Playing School

About the Book

EDUCATION / MEMOIRS The Devil can quote statistics to his own ends, so the opinions and criticisms this author makes are substantiated by anecdotes and experiences from more than thirty years in classrooms of an Indiana public junior high, a Jesuit preparatory school, and several colleges and universities in Indiana, Iowa, and northern New Mexico. The material is focused by topics and does not have to be read sequentially. Parents, teachers, administrators, teacher candidates, and students should recognize themselves and take warning. In this jeremiad, the teacher calls herself a crabby curmudgeon deploring the “dumbing down of America,” but she believes there is great joy and value to be derived from the profession of teaching. She has disguised names to protect the guilty because her intent is not to blow the whistle on specific persons but rather to describe deplorable conditions and practices. Most of the messes described are ubiquitous in American public education, and it is hoped readers will become aware enough to make changes. Comments and reactions will be welcome at jhyatt@zialink.com.

About the Author