Major changes on what we teach kids are taking place: from white privilege, to subliminal racism; from gender studies in the first grade, to the decimation of biological sciences in high school; from the reordering of American history, to the rethinking of American core social, cultural, and political values; from the compulsory study of social justice principles, to the dismissal of free speech, the nuclear family, and American sovereignty-as outdated, outmoded, and out of touch. This book delves into what is being taught in schools today and why.

The problems in our nation's schools, and the cures for those problems, have been mired in confusion, innuendo, and deception. It is time someone separated the truths about our schools from the lies. Now retired from education, and finally free to speak up, veteran high school teacher Bruce J. Gevirtzman reveals his shocking ideas for fixing our public schools. Providing an in-depth analysis of the causes of problems in our schools, Gevirtzman uncovers information that most of our leaders and many of our educators don't want you to know about, and here he tells all. What's more, he proposes a number of suggestions supported by both empirical and academic research to solve these problems, even though many educators and politicians continue to be ignorant of their potential. Sometimes disconcerting, often funny, and always enlightening, Audacious Cures for America's Ailing Schools takes us on a journey to education reform that works.

For decades, teachers, though underpaid, were among the most respected, esteemed professionals in the United States. But things have changed. As schools fail to meet the needs of a growing, diverse population, teachers have taken the hit. Popular movies have sensationalized the power and potential of those in the teaching profession, their hyperbole bordering on the absurd. Bruce Jay Gevirtzman hands you the truth about conditions in America's schools. His defense of teachers may be shocking, but could awaken us to solutions that really work.

In a no-holds-barred, candid delivery, Straight Talk to Teachers: Twenty Insane Ideas for a Better Classroom drives directly to the core of what makes an extraordinary teacher, and presents an honest appraisal of why some teachers fail. Bruce J. Gevirtzman speaks to teachers, about teachers, and for teachers. He says, "This book will provide readers with a hearty laugh-but it also may cause some of them to scream. Rarely does anyone talk about the best ways of helping teachers to become better, because these truths are sometimes scary." Gevirtzman is convinced that our greatest teachers are hard working, emotionally well adjusted, and incredibly enthusiastic-about their students, their subject matter, and their jobs. By telling it straight, this book can make a huge difference in the way teachers go about their work.

For decades, teachers, though underpaid, were among the most respected, esteemed professionals in the United States. But things have changed. As schools fail to meet the needs of a growing, diverse population, teachers have taken the hit. Popular movies have sensationalized the power and potential of those in the teaching profession, their hyperbole bordering on the absurd. Bruce Jay Gevirtzman hands you the truth about conditions in America's schools. His defense of teachers may be shocking, but could awaken us to solutions that really work.

In a no-holds-barred, candid delivery, Straight Talk to Teachers: Twenty Insane Ideas for a Better Classroom drives directly to the core of what makes an extraordinary teacher, and presents an honest appraisal of why some teachers fail. Bruce J. Gevirtzman speaks to teachers, about teachers, and for teachers. He says, 'This book will provide readers with a hearty laugh-but it also may cause some of them to scream. Rarely does anyone talk about the best ways of helping teachers to become better, because these truths are sometimes scary.' Gevirtzman is convinced that our greatest teachers are hard working, emotionally well adjusted, and incredibly enthusiastic-about their students, their subject matter, and their jobs. By telling it straight, this book can make a huge difference in the way teachers go about their work.

Alicia is so obsessed with being popular, she does things that would shock her parents, if they knew. Hector is aware the gang that wants him to join may be the death of him, but he will not decline. Sam was a baseball star, but can't play the sport he loves anymore because he is wracked from football injuries, a sport his father will not let him quit. They are just a few of the teenagers that readers will meet, in this candid book authored by a 34-year veteran high school teacher. Voted Teacher of the Year and Coach of the Year, Bruce Gevirtzman shares with us the results of his years spent talking with teenagers about topics from life and lust to depression and death. Revealing honest, poignant words shared in conversations, classroom talk, interviews, surveys, and journals, Gevirtzman takes us inside the minds of today's youths, and also contrasts them with teenagers of decades past. Topics include teen thinking and secrets on issues from sex, drinking, and drugs to peer pressure, self-imposed standards, and beliefs about what is important, and painful, in life.

Including interviews with fellow teachers, Gevirtzman's book is threaded with one recurring truth: Sadly, instead of parents and teachers and lawmakers and the public looking out for our kids, today's kids are largely left to fend for themselves, he concludes. Not only will general readers and educators find great insight in this work, it will be of interest to students and scholars of adolescent psychology, clinical psychology, and social work.