Based on successful classroom practice, the 31 essays in this book describe methods for teaching English and language arts while increasing students' self-esteem and respect for others, awareness of social issues, appreciation of literature, understanding of connections among disciplines, and involvement in their own learning. Essays in the book are: "Diversity and Community in the Classroom" (Beverly A. McColley); "Sharing Lives" (Edythe H. Schwartz); "Cresting for Character and Community" (Rose Cherie Reissman); "A Positively Rewarding Experience" (Beverly Wilkins); "The Fifty-Mile Radius Project" (Theodore F. Fabiano and F. Todd Goodson); "Investigating Society's Problems in the English Class" (Jim Burke); "Objectivity and Prejudice in Writing about AIDS" (Gerald F. Luboff);"Introducing Gay and Lesbian Issues in Freshman Composition" (Thomas Dukes); "Peeling an Onion without Tears" (Phyllis B. Schwartz); "Toward 'Discussions with Oneself'" (Joanna Schultz); "An Evolution in the English Class" (Daniel D. Victor); "Walk on a Rainbow Trail" (Joel Kammer); "Teaching Shakespeare in the Inner City" (Elise Ann Earthman); "Offering Literature with Respectful Deception" (Carol Meinhardt); "The Collaborative Term Paper" (JoAnna Stephens Mink); "Connecting with the Classics" (Barbara Jones Brough); "On Teaching Poetry" (Perry Oldham); "Transcendentalists Run for President" (Gary A. Watson); "Biography in Verse" (Myra Zarnowski); "Booktalks: Leave Them to the Students" (William R. Mollineaux); "Connecting Content and Context through the Cento" (G. Douglas Meyers); "The Year in Review" (Ronald Barron); "Rx for an Anemic Classroom" (Kathy Coffey); "Taking the Flat Out of Teaching" (Larry R. Johannessen); "Reporting a Metaphor" (Susan Reese Brown); "Harmony and Excitement through Adolescent Literature" (Sarah K. Herz); "Attracting Students to Reading" (Kathy Allen); "Teacher's Loss, Students' Gain" (Diann Gerke); "From Donut Holes to Details" (Dael Angelico-Hart); "Thank You, Please" (Susan Reese Brown); and "The Contemporary Challenge" (Rose Rosenthal). (RS)