The Novice Advantage

Fearless Practice for Every Teacher

“The epitome of an "expert novice" himself, Eckert offers teachers at all stages of the profession clear, precise, and inspiring strategies for reaching students. And by recognizing the contributions educators make both inside and outside the classroom to shape great teaching, he elevates the teacher voice to its rightful position at the forefront of any discussion about the daily work of our schools.”

“The Novice Advantage empowers the hopefulness of education. It provides practical ways for beginning and veteran teachers to maintain their enthusiasm and wonder of teaching. 

A powerful concept that is seldom considered is what Dr. Eckert refers to as, “getting better at getting better through honest reflection and transparent practice”. It’s the notion focusing on improvement rather than what was wrong and looking in the windshield instead of the rear view mirror.”

“With humor and grace, Jon Eckert challenges every teacher to let go of practices that restrain them in favor of practices that allow them to grow. The journey of personal growth means recapturing the hopefulness of novice teachers. As he writes, Eckert bares his deep belief that all individuals have the capacity for continued growth, that even long experienced veterans can get out of their ruts and tap into their deep wells of knowledge and abilities in the pursuit of improving school for all children.”

“This book is an authentic, honest, and humorous depiction of teaching. Dr. Eckert captures the heart of veteran teachers as well as novice teachers and tells the story of a profession that is unlike any other. This book ignites the passion of teaching and encourages all of us to try new things and ‘live on the edge’!”

“Jonathan Eckert explores and expounds a crucial tenet of effective teaching and instructional improvement: When we take risks, when we fail, when we reflect, and when we revise, we are constantly learning. And when we are constantly learning we are increasing the odds that we will be continuously successful. Eckert invites us into the often terrifying, disorienting, but exhilarating world novice teachers to drive this point home. In a counter-intuitive but clear and convincing argument, Eckert tells us that we would all be better teachers if we to be more like novices in this regard, always learning through risk, reflection, and revision, as if we too had little choice in the matter. This is an engaging, insightful, and instructive read. I strongly recommend it to prospective, novice, and experienced teachers and to those who help prepare and support them.”

“The Novice Advantage is an inspiring call to educators to make continuous learning and improvement central to their own teaching, as well as highlighting how important it is for teachers to participate in broader efforts to transform school and district structures to support continuous growth for all teachers and students.”