Jennifer Nelson brings her struggles as a teacher in the American education system to light in this memoir. Focusing on her time as a middle and high school French teacher at public and private schools, Nelson populates her memoir with anecdotes of her teaching career and statistics about the current state of American education, pre- and post-pandemic, and where school districts and educators need to make corrections to the current system. By bringing her own experiences to light, Nelson illustrates the differences between the public and private educational institutions in the United States as well as the associated challenges with working in education. Nelson highlights her challenges with her students, superiors, and colleagues in the public high school she taught at, all of which shapes a negative picture of public education (though her memoir is a case study and not representative of the majority of public American high schools). When placed in conversation with other American high schools or other educational systems around the world, Nelson’s book highlights the idiosyncrasies of the American system, perhaps creating a larger conversation about the general state of education with the hope that the current systems can be adapted for optimal educator and student success.

Nelson's story is opposite of mine; I started in public school and moved to a Catholic school. Her stories resonated with me, as I have had the same struggles, challenges, and successes as she has. Nelson is a voice of honest encouragement. Teaching is a tough job, and there are many people who think that just because they have made it through school, that they know what good teaching is and how to do it. Wrong.

Nelson's heart shows throughout her daily stories, some mundane and trivial, some larger. No matter what, these interactions with students have lasting impacts upon them. Oftentimes, I have former students come back to remind me of events/lessons/information that stuck with them but quickly left my mind as unimportant. She is a testament to the idea that we never truly know as teachers what kind of impact we have on our students.

I'm not sure exactly who Nelson was writing for, but I can imagine many teachers who feel burned out, who are questioning whether what is going on in their classrooms are the right actions and learning. I would recommend this book to them. Her voice, her stories, her passion comes through in a tone that speaks to colleagues, saying "it's not perfect, but it's making a difference."

As a teacher I’m always interested reading about other teachers experiences especially new teachers.Jennifer Nelson shares her experiences moving from journalist to French teacher she writes in a clear informative style.#netgalley #teachingwithheart

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

As a teacher I'm always interested in others experiences and thoughts. It's good for those new to our profession to see that no one is a perfect teacher right away. It takes times to find your stride and your style.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I think this one is more for those outside of the profession than those who are in it. Some of the information felt cherry picked (for example, I personally KNOW the "lowest" salaries are lower than the ones listed in the book) and/or over-exaggerated. I appreciated Nelson sharing her story as she raises important points that the public needs to understand about the realities teachers are facing in public education today. Thank you for the ARC!

As Prof. In theology, I know what it means to transfer knowledge to students. You are either born for it or not. Teach with your heart or don't do the job. Often, others do not perceive us as important factors in the upbringing, education and formation of students. But we are the ones who are with them most of the time.
The book is dedicated to exactly that.
Congratulations

My mom taught second grade for years and years. I've always admired the work that goes into being in a classroom with students each day. I appreciated Nelson's take on her time as a French teacher and all that went on in her career. She wrote clearly and explained in detail why she did what she did with her students. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I think this is an excellent book for veteran teachers to explore. Five stars.

One woman’s journey from being a journalist to a teacher. This book purports to be about why teaching is important and how to retain teachers but it was definitely more of a memoir. As a teacher, I also found some of the statistics about salaries very skewed. The author seemed to pick ones without giving much context (at least in my arc). For instance, the average salaries given include from all years of teachers, so many are making well below that. Additionally, the lowest starting salary she quoted was way above the lowest actual starting salary. I just also found her attitude toward her students early on condescending. I just ultimately found this book more annoying than insightful.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was hoping this was more geared towards first year teachers but it was heavily geared towards veteran teachers who are thinking about leaving the profession. Had some ok things for first years but not what I was excpecting