Saving Starfish: A Teacher's Tale

Saving Starfish: A Teacher’s Tale is a collection of Dina Linkenhoker's experiences teaching in suburban Northern California and the buckle of the Bible belt in rural Virginia. Included are memorable exchanges with unforgettable kids, outrageous faculty members, and passionate parents. Other notable moments include narrowly averting a school shooting, a questionable toy being brought in for show-and-tell, and a field trip to a funeral home. Linkenhoker shares encounters with supportive parents in real life and enemies of public education on social media. She recounts her experiences with local legislators and community members who either used their power to support students, or engaged in Machiavellian tactics to defund public education.
Linkenhoker debunks the notion that teachers are one-dimensional characters. Tales of her life in the classroom are interspersed with several vignettes from her personal life. Her adventures conclude with earning her doctorate and transitioning to teaching for one of the top online teachers colleges in the country. Additional chapters discuss cogent issues facing educators such as being sick, broke, and under fire by parents and the public.
The target audience for this book includes educators, parents, and anyone who would appreciate the personal journey of a teacher and an inside look into the real world of public education.