The custodian of a public school is the unseen fly on the wall, the inside observer, and the unexpected philosopher about all that goes on within our troubled school system. A lifetime of experience inside public school as both a student and a worker is compiled into this fascinating read that is half memoir and half social commentary-and wholly unique.
Personal stories cover everything from demanding teachers, unreal messes, and daily frustrations of this overlooked occupation to higher-level musings on the American public school system itself. Lessons can be pulled from each moment-if one is willing to adopt a different perspective.
Outside the neat pages of textbooks, a whole new way of looking at the world awaits. But every day, students and teachers continue their routines without seeing life's most interesting details or issues. They stop being fascinated by a fish's ability to breathe underwater, never wonder where the pounds of trash collected every day end up, and don't have time to truly learn due to limiting state mandates. For many students, the system is simply failing.
This straight-shooting, humorous analysis doesn't shy away from asking hard questions or exposing day-to-day vexations. The stakes are high-the outcome involves our children's futures.