Becoming a Legendary Teacher

"Freeman and Scheidecker are truly legendary teachers! I have used this book in my university teaching and shared it with numerous colleagues, teacher friends, and family."
—Ruth Reynolds, Teacher, Bradley Elementary School District, IL
Adjunct Professor, Olivet Nazarene University

"This is a book that I hope the teachers of my own children will read. The authors′ documented experience and success will ignite a passion for teaching within you."
—Susan M. Chasteen, Art Instructor
Reed-Custer School District 209U, IL

Learn how extraordinary teachers inspire students and influence lives!

All teachers aspire to become that outstanding educator who inspires students and exerts an enduring, positive influence on their lives. This book examines what makes certain teachers so important to the futures of their students and shows you how to become one of these "legendary" teachers.

The authors demonstrate how educators can learn to recognize their own talents and skills, cultivate successful traits in their teaching, and translate those qualities into leadership in their schools. Presenting key characteristics of outstanding instructors, this inspiring resource includes techniques that all teachers can use to:

• Convey high expectations for students
• Create a well-organized and positive classroom environment
• Motivate students to excel in an era of high-stakes testing
• Communicate successfully with students, families, and colleagues
• Stay passionate and motivated

Becoming a Legendary Teacher helps educators develop and refine their teaching skills to ensure that students want to learn and succeed.

William Freeman was a middle school social studies teacher for 11 years and a high school principal for 22 years. During his tenure as principal, he taught classes in philosophy to high school students and instructed as an adjunct professor in the educational, administrative, and business master’s degree programs for Aurora University and Olivet Nazarene University. Having retired in 2006 from the public sector of education, Freeman continues to work as an educational consultant, an adjunct professor, and holds the position of professional development specialist for the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies at Olivet Nazarene University. In addition to his background in instruction and administration, he has been a North-Central Accreditation facilitator and a trained administrative analyst. His special area of expertise is in effective instructional techniques and strategies. He has written curriculum for gifted students at the middle school level, created a philosophy curriculum for high school students, and has written several instructional modules at the university level to improve classroom instruction and administrative performance. He is a frequent motivational and educational speaker at leadership conferences and instructional workshops. In addition, he has been a baseball, basketball, and track coach, as well as an athletic director, class sponsor, and student council advisor. He was selected as the outstanding administrator in the state of Illinois, recognized as an “Administrator of Merit” by the Illinois State Board of Education, honored as an Illinois Lincolnland Legend, and was awarded the Willis E. Snowbarger Award for Teaching Excellence by Olivet Nazarene University. David Scheidecker had been a high school English teacher for 27 years, with 20 of them as the head of an English department. His professional activities included serving as a reader for the Advanced Placement English literature and Composition exam, acting as a consultant to the college board, curriculum design, and miscellaneous instructional concerns. Scheidecker had worked extensively in curriculum design and revision at his own high school. He aslo was recognized as a "Teacher of Merit" by the state school board of Illinois.