Friday, July 8, 2011

Book Review: Class Struggle by Steven Verrier

Gain insight into America's public school system and the obstacles educators face day-to-day with Class Struggle by Steven Verrier.

Class Struggle journals Verrier's third year at San Antonio's Webster High School (name changed): the few goods, the numerous bads, and the tons of uglies. With a school board and administration seemingly in fear of disgruntled parents and manipulative students, Verrier's account shows how teachers have become the scapegoats for failures in the system.

Like No Teachers Left Behind, which we also reviewed, the author shares his experiences with the general public. For someone like me, who is in her children's schools on a regular basis, I doubt anything in this book will shock you. Rampant teenage pregnancy, billigerant parents, creativity stiffled in favor of mandated standardized curriculum, and arbitrary rules handed down from unsympathetic administrators, plague America's public school system in this account.

For those on the outside of it, Class Struggle might be downright scary. Thinking how much things have changed even since my son attended school in the 90's and early 2000's could make your hair curl.

What I find interesting about Class Struggle, and No Teachers Left Behind before it, is that no solutions are ever presented. Perhaps that's because by the time the authors get to penning their tales, they've been part of a broken system so long they don't see any way to fix it. I still admire their passion and desire to bring these issues to light. I once wanted to be a teacher. I could never handle what today's educators are forced to cope with.


Title:  Class Struggle: Journal of A Teacher in Up to His Ears
Author:  Steven Verrier
Publisher: Global Authors Publishers
ISBN-10: 0982122365
ISBN-13: 978-0982122365
SRP:  $15.99


I received a copy of this book from the author and Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation to provide this review.

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