Part of the problem with the fear of failure is that it pushes beginning teachers into self-
defeating classroom practices. They frequently end up with scripted, impossibly complex
lesson plans that translate into long, boring, teacher-centered lessons. Classrooms and
learning become painful for students and they rebel. Teachers respond by cracking down
and the cycle of boredom, resistance, and punishment escalates. As a beginning teacher,
you find yourself becoming the kind of teacher you hated.
But it does not have to happen this way! Teaching and learning can be fun and exciting.
You can become the teacher you want to be. It takes time and hard work, but you can do it.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION—BENE GESSERIT LITANY AGAINST FEARIn college and while I was student teaching I was a big science fiction fan. One of my fa-
vorite books wasDune(New York: Berkeley Medallion, 1965) by Frank Herbert and my
favorite passage was the “Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear” (p. 8). The hero learns to re-
cite the chant in order to calm his mind when faced by a crisis. I do not know if it will work
for you, but as a student teacher and new teacher it helped me a lot.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over and through me.
And when it has gone on past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” Deon
Gordon Mitchell and Michael Pezone, whom you met earlier in this book, developed their
own ways of overcoming fear and preparing for difficult situations. Deon turns to prayer,
whereas Michael is a Zen aficionado. Some of his favorite Zen stories are included in
chapter 10.Question to Consider:
How do you overcome your fears and prepare for a difficult situation?In book II, we examine ways that teachers can design lessons, develop personal connec-
tions with students, and build classroom communities. I call this approach to teaching PRO/
CLASS Practices. We will not be learning foolproof formulas. They do not exist. Instead, we
will look at principles of teaching and ideas about teenagers that my colleagues and I think
make sense. But you need to reinterpret and refine them as you develop your own approach
to teaching. As I think you have learned from the stories told by teachers in book I, there is
not just one right way.
Before we go on, I have to make a confession. People always wonder how you end up with
a nice acronym like PRO/CLASS Practices—Planning,Relationships,Organization,Community,
Literacy,Assessment,Support, andStruggle. I confess, I cheated. I made a list of key terms
and moved them around until they spelled something I thought was memorable. I really did
start with “P” for Planning, “R” for Relationships, “O” for Organization, and “C” for Commu-
nity, just not in that order. At any rate, these four topics will be examined in book II, chap-
60 BOOK II: PLANNING