This book inspired me, angered me, filled me with awe and wonder, and made me really and truly think—think about our public schools, the educators who work so hard, the students who depend on the schools, and the parents who can make life so wonderful or challenging for
…more their children's teachers.
Written by Alexandra Robbins, this is an eye-opening deep dive into the state of public education in the United States in the 2020s. If you are a teacher or a parent of a student, this is a must-read. Using her extraordinary reporting and research skills, Robbins tells this important story in two distinct ways: by following the personal stories of three very different teachers and through hard-hitting essays based on facts, figures, and learned opinions of what is happening in the nation's classrooms.
This is what it means to be a teacher today.
The three teacher stories feature an uncensored, no-holds-barred look at their joys and frustrations, successes and failures, as well as their personal lives over the course of a school year:
• Rebecca Abrams, an East Coast elementary school teacher.
• Miguel Garcia, a middle school special education teacher in the West.
• Penny Davis, a middle school math teacher in the South.
(The names of the teachers and schools have been changed to protect their identities),
If you think a teacher's job is easy with a long summer vacation as the biggest perk, then this book will be a real eye-opener. Find out:
• What really goes on in the classroom.
• Go behind-the-scenes at parent-teacher conferences, the staff lounge, and teacher happy hour.
• Teachers' secret codes and strategies and what they really think about the parents.
• Meet amazing children—those who are stellar students and those who are struggling. (Oh, my heart! These kids!)
• How much money teachers make and why so many of them have second and even third jobs just to pay the bills.
• How much teachers spend of their own money on supplies for their classrooms. (If you really want to be a helpful parent, there is valuable advice on how you can assist with this expense.)
• Why teaching is incompatible with good physical and mental health. (Prepare to be shocked. I was.)
• Why our public schools are a hotspot for workplace bullying, leaving so many teachers verbally and psychologically abused by each other and their administrators.
• The shockingly high percentage of teachers who have been the target of violence or abuse, almost always by students.
Alexandra Robbins has produced a most unusual book: a non-fiction page-turner. It is filled with riveting and compelling storytelling, as well as cutting-edge research. It is a treasure! And we should heed its valuable advice.
P.S. This is how much I loved the book. I read it on a Kindle, and about four chapters in, I bought the hardcover edition for my sister, a retired teacher's assistant, who worked in a public elementary school for 20 years. (less)
Power Reviewer
