I taught high school English, and I know that teaching is hard. Excruciatingly, heartbreakingly difficult. If you've never been in a classroom, officially responsible for subject matter but becoming a counselor, a parole officer, a shoulder to cry on; or if you have, and need articulation of what keeps you going or what made you stop, I highly recommend Stories From a Teacher by J. Flores.He chronicles his four years teaching high school English, told in about two dozen stories. He writes about the ups and downs, the humor and the despair:- meeting with a parent who wanted his son's grade changed from passing to failing, to teach him that life is tough.- joking with his students about skipping school, until one girl missed because of a miscarriage.- guiding the students to open up about their troubled home life and helping them find help.- turning a story about his college days into a lesson on alcohol consumption.- making an impact on a student and not realizing it until he meets her again five years later.Each story teaches a lesson, either to the kids or to the author himself - and often, it may not be a lesson he wants to learn. Basically, this book boils down to: life is hard for these kids. How much of himself can he truly give to make it better? Can he actually make it better? I found this book eerie- only because a lot of the events that happened in Mr. Flores' teaching career have paralleled my own... My first year of teaching was highlighted with a "go fuck yourself" as well. I do not blame Mr. Flores- I also was a young teacher of color, who felt that I needed and had the responsibility to change the world. I recently left teaching to continue earning a graduate degree full time, but Mr. Flores' stories encourage and remind me that there is so much work left to do in education. If you are teacher- you should read this book!
What do You think about Stories From A Teacher (2000)?
Wonderful book. I would highly recommend to anyone planning to teach high school or middle school
—Zowili
Good, quick read. Lots of little short stories that actually tied together at the end. :)
—marilyn
