Most of us can recall teachers who changed our lives, teachers who arrived to teach us what we needed to know just when we needed to know it. The amazing thing about such people is they change us so that we become ourselves. It's as if they have a magical ability to know us better than we know ourselves. How does this happen? Where does the power of great teaching come from?

In Teachers Who Change Lives, leading Australian educationists Andrew Metcalfe and Ann Game cast new light on the processes of teaching and learning. The authors argue that outstanding teachers do not mould students by pushing them towards the achievement of externally based measurements of excellence (the 'perfect TER score or bust' model), but instead encourage them to reach their full potential by teaching them to follow their passions and interests. In interviews, some of Australia's most respected names-including Stephanie Alexander, Dawn Casey, Greg Chappell, Betty Churcher, Helen Garner, Shane Gould and Michael Kirby-reveal the significant classroom experiences and influential teachers that helped shape their futures.

A book for parents of school-age children, for teachers and those interested in becoming teachers, and for all those who remember how teachers changed their lives.