Debut Author - Currently seeking agent

Introduction to An Impossible Assignment

As the plane began descending into LAX, the pain inside my ears grew more and more intense. Before long, my face was in a tight wince, and I clenched my ears. I was sure my eardrums were about to burst. I frantically looked around, expecting to commiserate with a plane full of similarly afflicted passengers. Instead, other passengers seemed perfectly calm, finishing up their movies, trying to buckle toddlers into their seats, or wrapping up congenial conversations with the new acquaintance sitting next to them. I was in disbelief, How on earth could this only be happening to me? 

That sensation is akin to what I am experiencing in public education, with a critical difference. Unlike that plane descent where I must have had a head cold brewing, what’s happening in education is also happening to everyone around me. We are headed for disaster, I think, but no one seems to notice. How can I be the only one who sees the intense pressure of a system that is about to burst? 

This nation is experiencing more social turmoil on multiple fronts than it has in the past half century. We face political divisiveness, heightened racial issues, the erosion of civility, and the growing economic and power schism between the super wealthy and the rest of the country. Many citizens struggle to recognize the United States. Flying under the radar, but no less fundamental to our identity, is the battleground that has become public education. We are experiencing the most contentious and inhospitable educational climate we’ve seen in decades, perhaps the worst in modern times. And the reason may come as a surprise.

Preventable pressures on educators are undermining student learning, job satisfaction, and the health of the whole system. Many educators are fed up, exhausted, demoralized, and burned out. The problems are worsening, people are leaving, and the profession isn’t attracting reinforcements. Educators’ roles have become burdened with a thanklessness that is overwhelming. A teacher in my district recently shared a common feeling in the aftermath of the pandemic, “We’ve gone from being heroes to zeroes.” The historic rewards of teaching have become so diluted there is little incentive to pursue or stay on this path. The collective pressures chipping away at this cornerstone of our democracy will cause it to crumble unless the intensity of the environment subsides.

 Academicians and investigative journalists have done most modern writing about education. Their articles and books traditionally analyze research to recommend new or reformulated instructional strategies, determine the success or failure of reform efforts, or evaluate the effectiveness of certain practices. The focal point of action is typically aimed at teachers, principals, and superintendents, and their purpose is to inform educators about how they can improve student outcomes. An implicit assumption is made that school improvement rests in the hands of educators.

Rarely does the public glimpse what it is like to be on the inside of public schools. This book provides that view and the impact those realities are having on student learning and on our school systems.

This book turns the tables of responsibility for addressing some of the most critical problems in public schools. Instead of suggesting what teachers or leaders can do differently to improve education, this book primarily focuses on what parents and society can do differently to improve schools. That starts by helping to foster a more hospitable and appealing work environment. If society can’t meet the basic needs of educators, none of the rest will matter. We are spiraling toward an implosion within our schools.

As a seasoned superintendent responsible for all that happens in my district, I have a bird’s eye view of the cumulative impact of myriad pressure points. Aggressive parents, argumentative and misinformed community members, transferred societal burdens, safety concerns, and an escalating rate of maladaptive student behaviors are all taking a toll on educators. Being targeted by a constant barrage of put-downs, unrealistic demands, and irrational anger disheartens and disillusions many in the field. It diverts their attention and energy.

Public education is on a crash course, and we must grapple with the causes to redirect its trajectory before it slips from our grasp. The institution of public education, and what it has stood for since the time of John Dewey (1865 – 1952), is the ideal manifestation of our democratic system and the American dream. Providing a free public education to every child is not only a monumental undertaking, but it represents a commitment to, and belief in, the value of an educated populace as the foundation of a democratic society.