Find your footing and step into your future as a grounded teacher! "I put down the book feeling proud to be a teacher." -Sharon Elin, NBCT Chickahominy Middle School, Hanover County, VA "A book I will refer to often, as well as use for the teachers I mentor." -Patricia Eggers, NBCT Brown Deer School District, Glendale, WI "Offers intellect, relevant statistics, human examples, teacher stories, witty analogies, practical solutions, and most of all, hope for those at any point in their teaching career." -Sarah Earle, NBCT Hampton High School, VA Do you feel grounded at the "big desk" or are you still searching for your comfort zone? Join best-selling author Dominic Belmonte as he explores the essentials of instruction, curriculum, and classroom management. Using his trademark humor and encouraging style, and always keeping a clear-eyed focus on the rewards of teaching, the author discusses: 15 ways to master classroom pacing, tone, undertone, mood, and behavior 5 sample lessons using Socratic Seminar, inquiry science, Magic Math Box, and more Reflective approaches to important challenges, including high-stakes tests, bridging the achievement gap, and helping students deal with tragedy