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Igniting the Fire (and Tending the Flame): Teachers on Works That Inspire

Summer offers the opportunity to recharge and reflect—and for many teachers, it's the ideal time to gather helpful resources. With that in mind, I asked accomplished teachers in the Teacher Leaders Network to share the literary, cinematic, and musical works that sustain them (and help inspire their students). —Braden Welborn

Susan, a family/consumer science teacher:

I think of lines from John Steinbeck’s poem "Captured Fireflies": "I've had many teachers who taught us soon forgotten things, / But only a few like her who created in me a new thing, a new attitude, a new hunger / … What deathless power lies in the hands of such a person."

Katy, an academic intervention specialist:

Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children resonated with me. It wasn't comfortable to read because it challenged many of my core beliefs about teaching and learning. However, to this day, it inspires my work in and...