A Teacher's Stories is an outgrowth of Joyce Lott's journal, in which she scrutinized challenging classroom problems—cultural clashes, disparity in skill levels, gender issues, and fluctuations in growth rate — problems that inhibited student productivity. Replaying critical classroom incidents, the author invites teachers to ask the questions: "How well did I handle this situation?" "What happened, and why did it happen?" "How could I have improved my performance or my students' performance?" "What can I learn from this experience that will enter into my decision-making in the future" Readers will begin to question sacrosanct methods. They will learn more about the importance of journal writing, the pros and cons of cooperative grouping, integrating portfolios effectively, establishing a classroom environment where students and teachers have time to reflect, play with language, make many starts, and accomplish work that matters to them.

Those thinking about becoming teachers and those already studying to become teachers will read about Joyce's dilemmas, analyze her solutions, and perhaps, transform their work Longtime teachers looking for a role model will read about Joyce's willingness to risk a different approach and insist themselves upon the right, the courage to begin again.