Step-by-step advice to help teachers master classroom management, lesson design, student engagement, and beyond

Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success is the book that can turn every good teacher into a great teacher. The art and science of teaching can be difficult to navigate. There are moving pieces that change how teachers should approach instruction, like unique student needs year after year, curriculum changes, updated research on best practices and more. It's essential that teachers of all levels continue to learn and develop their craft so that they can best manage these moving pieces. Using personal stories and tangible next steps gained from her experience as a teacher and teacher leader, author Gretchen Bridgers can level-up your teaching, filling the gap left between traditional teacher-training programs and the real world.

With high teacher turnover rates in the wake of the great resignation that occurred post-COVID, teachers need support more than ever. Always a Lesson offers a systematic process for strengthening the skillset of any teacher. The sequence of what teachers work on is the key to move through obstacles and increase effectiveness. No matter their level of expertise, Bridgers takes the stance that all teachers are learners. By applying the principles and strategies in this book, novice to veteran teachers will see a positive impact on student learning and their proficiency as an elite educator.

K-12 teachers, teacher mentors, instructional coaches, school administrators, and anyone else with an interest in improving teacher retention will thank their lucky stars for this book.

Order Below:

Book Details:

ISBN: 978-1394158805 | Publisher: Jossey-Bass | Edition: 1| Language: English| Release Date: April 2, 2024

Download printables from the book 

Praise for Teacher Essentials: 

"This book is the perfect buddy read by every student teacher and mentor! Gretchen has an uncanny ability to support new teachers while simultaneously sparking renewal in their mentors!"
—Melissa Emler, Chief Learning Officer, Modern Learners

 

“Always a Lesson by Gretchen serves as an indispensable guide for instructional coaches and mentors, articulating the Teacher Success Pathway with precision. It lays out a strategic framework for coaches and mentors to identify and focus on key areas for teacher development, ensuring efforts directly amplify teacher proficiency and student success. Gretchen's insightful approach equips coaches with the tools to effectively prioritize and advance teaching excellence.”
—Nicole S. Turner, Author and CEO of Simply Instructional Coaching Inc.

“Teachers of all experience levels will benefit from reading Always a Lesson as Gretchen Bridgers expertly outlines a pathway of success as though she is your personal teacher mentor.  Readers will walk away with actionable insights and an abundance of bonus content in downloadable resources.”
—Linda Rhyne, Owner of Linda Rhyne Consulting, North Carolina

“Classroom teachers along with those who mentor them would greatly benefit from the insights shared in this book. Gretchen helps shift the perspective of readers to realize more tools do not equal more success, but it’s the implementation of the tools which make the difference while providing a clear pathway that will enable readers to know which tools to use when.”
—Jamal Maxsam, M.Ed., CEO of Lead Like A Champion L.L.C.

How Educators are Using this Book:

  • "This book truly is a MUST! I have been using it for our new teacher academy and it has made such an impression. We also have provided one to each of the mentor teachers who also have shared how much they appreciate having a powerful book to anchor to not only to help them mentor effectively, but also to improve their teaching as well." - Casey Watts, Team Alignment Strategist in Texas
  • "I recommended it to a local university -- It's excellent!" - Michelle Ruhe, Literacy Coach in North Carolina
  • "I am going to run two book clubs next year through ROE (regional office of education)." -  Instructional Coach in Illinois