I enjoyed this book very much. Alexandra Robbins books are always well researched, fascinating and keep me turning the pages. This one was no different and on such an important topic. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read this one! Thank you so much.

Robbins provides a mesmerizing inside look at the world of teaching rarely represented in nonfiction text. Told mainly through the experience of three educators working in different regions, subject areas, and grade levels, we see the commonalities that exist in the teacher experience and the wide array of increasingly extreme challenges they face in order to succeed in their work with students. As Robbins relays the stories of these three dedicated and talented teachers, she provides key research and anecdotes from educators across the country to contextualize their experience and those of their students. We become privy to bits of their outside life, which both helps humanize them and make clear the mere challenge teachers face to maintain a personal life outside of the classroom.

It becomes clear to the reader that teachers, more than workers in almost any profession, cannot leave their work at the office. Home simply becomes an extension of the workplace, where teachers must prepare lessons, secure materials, correspond with parents, and process the emotional and mental effects of a vocation that faces immense disrespect and wild misconceptions. Robbins details the mounting pressures that educators faced leading up the pandemic and the spiraling that occurred over the past few years leading to massive resignations and a seeping general malaise amongst educators. Prior to the pandemic educators already faced issues such as workplace and parent bullying, constantly shifting curriculums, understaffing, decaying classrooms, a lack of basic supplies and planning time, and low pay. It is made clear that the pandemic did not cause these issues, it merely amplified them and made them increasingly impossible to ignore.

While Robbins’ book is a clarion call for change and support for both educators and students, it also makes sure to share the daily joys of the teaching experience. The three educators spotlighted share warm, touching, and frequently hilarious daily exchanges that occur in their classrooms. The notion that classrooms are like families is a common thread throughout the book. Despite the aforementioned challenges, these amazing educators are able to connect with and inspire their students on a daily basis, even if the effects take weeks or months to reveal themselves. By the end of the school year, we have been on a roller coaster of emotions with these educators but we, like they, get to experience the incredible progress many students have made, the immense pride and love that they feel for their students, and the sorrow of saying goodbye to a family that has grown together over the course of a year.

The Teachers is a fascinating, and often harrowing, must read for anyone in our society who values the education of children. Robbins emphasizes that right now there is a dearth of educators in the profession and those who remain are overworked, both mentally and physically exhausted, with many on the brink of leaving the profession. Her practical advice for supporting educators reads as a manual for how to rescue the educational system. And, most notably, her own experience as a long term substitute teacher and parent, gives Robbins the street cred to truly understand and relate to her subject from the inside out.

The Teachers is a phenomenal look at what America’s teachers deal with inside and outside of school and Alexandra Robbins brings their trials and tribulations to life in her book The Teachers.

As a first year teacher, I can relate with these stories and Robbins brings stories of teachers dealing with divorce, cliques (children and adult), angry parents and lack of resources.

I loved every part of this book because not only do I relate with the teaching aspect but also Robbins brings these stories to life with humor, heart and emotion.

I highly recommend this fantastic book!

Since 2006 I have enjoyed and gained insight from all of Alexandra Robbins’ books. As an educator for more than three decades and having served four distinct schools, in The Teachers I can identify my own experiences, as well as those of various diverse educators from across the country. While there are universal challenges among public schools nationwide, each state and each school district within a state represent a unique, highly complex organization that has stretched its limits in meeting the learning, social, and emotional needs of our children. Public school district resources continue to diminish as impossible challenges and unreasonable expectations rise. Robbins has taken on a tremendous task of depicting public schools, which are as disparate as their individual administrators, teachers, and students. She has captivated the demanding, exhausting, and heartbreaking roles of a core group of teachers, developing those threads throughout the text while interweaving mind-boggling testimonies of numerous additional teachers. I applaud her many years of research, excellent writing, and commitment to increasing awareness about the teaching profession in dire crisis. The Teachers is a must-read for all who seek to understand what is really happening in our schools. Whether or not families have children in public schools, the frightening decline in the teaching profession and the failure of public schools impact all children and our future.

No discussion of education would be complete without highlighting the role of teachers. No matter your viewpoint there is no denying the profession has been under extreme stress in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. Some of that may be self-inflicted as more teachers have brought their personal life into the classroom and public sphere through social media. Alexandra Robbins’ book The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession takes a more sympathetic view on the life of teachers and growing challenges in the profession.

The Teachers follows a group of teachers and students during an academic year providing a window into the typical issues both confront. While the types of teachers vary in terms of their specialty, grade, and type of school (i.e. low-income, affluent, etc.), the book makes the case that no matter the environment teachers face a myriad of struggles on a daily basis. This includes difficult administrators, demanding parents, and problem students. The Teachers also gives the readers a sense of what it is like for educators to essentially “do life” not just with their co-workers like a typical profession, but also their students. In many cases they spend more time with children than their parents are able to, which can bring emotional burdens that lead to high levels of stress and burn-out. The fact that the education system is in such dire need of reform to improve results on key education achievement indicators leads one to a somewhat pessimistic view for the future of the profession and America’s education system overall.

Robbins’ also adds in a healthy discussion of the policy debates surrounding education reform, which adds depth to the character stories. She touches on everything from the role of librarians and specialists, violence and bullying by students and other teachers, to political battles with school boards. Her views seem slanted towards the needs of educators which is something to keep in mind when reading about the policy discussion. This is also evident in the stories of the teachers and students she chooses to highlight. The individuals profiled have significant life challenges, that probably do not represent the “average” teacher or student. Keeping that in mind, The Teachers is a great read about how the profession has evolved in the last twenty years.

Are you a teacher? Do you know a teacher or do you have children in school? Then this is a book for you.

As a teacher (25 years) I believe this book is an accurate representation of what teachers across the country face. I personally am friendly with many teachers nationally via some awards programs and of course due to my own role, subscribed to multiple outlets for help and support during covid.

The picture painted by NYTimes bestselling author Robbins is unflinchingly true. As teachers, our lives are completely entwined with our job, all day, every day, even in the summer. I like it best when it's referred to as a calling as it is certainly an underfunded job.

I loved reading about the experiences of these diverse teachers and also appreciated the tips and tricks. Meeting with parents is never easy and I felt it in my own gut when a teacher mentioned her trepidation with opening her work email. I hope this book is well read and passed along to all parents and adults who are friends with or supporting teachers. I'd love that because Alexandra manages to explain the unexplainable - the obstacles, the fears and the hopes and the feats that we all face every day as teachers
#PenguinGroup #Dutton #TheTeachers #AlexandraRobbins

As an ancillary professional working in the school system , I found this book to be spot on. It was like looking through a set of binoculars onto the school system.
Now looking from the perspective of being a parent , it was so insightful to see the world from the eyes of a classroom teacher.
I feel this book should be mandatory reading for school administrators and professors of education.
Loved it!!!

A real "pull back the curtains" look into the teaching profession today. Coming out of the Covid crisis, and all of it's ramifications for children's education, it's important to understand what teachers are going through. The author does a good job of illustrating this, by taking a good look at several different teachers. After reading this, my heart goes out to all of those involved in the education process today. I really don't know what the answer is, but I hope someone can figure something out quickly. I would have rated this book higher, but it really did depress me.

Having read several books by Alexandra Robbins, I was looking forward to a rewarding and eye-opening deep dive into a specific topic. Thankfully, Robbins once again delivers on expectations. With the demands on teachers at an all time high, this is quite a timely and informative read.


Many thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read other books by this author each book has been excellent informative.The Teachers takes us directly into the world of teaching today the difficulties the lack of support from the hierarchy and the teachers who love their profession work long hours trying to connect with each child.This is an important book a book parents would benefit from reading as well as others involved in teaching.#netgalley #theteachers

I have loved some of this author's previous non-fiction works so I was excited to see this one on Netgalley! Unfortunately, I found the style of it very jumpy and odd. The chapters were half teachers' personal stories, half listed advice which I completely skimmed.

I also found it was simultaneously really fatalistic and uplifting. I'm not exactly sure what message the book is trying to impart but it was pretty darn depressing.

This is a great book for teachers and non-teachers alike. I think it would be mostly helpful for parents of school-age children to understand what their children's teachers go through. In addition to being interesting, Robbins is an excellent writer. The book was so readable, which hasn't always been my experience for non-fiction!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this book. There has never been a more important time to understand and appreciate teachers' perspectives.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I think everyone should read this book to get a glimpse into what teachers have to deal with. We love our kids and want them to succeed.