume outstanding scholars in the fields of adolescence and education provide short stories describing their most memorable teacher. Someprovide the story on its own; other follow it with a brief analysis drawn from theory and research in education psychology and human development toidentify key concepts and principles that apply in explaining why the selected teacher was so effective and memorable. Some write about one specificteacher; others write about the qualities that they believe contribute to teaching excellence including anecdotes from various teachers to support thequalities they identified. Each tells the story with an eye toward being accessible to a wide audience of readers. One need not be an academic or anexpert in education or psychology to understand and find meaning in these stories. In essence these are stories and analyses that capture just what it isthat makes a particular teacher as our title describes unforgettable. This book would be excellent for teacher preparation courses educational psychologycourses and for anyone who is interested in the art and science of teaching.