A joyous collection of tributesboth original and previously publishedthat celebrate the gifts of remarkable teachers.Teachers have always made an indelible impression on their charges. Now, in this new book, Gloria Wade-Gayles has brought together a winning and touching collection of pieces about teachers and teaching, with inspiring and dramatic anecdotes woven in. Each story offers a new and unique perspective on some of our countrys most beloved teachers.With pieces by legendary writers like Langston Hughes and Alice Walker, we see how a strong teacher can turn a nervous child into a worldrenowned artist. Robin D. G. Kelley frames a short history of busing with a sweet story about having a crush on his third grade teacher. Marian Wright Edelman celebrates Howard Zinns teaching style, his insistence on exploration and questioning; and Zinn himself provides an opinion on the profession he has practiced for most of his life.But we also hear from a diverse group of students: writers who were part of the first wave of integration in their school system and immigrants who learned to speak English and participate in American culture in their schools.We get stories from Catholic schools, pubic schools, college classrooms, and more. In this age of standardized testing, In Praise of Our Teachers is a wonderful reminder of the immeasurable influence that teachers will always have on their studens.Gloria Wade-Gayles holds the Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair at Spelman College and is a CASE professor of Teaching Excellence for the state of Georgia. She is author of numerous books, including Pushed Back to Strength: A Black Womans Journey Home and Rooted Against the Wind: Personal Essays (Beacon / 0393-3 / $12.00 pb), and editor of My Soul Is a Witness: African-American Womens Spirituality (Beacon / 0927-7 / $16.00 pb) and Father Songs: Testimonies by African-American Sons and Daughters. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.