Summary Of Letters To A Young Teacher By Jonathan Kozol

Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol, I believe was a good book overall for all readers with just a few small points that I thought needed improvement. When reading this book, I thought Kozol made very strong points about education and being a student going into the teaching field, I believe all young teachers should read this book. Although it was written in letter form to an elementary teacher, the issues and discussions that take place throughout the book apply to all levels of education. Starting with the first few chapters, Kozol points out that teachers have to enjoy their first few years and that they must believe that every student in their class has inherent value to learn. This is a statement that stuck out to me and that
I believe heavily in. In order to be a teacher one must have the passion to want to teach children even when they are struggling or faced with tough situations within the school. Teachers need to be able to not choose favorites and give all the kids equal attention. Although it will take time be successful, patience is a skill that is needed. I also agreed with Kozols chapter on leaning from the old. I love getting advice from teachers who have been in the profession for a long time even though things have changed they have lots of ideas and ways to help when needed just like Kozol was giving to Francesca throughout his letters.
I liked how Kozol even talked about students’ parents and how if they felt so uncomfortable in schools then they tend to be uncooperative. This was an example of something that I never thought about while being a student in the education field. This book made me wonder how to deal with different situations such as bad behaved kids, uncooperative parents, and administers giving demands. My eyes were open to knowing that being a teacher is a lot more then standing in front of a class and teaching information from a textbook. One of the biggest points in the book that stood out to me the most was the school testing’s and how they affect each school. I see this everyday with different high schools even before I graduated. If schools have low test scores their curriculum gets put down, but high performing schools are being congratulated. I believe that the schools are only being taught and stressed about test material because that’s how they get more money which can put more stress on teachers since they are affected by how the students perform. Kozol is a great writer in this book but I believe I would have gotten more if I could have read Francesca’s letters that she wrote to him being as she was the young teacher by seeing the exact problems she was having instead of just his experiences in teaching. Kozol is very liberal in my eyes and so he lends his voice to the poor, minorities, single mothers, the working class and everyone who is trying hard to get by, but finding themselves jammed up against so many obstacles. I have recommend this book to my grandfather who is a retired teacher and my friend who is graduating high school this year and is planning to become a teacher. I believe this book is an eye opener but also has key points that I have not thought about before choosing my major in education. These letters are a good way to start thinking about the political implications of the way we teach, and encourages teachers to be sophisticated political thinkers as well as educators. This book was written for many ages and different audiences such as the school administrators, parents of the students and education majors like me. Kozol did a fantastic job helping outsiders understand issues that are unknown about our school districts and teachers. That being said, I enjoyed the book and found it helpful as I attempt to begin my own career as a teacher.