Synopses & Reviews
A startling call to action for improving the working lives of public school teachers.
Dave Eggers, acclaimed author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, son and brother of teachers, co-founder of writing centers in New York and San Francisco, and passionate education advocate, joins forces with teacher Nínive Clements Calegari and journalist Daniel Moulthrop to examine a national scandal that affects us all. Many teachers today must work two or more jobs to survive; they can't afford to buy homes or raise families. Why are they paid so poorly? How is this related to student achievement? And how can we find ways to treat them like the professionals they are?
Teachers Have It Easy examines how bad policy intersects with teachers' lives. Interweaving teachers' voices from across the country with hard-hitting facts and figures, the book is a clear-eyed view of the harsh realities of public school teaching, without any chicken-soup-for-the-soul success stories. With a look at the problems of recruitment and retention, the myths of short workdays and endless summer vacations, the realities of the work week, and shocking examples of how society views America's teachers, Teachers Have It Easy explores why salary reform may be the best way to improve public education and examines how innovative compensation plans can transform schools.
Synopsis
Pulitzer Prize finalist and "McSweeney's" editor Dave Eggers presents a startling call to action for improving the working lives of public school teachers.
Synopsis
Do teachers really have it easy?
Teaching would be the greatest job in the world-if money didn't matter.
I told the girl I was dating I wouldn't mind teaching and she said, 'Don't waste your talent on that.'
The schizophrenia is an issue: are you a professional or are you not?
I actually had to get a note from my doctor saying I needed to be excused to use the restroom during the day.
I threw in the towel and decided, it's a noble profession but I don't have time to be noble right now.
About the Author
Pulitzer Prize finalist and McSweeney's editor Dave Eggers is the founder of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit tutoring and writing lab in San Francisco with a new center in Brooklyn. Teacher Nínive Clements Calegari is the founding executive director of 826 Valencia. Daniel Moulthrop is completing a master's in journalism at the University of California-Berkeley. All live in the San Francisco Bay area.