Where you live does not define who you are or who you can be. Those were the words of a wise woman who did not know that she was a teacher or that her words would be remembered and passed on to future generations long after she died. However, this wise woman did know that to make her belief come to fruition, education was the key. For many African Americans who travelled life's highway during the twentieth century, caring teachers were their guiding star, their map, their GPS, and their light through the tunnel. Teachers gave students confidence, hope, determination, knowledge, and a feeling of "yes you can." In this book, the author rejects the idea that anybody can teach and provides clear, distinct criteria for anyone thinking about teaching as a career. The stories she shares also serve as a thank you to all of America's teachers. Discover how African-American teachers have inspired students to succeed and pay it forward with the remarkable stories in Teacher Journeys. We must have outstanding teachers in today's schools. Expectations are key to student performance and teacher success. If teachers have realistic expectations, our kids will try to live up to them. No child wants to be a failure and no good teacher wants their students to fail. -Daisy R. Wright, Teacher Without knowledge and skills, opportunities cease. The burden of developing and imparting the knowledge and skills has been placed squarely upon teachers, regardless of how unfair and lopsided it seems. If anyone is thinking about becoming a teacher, he or she must understand that this profession makes the biggest imprint of any occupation in society. -Verna Cahoon, Principal