Rescue the Teacher, Save the Child!

Synopsis: The teacher disparity in pay teeters on the tip of the iceberg. How American culture treats teachers, through entitled parents, social media and lack of support from administrators, is the deplorable underbelly of this glacial mass.
Overview: Navigating the waters of child tantrums, an adolescent accidentally lighting her hair on fire, a potential suicide and having a parent threaten my life, I awoke one fine spring day as the victim of forced retirement. Anecdotes of a seasoned educator do not fail to entertain as well as educate.
Distinction: My memoir comes laced with narratives of success, failure, passion, teachable moments and what it means to be called teacher. Current topics (bullying, school shootings, the inclusion of special needs children, entitled parents and their perfect children, assessments and general lack of support of teachers by our culture) explored and solutions discovered through decades of gaining wisdom. Instead of mere story telling, reflection questions for students, parents, colleagues and administrators prevail at the end of most chapters. Exceptional teachers are leaving the ranks. Our educational system is broken. This book not only addresses the brokenness but more importantly contributes real solutions gained through 46 years of research.
Current day educators require tremendous courage to correct and refocus the crippled system. The fear of job loss or uncertain retribution prohibits most returning or retiring teachers to share their grievous stories. Forced into retirement from a job I loved, I am prepared to become their voice and shed light on the overall ill treatment of America’s educators. This reasonable voice, advocating change, is achieved through the language of passion, unconditional love and grace.