The Teachers by Alexandra Robbins

THE TEACHERS by Alexandra Robbins (The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, Overachievers, Nurses and more) is subtitled “A Year Inside America's Most Vulnerable, Important Profession.”  Robbins, an award-winning investigative reporter, relates many stories from educators but returns throughout the school year primarily to three teachers: Penny, a southern middle school math teacher; Miguel, a special education teacher in the Western United States; and Rebecca, an East Coast elementary school teacher. Clearly, they all are devoted to helping their students, but also struggle to deal with the dynamics within their school, the larger community, and their personal lives. Robbins shares events in a chronological manner, with each chapter associated with a particular month. One section that stood out, though, comes in December when she writes about “‘Safe Harbor’: the Most Underestimated Teacher in the Building,” an entire section on school librarians. Robbins highlights the importance of having a full-time qualified school librarian (sadly, not the case in nearly forty percent of public and independent K-12 schools) and stresses that “for more than 30 years, impact studies have linked strong school library programs and student achievement.” THE TEACHERS received starred reviews from Kirkus (“An important and eye-opening book”) and Publishers Weekly (“deeply researched and impressive study”). School board members (and parents!) across the country should read this for a better understanding (albeit filtered through Robbins’ interviews with hundreds of teachers and her experience as a substitute teacher for a year) of what professional educators face every day. The balance between the rewards of truly helping students and the increasingly arrogant demands from parents and inflated bureaucracies is shifting. Teachers deserve recognition and respect, allowing them to pour more energy into better student outcomes. The alternative will be fewer applicants, even greater attrition, and a decline in professionalism. Read, question, and then reach out to boost morale and bring more joy to classrooms.