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Firsthand was born out of need. In the spring of 2001, a large public school district approached a Heinemann author for help. Their request was simple: "We've bought all your professional books, and they've inspired us to stronger, more effective practice. But moving from the inspiration of a professional book to the demanding practice of a busy classroom is a challenge. Why don't you develop additional supportive materials that our teachers can take into their classrooms and use?" This isn't the first time our authors have been asked this question or one like it. And, indeed, many are already including classroom-ready features in their professional books because they know their readers welcome these practical offerings. We at Heinemann have always prided ourselves on responsive publishing, taking seriously our cue from Donald Graves: "Follow your authors and readers." For more than twenty-five years, we have done just that, watching, listening, responding, developing our publishing vision from what we hear from both our authors and our audience. What are their needs? Concerns? What excites them? Inspires them? Season after season, answers to these questions appear in brand new books. In the summer of 2001, we decided to create a new imprint under which we would publish professional, practical curricular materials that could serve as a key part of the teaching-learning classroom dynamic. Not surprisingly, our imprint name came to us firsthand, from the manuscript of our first firsthand author, Nancie Atwell. In Lessons That Change Writers, Nancie refers to building writing from firsthand experience; we realized we were building a new imprint from the firsthand teaching experience of our own authors. While we consider firsthand materials "ready-to-use," they differ significantly from the commercial materials available in educational supply stores. First, they embrace Heinemann's belief in teachers as professional decision makers. While they offer explicit ideas for all aspects of teaching, how to implement these ideas is up to each individual teacher-reader. We do not dictate practice; in fact, we include templates inviting our readers to create their own original lessons. Second, firsthand materials are authored by established, respected leaders in the field, all of whom enjoy national and international reputations as innovative, visionary educators. And the same personality and voice that infuse their professional books enrich their firsthand materials. For this reason, we think of firsthand as "curricular resources with a voice." Indeed, these master teachers/authors, who have honed their "classroom talk" over decades of practice, have magnificent, sensitive language to share, showing us how to frame a question that will nudge a student into new arenas of thought, what words best illuminate a complex concept; even how to master the art of the pregnant pause. Firsthand enables us to showcase and celebrate exemplary teaching language, and we invite you, our readers, to use this language as a guide toward developing your own artful language in the classroom. Last and most important, firsthand embraces the progressive philosophy that has served as our publishing beacon at Heinemann for more than twenty-five years. From our authors' classrooms and learning laboratories to yours, we are proud to present firsthand, a new publishing venture that offers you materials from those voices you know, trust, and depend on to guide you toward successful, fulfilling teaching and learning. |