The First Five

A Love Letter to Teachers

De: Patrick Harris II

Narrado por: Patrick Harris

We all have stories. We all have experiences to share. A memoir with a call to action, The First Five affirms the humanity of all teachers. Patrick inspires you to dream big about what you want for yourself, our students, our schools, and our educational system.

In The First Five, Patrick brings to light the realities of teaching, especially in the first five years. He immerses you in his world with personal stories that lead to lessons, questions, and exercises to help you reflect on your own journey. Each chapter includes interviews with a diverse group of educators.

Creating change in our education system is a process. It will happen from the ground up and the inside out. If we want to make a long-lasting impact, we need to know more than just what to do; we need to start sharing our stories, not just our strategies. The work we do together throughout this book and beyond will leave you feeling hopeful, empowered, and challenged. No matter where you start, know that this work is ongoing. Give yourself grace. We are in this together for the long haul.

Here’s to the next five years.

©2022 Patrick Harris II (P)2022 Heinemann

A captivating look into the career of an incredible teacher

There is so much to learn from Patrick Harris’ teaching journey. I’m grateful he chose to share his story and help guild and mold our future teachers.

Beautiful and healing

I’ve been a fan of Patrick’s work for awhile so I knew I’d enjoy this book, but still he surprised me in new ways. The overall book feels like a poem, put together with care. The stories from different time periods in his life mirrored his process of reflection and the journey it is to figure out what being a teacher really means in the first five years. Our stories are really different, but with some parallels, too, and this book helped me understand my own experiences better and helped me extend grace and appreciation to myself for the work that I have done and mistakes that I have made. I also appreciate hearing Patrick’s stories of being a student. Overall an insightful read/listen and a needed voice of care for teachers.