Why I Teach Author:Peter G. Beidler "Why do you teach, Pete?" Simple enough question, but an incredibly challenging one to answer. Peter Beidler, in the most thoughtful and honest of ways, delivers his answer in this special book. Read his words and you will have the opportunity to stop and relfect on life, contemplate why you do the things you do, and rediscover where your life... more » takes on meaning. Beidler writes about lifelong learning through teaching, innovative teaching methods, and how teaching is rewarded continuously as former students go on to do good and useful things. Beidler says, "I teach because, being around people who are beginning to breathe, I occasionally find myself, quite magically, catching my breath with them." This book will inspire anyone who reads it. It's a wonderful keepsake to cherish and the perfect gift for any teacher, past or present, who deserves to be thanked and commemorated. Why I Teach is an essay Beidler wrote in 1985 and was later printed in Chinese textbooks for education majors. The essay is mandatory reading for 2 million students each year at 1,900 colleges in China. Beidler thinks the Chinese value the piece because it extols the benefits of public service.« less