Contrary to its definition, Tom Newkirk argues feeling embarrassed in life is nothing to be ashamed of. Whether you are a teacher, student, parent, sibling, or friend, embarrassment is something we all experience. If we are able to talk about a taboo topic like embarrassment, Newkirk believes we can arrive at a deeper understanding of who we are and what we can accomplish. In his book Embarrassment and the Emotional Underlife of Learning, this definition of embarrassment pervades the classroom. 

Here, Newkirk discusses the realities of anxiety in teaching. He wouldn't want readers to think that because he's written a book on teaching he's anything close to the idyllic "super teacher"; that's just not his emotional reality. After years of teaching, he still paces the floors before each class, and succumbs to frustration and time management issues like we all do. But, for Tom, that embarrassment he feels is nothing to be ashamed of. 

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To learn more about Embarrassment and the Emotional Underlife of Learning and download a sample chapter, visit Heinemann.com. 

Thomas Newkirk is the author of numerous Heinemann titles, including Minds Made for Stories, The Art of Slow Reading, The Performance of Self in Student Writing (winner of the NCTE's David H. Russell Award), and Misreading Masculinity. For almost three decades, Tom taught writing at the University of New Hampshire where he founded the New Hampshire Literacy Institutes, a summer program for teachers. In addition to working as a teacher, writer, and editor, he has served as the chair of his local school board.