Confessions of a Bad Teacher

Confessions of a Bad Teacher by John Owens, 244 pages

I picked up this nonfiction book purely on a whim. I was expecting it to be sort stories about teachers getting back at students or embarrassing them in class, that kind of stuff. Being the bad teacher by not setting the proper example. But what I got was a detailed break down of what is wrong with the US school system.

All of the information provided is based of Mr. Owens actual observations in the short time that he was a teacher before he was forced out for not being efficient enough. he tries to bring to light all of the issues that teachers face when trying to teach.

While the problems ranged from not enough funding for special needs students to general corruption at nearly all levels of administration I cannot say that it was an eye opener. Anyone that has paid attention to the news the last 5 years or so have seen stories about various school districts fudging grades, attendance, or something else to get more funding or recognition.

What we don't see with those news stories or even with this book are ways to fix this system besides tearing everything down and starting over.

Despite not being what I expected I stuck with the book. I cannot say if I did it only to complete it or if I actually got something from it. I will say that this is probably the best format I have seen this sort of data present in. Instead of it being presented as hard facts in a stern lecture or thesis, everything is presented through a story that carries you through the book.