When Michael Copperman left Stanford University for the Mississippi
Delta in 2002, he imagined he would lift underprivileged children
from the narrow horizons of rural poverty. Well-meaning but naive,
the Asian American from the West Coast soon lost his bearings in a
world divided between black and white. He had no idea how to manage
a classroom or help children navigate the considerable challenges
they faced. In trying to help students, he often found he couldn't
afford to give what they required--sometimes with heartbreaking
consequences. His desperate efforts to save child after child were
misguided but sincere. He offered children the best invitations to
success he could manage. But he still felt like an outsider who was
failing the children and himself. Teach For America has for a
decade been the nation's largest employer of recent college
graduates but has come under increasing criticism in recent years
even as it has grown exponentially. This memoir considers the
distance between the idealism of the organization's creed that
""One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to
attain an excellent education and reach their full potential"" and
what it actually means to teach in America's poorest and most
troubled public schools. Copperman's memoir vividly captures his
disorientation in the divided world of the Delta, even as the
author marvels at the wit and resilience of the children in his
classroom. To them, he is at once an authority figure and a
stranger minority than even they are-a lone Asian, an outsider
among outsiders. His journey is of great relevance to teachers,
administrators, and parents longing for quality education in
America. His frank story shows that the solutions for impoverished
schools are far from simple.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
