Lower Your Expectations by Aram Kabodian, Robin Boswell and Kristine Brickey

For decades, the teacher attrition rate in the United States has been alarming. Over the past few years, the number of students entering teacher education programs at universities has decreased substantially. If we want to keep good teachers in the profession and attract new teachers in the future, teacher burnout must be addressed.

As former teachers ourselves, we have experienced the pressures, challenges, and stresses that drive educators from the profession. This book is intended to be a survival guide with practical advice, written in a frank teacher to teacher style, on how to remain teaching for a long period of time without burning out or giving up. Using a blend of real-life classroom examples and a bit of humor, Lower Your Expectations guides teachers from all levels of experience through common challenges facing educators.

"With the wisdom and wit that only years of experience could bring, my colleagues Aram, Kristine, and Robin encourage educators to 'lower our expectations...' but not really! Using a touch of teacher humor, these three share advice for novices and veterans alike. Giving us practical tips for staying sane -- while still finding joy in the work -- they ensure that, of course, we 'don't aim low,' and yet still provide us permission to be 'a tad lower than perfect,' a gift that all teachers can put to use right away."
-- Troy Hicks, Professor of English and Education, Central Michigan University

"Lower Your Expectations provides sound advice for making it through as a first year teacher. The advice given reminds us not to lower our expectations for young people, but lower the immense expectations that we thrust upon ourselves. The authors pack a lot of information into a manageable book that keeps it real and grounds itself in real-world narratives."
-- Steven Neal, English Teacher, East Lansing Public Schools