Description
Book SynopsisFor decades, teachers, though underpaid, were among the most respected, esteemed professionals in the United States. But things have changed. As schools fail to meet the needs of a growing, diverse population, teachers have taken the hit. Popular movies have sensationalized the power and potential of those in the teaching profession, their hyperbole bordering on the absurd. Bruce Jay Gevirtzman hands you the truth about conditions in America's schools. His defense of teachers may be shocking, but could awaken us to solutions that really work.
Trade ReviewLong overdue in this country is a meaningful and honest discussion of the role played by teachers and teacher unions within our educational framework. In his new book, Bruce Gevirtzman addresses a myriad controversial issues facing today's educators. By discerning truth from fiction in regard to teacher competency and behavior, Bruce presents a courageous and revealing analysis of the awesome impact teachers and their unions have on our children. -- Eugene Leydiker, Attorney, Los Angeles, California
As a former student of Mr. Gevirtzman—and then a teacher, an assistant principal, and a high school principal, I know that he has the interests of America’s teachers at heart. Mr. Gevirtzman understands the frustrations that teachers encounter every day on the job, and he enlightens his readers by naming the tools teachers require to help them get through this low point in American education. -- Nermin Fraser, Education Unlimited's Director of Admissions
Bruce’s sardonic sense of humor never loses the fact that what’s happening in education is a serious state of affairs. You will chuckle through even the bad times, but with a sense of irony and befuddlement. -- Jacquelyn Sill, author of “Where the Water Rages”
Ultimately, the success of our schools spends upon our teachers’ ability to teach. But our teachers' ability to teach often depends on external factors, too many beyond our teachers’ control. In this riveting book, Bruce J. Gevirtzman argues in defense of America’s teachers, by alluding to those factors for which teachers have been unfairly maligned and ridiculed, resulting in a system that perpetuates mediocrity, while promoting ridiculously high levels of needless stress and confusion among our children. -- Eric Jordan, former president, Teachers of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Association
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction: A Bum Rap 1. The Myths of Superman 2. Frustration of Shame 3. It Ain’t the Coal Mines 4. A Straw Man Named tenure 5. Not A Teacher’s Friend 6. Good Teachers, Bad Advocates 7. Feeding the Hand That Bites You 8. One Size Does Not Fit All 9. Making the Grade 10. Teachers Are People, Too 11. The Naked Emperor 12. Forbidden Territory: Sssssh!
