Who's in Charge?: A Teacher Speaks Her Mind - Softcover

Why teachers are so secretive, even protective, about the conditions in which they work is top on veteran teacher Susan Ohanian's list of concerns. There is nothing secretive about Ohanian. This collection of her writings, many of which were gleaned from leading publications such as Phi Delta Kappan and USA Today, attests to that. If you ask for permission to speak up, she says, you are doomed. But if you write about your classroom-about the texts and traditions, about the administrators who annoy you and the texts that block you, your public words will provide a protective shield. Based on Ohanian's twenty years as classroom teacher, consultant, journalist, and observer of the education scene in the U.S., the essays will anger, confirm, delight, and inspire.

Just about any teacher, regardless of grade level, will find familiar the scenarios, contretemps, ironies, and kids Ohanian details.