Lewis Buzbee looks back over a lifetime of experiences in schools and classrooms, from nurseries to college and beyond. He offers fascinating histories of the key ideas informing educational practice over the centuries, which have shaped everything from class size to the layout of desks and chairs. Buzbee deftly weaves his own biography into this overview, approaching his subject as a student, a father, and a teacher. For Buzbee, the blackboard is a precious window into the wider world.