It Simply Must Be Said: A View of American Public Education from the Trenches of Teaching

As the need for educational reform has moved to the top of President Obama's domestic agenda, the state of American Public Education is currently at the forefront of public discourse. However, despite many years of national, state and local legislative mandates and school reform initiatives, remarkably few substantive changes have occurred within the standard school classroom. Classes of 25 students, sitting in rows, at desks, in rooms that are often too small, under the direction of an individual teacher, continues to be the norm. The time for an honest re-examination of failed "outside-in/top down" educational reform policies is beyond urgent. We must shift our focus to the requisites of those who do the actual educating: Teachers! In "It Simply Must Be Said", Hank Warren focuses on the myriad concerns facing education from the perspective of an active public school teacher via a collection of observations, experiences, stories and recommendations from 34 years in teaching. Throughout the book Hank approaches the very serious issues impacting education with humor and relevant "tales" of actual events and occurrences. The individuals both within and outside of education who "previewed" the pre-publication manuscript, found it to be extremely relevant, insightful and highly entertaining.