This book presents a framework for discussing the action of teachers in public elementary schools as the 21st century approaches. An educator with almost 30 years of teaching experience speaks from the perspective of teacher and parent. He tells tales about his family and his life as a teacher; he shares his social and moral philosophy and what he has learned from his children and his students. The personal narrative is told in the context of the on-going and imperfect processes involved in teaching and learning. The volume begins with a preface by Herbert Kohl; it is organized into seven chapters, moving from story to theory and back to story. Tales are told in a conversational and anecdotal fashion and emphasize the need to observe students with a sensitive eye and create a caring environment for learning. Chapters cover the growth involved in teaching well, curriculum organization and the complex craft and art of molding the content of learning to fit the uniqueness of each situation, how an educator can discover what is of value in his/her work and how to fine tune that work in the service of students' learning and lives, and the ethical dimensions of teaching. (Contains 22 references.) (LL)