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John Fioravanti

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A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching Kindle Edition

by John Fioravanti (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.8 29 ratings

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This is a story about decency, family politics, family, fear, and triumph.

Teaching is the canvas but the portrait is so much richer and more colourful. This book will capture and absorb you. Fear of failure is a powerful motivator and as John Fioravanti battles and defeats his demons you will find yourself cheering for him as if he were contesting a sporting event.

Teaching is not a discipline confined to schools, and the lessons in this book about planning, listening, empathizing and sympathizing have applicability to all professions and walks of life − from a police lieutenant training officers to a sales manager teaching sales representatives and everything else in between.

John Fioravanti shaped, elevated, and improved the lives thousands of young people. After you’ve read this short story, you’ll be fulfilled and uplifted.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

10 May 2014
File size

2848 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00K9UXW2E
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fiora Books (10 May 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2848 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 176 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.8 29 ratings

About the author

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John Fioravanti

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I taught high school history for thirty-five years in just two schools in the Waterloo, Ontario region. My wife and business partner, Anne, and I have been married for more than 40 years. We have three adult children and three grandchildren. In 2002, I wrote an educational book for high school students about writing skills in the discipline of History. "Getting it Right In History Class" is available in Canadian and International editions at Wintertickle Press.

In 2006, Iceberg Publishing commissioned me to write an inspirational book about my years in the classroom. "A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching" was published in 2007. The book won a Bronze Medal at the IPPY International Awards in Los Angeles in May, 2008. I retired from teaching the next month.

My wife and I decided to strike off on our own and founded our own publishing company in December, 2013. We called it Fiora Books. Our good friends at Iceberg Publishing turned my award winning book back over to us to publish under the Fiora Books imprint. The 2014 edition of "A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching" was released in May, 2014 on Amazon in paperback and eBook formats.

My current projects include a series of science fiction novels called "The Genesis Saga", and a second non-fiction work. The first two fiction volumes, "Passion & Struggle" and "Treachery & Triumph" are currently available in eBook and paperback formats. The third book in the series is being drafted. As well, another inspirational, non-fiction work, "Reflections", will be available in 2016.

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Ms Fiza Pathan

An inspirational read!

Reviewed in India on 13 February 2020

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I just loved this tiny little book about something that is very close to my heart - teaching! If you are a teacher like me & are looking for an uplifting read which deals with teaching & education, then read John Fioravanti's book 'A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching'. Fioravanti has a beautiful style of writing which manages to touch your soul & make you sit back & think stuff over. I loved this book which is the story of what it meant for him to be a teacher & how he tried to find fulfillment in what he did. I loved the 'Lunch Break' sessions mentioned here in this book. When I was a teacher working in a high school myself, I had a similar 'Snack break' session in my classroom. What is it all about? You're not getting spoilers from me, read the book to find out. Read the book & find out the way to start out as a teacher, the struggle with discipline, low phases, government policy issues that affect teachers & so much else. To me, Fioravanti's non-fiction is always uplifting & motivational. This book is one of his best works & I highly recommend it to anyone & everyone who are working in the education system. I love the way Fioravanti narrates his growth as a good teacher & an equally insightful human being. I agree with him that teachers sometimes learn more from our students than vice versa. I have been teaching children since I was 19 years old & now, after 10 years of being in this noble profession, I agree with Fioravanti that you have to be of service to your wards as they are gifted to you by their parents, the ever trustful parents, to mold their children into wonderful human beings. This book is not about the intellect, but the heart of teaching & I highly recommend it. It can be a great gift to any teacher or educator. Support Fioravanti & buy this book. Get your copy of this book today! I hope to read more books penned by Fioravanti in the near future. Kudos to him on a job well done!

AvidReaderToo

The Butterfly has Emerged.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2017

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I enjoyed John Fioravanti's honest and endearing "A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching" very much. The format of the book makes it easy to read sections at a time, So, I took my time, reflecting on some of his thoughts, moments of doubts, and how he dealt with difficult situations, or making important decisions - sometimes life-altering.
Here is a man who is in touch with his feelings, passionate about his chosen career and admits to accepting direction from female colleagues - a really very good package - a teacher who cares about his students and his family, and has a healthy, balanced view of himself, while constantly striving to be the best that he can be.
Everyone who reads this memoir will come away with many positive emotions. For example, I appreciate his honesty when he discusses those "demons" many of us fight most of our lives - the fear of failure for one - being at the heart of many never starting a journey.
His illustrious career in education moved him to the next successful venture - Publishing - and I have no doubt that he, along with his wife, will continue to have great success. If you need inspiration, or a good example of how to make decisions when deciding which course your life should take, I recommend reading this book. You'll come away with a renewed feeling of purpose. Oh, and did I mention that the book is flawlessly written and edited?

Alan J. Cooper

the prose flows like pebbles down a hillside creek and the reader can ...

Reviewed in Canada on 13 January 2016

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A PERSONAL JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF TEACHING John Fioravanti ISBN: 978-0-9936558-0-7 (sc)

As an author who works in a time demanding and often stressful job, the HEART OF TEACHING is an oasis to which one can retreat. Very readable, the prose flows like pebbles down a hillside creek and the reader can soon find him/herself well into the book before one realizes how far he\she has gone. The author, John Fioravanti was a teacher in medium-city Canada and the reader can’t help but appreciate that he was a very competent and likeable one. This reviewer has both a Bachelor and Masters of Education, and while I have never taught beyond practice teaching, I appreciate, from both that apprenticeship and my fathering two children through the Toronto school system, how challenging the teaching profession is. Fioravanti seems to have figured out not only how to be dramatically effective in shaping students’ lives but also how to love his job. Honesty and respect for his students, he learned early, along with an inchoate wish to help others, such help being, according to Dostoevsky, part of a route to heaven-on earth.

The author feels well about his achievements but projects his successes with humility, a difficult task for many a professional to master or even fathom. He is not afraid of sharing his self-doubts to colleagues, parents and students but does so in a way that finds him engaging. John Fioravanti also makes such a difference in people’s lives that they come back that day or years later to express a heartfelt “Thank you”. Fioravanti seems a concrete manifestation of a public declaration that I once heard from Ontario, Canada Premier Bob Rae -- “Teaching is the noblest profession of all.”

For anyone considering the teaching or other healing profession, for any parent, for anyone wanting a good read by which to escape the stress of the day and for all who could use a catalyst in grasping meaning in their lives, John Fioravanti’s HEART OF TEACHING is an invaluable read.

Alan J Cooper, Author BRAIN INJURY and The SECOND

TruthBTold

You Think You've Read All the Good Books? Well, You Missed One!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on 17 March 2015

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A Personal Journey To The Heart of Teaching was just that…it was John Fioravanti’s memoir on how he “landed” in the teaching profession. This book read like a journal to me. Chapters entitled: A Small Town Kid, Snow Shovels and a Phone Booth, Meeting My Demon, and Hormones and Respect, were clear indicators that you were learning about John’s life. His decision to follow a path which he had not been destined for, quickly turned into disaster and disappointment, which is what typically happens when we don’t follow our “true” dreams…the ones that won’t leave us alone even when we’re awake; the ones that stand outside our bedroom windows, on the corner, under the street lamp, staring up at us, making us uncomfortable. He didn’t know it at the time, but becoming a teacher would be the path that would serve him well his entire life, and even long after his retirement, with all the memories fresh as if they’d happened yesterday, he realized that molding young minds, was what he had been put here to do.

What I found interesting, is that this author experienced constant highs and lows and carried around daily doubts and fears as to whether or not he was good enough to teach. So much so, that it exhausted me at times and I’d find myself yelling into the book, “Get a grip already! Everyone says you’re great at this, so believe it!” Even when those around him kept drilling, “You’re the best” in his head “… often times, he still found it hard to believe. Those were his demons.

John Fioravanti is a very talented writer. With each word, I felt that we were old friends, catching up after many years of high school and college and he was the one who had the best stories to share. I hung on every word, always anxious to get to the next chapter, the next page, the very next sentence. Yes, he’s good, my friends, and the book is even better!

I tweet this book out onto social media at times, but BEFORE I read it, I was using the hashtags: #teachers #teaching #kids. Since reading the book, I can aptly apply the hashtags: #life, #lessons #growth, because it’s not JUST about teaching. It’s about a life’s journey; a life filled with lessons, and constant moments of growth. It’s a book, I wish you all would read. John Fioravanti bared himself when he shared his insecurities, fears, and his struggles with his “demons,” many of those causing him to constantly doubt himself in his profession. But, he also shared how he worked thru all of those and finally got to what he’d been after for so long, he’d gotten to the the bottom of it, and that was learning that honesty, respect and love were at the core of “the heart of teaching.”

This is a feel-good book for everyone…young teachers just starting out, veteran teachers who’ve been around a while, for parents who appreciate and want to learn more about the struggles teachers face and how much love they give to the kids, in spite of those struggles. Finally, I would recommend this book to students, who sometimes view teachers as mere figures, standing in front of their classroom, with moving mouths. This book will help all appreciate how important teachers are and just how much they give of themselves for the students who are entrusted into their care for a few hours each week.

I’m giving this book 5 stars only because Amazon wouldn’t allow 10!

One person found this helpful

Opher

John Fiorivanti tells of his struggle to be an outstanding teacher.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2017

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This was a candid, honest account of John's journey to be an outstanding teacher. It gives insight into the processes, the up and downs, the relationships and years of striving that go into being successful in the classroom. Teaching is all about relationship and John demonstrates clearly how a caring attitude coupled with an openness to learn from one's students is crucial. What was clear to me from John's account was that teaching for him meant so much more that delivering the facts or getting his students through exams; he wanted so much to have a positive effect on their lives and help them through troubled times.
As a teacher myself this resonated with me. The giving of time and energy through things such as his dinner-time 'club' showed a selflessness that is essential in a good teacher.
Teaching is the most important job in the world - it is building the future, affecting young lives, expanding minds and horizons, giving confidence, and enabling children to grow. John tells of his struggle, from the early days of breaking away from his family and dealing with his feelings of insecurity to finding his feet in the classroom and becoming a major figure in the lives of all those thousands of young people.
We need more people like John in our classrooms. I really enjoyed reading about it.

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A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching Kindle Edition

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John Fioravanti

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