Teaching from the Heart: Reflections, Encouragement, and Inspiration »

Sharon Draper is a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, most recently for Copper Sun, and previously for Forged by Fire. She's also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for Tears of a Tiger and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for The Battle of Jericho and November Blues. Her other books include Romiette and Julio, Darkness Before Dawn, and Double Dutch. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years.

According to Sharon Draper, 1997 Teacher of the Year, teaching is a vocation, not a job, and those who teach need to be reminded of the importance of the work they do. That is exactly what Teaching from the Heart does-offering inspiration and encouragement for anyone who may have lost sight of the rewards of the profession.

Teaching from the Heart is neither a reference book nor a study guide; it is a book of gems to hold on to when a teacher's world seems to be nothing but rocks. It features uplifting essays, conversations, and poems that can provide a needed boost during a hurried lunch hour or between classes. The treatment is light, friendly, and understanding. It is the kind of book that a mentor teacher passes on to a student teacher, or a college professor assigns to his or her students as they begin their own teaching careers. It is the kind of book that will be cherished and shared by all teachers as well as anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a teacher.