Can School Get in the Way of Learning?

Student Karen Phan and educator Jennifer Casa-Todd have one thing in common: They believe that all of our students deserve to look back on their time at school and recall positive, student-centered learning experiences. But when Karen reflected on her K-12 schooling, she felt sad. She remembered her creativity being stifled. And when Jennifer reflected on Karen's words, she was inspired to try something new.

Hopes for School offers an exciting dialogue between this theoretically unlikely pair: a disillusioned student and a dedicated educator. In honest and incisive prose, Karen Phan shares the ways that her early enthusiasm for learning died out as the rote practices of "schooling," from homework to grades to an emphasis on perfectionism, took over. She discusses the ways her education has failed her while sharing the beacons of hope she's discovered along the way. In response, Jennifer Casa-Todd speaks "from the teacher's desk," offering a working educator's real-world response to Phan's critique, drawing on the lessons she's learned over the years about bringing true learning back into the classroom, as well as citing other educators working to transform education as we know it.

Every single member of our society has a stake in the well-being of our youth, but students are arguably the most important stakeholders. It's their education, after all, and it's urgent for us to understand their hopes.

Endorsements

"Hopes for School is a powerful call to action. It challenges educators to rethink their practices, to listen to their students, and to create learning environments that are both engaging and empowering."-Luis Fernando Pertuz Escribano, data analysis and Management, Marymount School, Barranquilla, Colombia

"Hopes for School is powerfully written, honest, and real. Everything you would hope for in a professional book in education."-Carly Spina, multilingual education specialist, Illinois Resource Center