Michael A SilverstoneMichael Silverstone has been a full-time elementary teacher in Massachusetts since 1998. With Debbie Zacarian, he co-authored the Grade 2 chapter in Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms: Promoting Content and Language Learning, Mathematis, Grades K-2 (Corwin). His essay recounting his discovery of the vital importance of maintaining professional autonomy while fostering relationships with students, families and colleagues--in spite of all the pressures to standardize classroom practice--is the closing teacher-essay in the anthology Why We Teach Now, edited by Sonia Nieto (Teacher's College Press). Silverstone is also the author of a number of Young Adult non-fiction books including Rigoberta Menchú Defending Human Rights in Guatemala and Winona LaDuke: Restoring Land and Culture in Native America (The Feminist Press at the City University of NY). He is a Teacher Consultant with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project of the National Writing Project. http: //www.umass.edu/wmwp/ Read More Read Less