Schooled: A Teacher’s Memoir

What’s wrong with education today? How can we fix it? There is no silver bullet but there are a lot of small changes and a few big ones. Finding out how to keep teachers who care in the classroom is critical, and it’s not just more money (though God knows, that would help). It is hard to find a teacher who’s been teaching in public schools for 5-15 years. They burn out by 5 or they already have over 15 years and are just waiting to retire at 20. College for 4-5 years, maybe a graduate degree, take on enough debt to last a lifetime, for a job that pays…well, not enough to raise a family and pay back that debt. And no combat pay! Even though you may be stabbed, shot, or maligned. Is it rewarding? Definitely. With your students in your classroom, it’s what you imagined. But then you have to factor in the administration, which any ex-teacher will tell you is the reason they are not there any more. Schooled: A Teacher’s Memoir is for teachers, education students, parents and the students themselves. The story of a lifetime of teaching and learning, what it was to learn ‘real writing’, ‘new math’, and coming of age in the 60s Vietnam/civil rights/chaos era in the South. From a career in sales set aside for a ‘higher calling’ to teach only to discover that teaching is sales, this teacher’s life provides a clear lens to look through and see what needs to be kept, removed or added.