Teacher at Point Blank

Literary Nonfiction. Education Studies. Memoir. Why would a high school teacher who loves teaching leave school--after half a career in the classroom? TEACHER AT POINT BLANK answers this question at a time when concerns about school performance, safety, and teacher attrition are at an all-time and often anxious high. Meditating on subtle and overt forms of violence in secondary public education from an up-close and pink collar point of view, Jo Scott-Coe defies clichés and cultural fantasies about teachers. She examines her own workplace as a microcosm of the national compulsory K--12 system, where teachers--now nearly 80 percent women--find themselves idealized and disparaged, expected to embody the dedication of parents, the coldness of data managers, and the obedience of Stepford spouses. In this groundbreaking memoir in essays, Scott-Coe recounts her own journey to recover a sane and independent voice. TEACHER AT POINT BLANK fuses her perspectives as teacher and former student, adult and child, educator and writer.