Teaching in the Cracks

Book excerpt: This engaging book shows how teachers and schools are creating emergent, democratic, progressive education amidst the current context of high stakes accountability. In this follow-up to his bestseller, Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way, Schultz explores how today’s rhetoric and restrictive mandates result in curriculum that fails to capture the attention of students. For meaningful learning that develops transferable skills and engages students, teachers and sometimes whole schools need to find spaces to “teach in the cracks” so that students can connect with issues relevant to their lives. Teaching in the Cracks provides both a theoretical and practical foundation for incorporating an action-focused curriculum that meets academic standards and provides students with opportunities for agency and to use their voices in their own learning. “Through compelling examples, Brian Schultz shares how educators can help students use their powers.” —From the Foreword by Deborah Meier, teacher, principal, and advocate “This book is an invitation to rethink teaching from top to bottom, to dive into classroom life as a passionate adventure in discovery and surprise.” —From the Afterword by William Ayers, education activist “For teachers who genuinely seek to make a difference through their work, this book will be a helpful resource.” —Pedro A. Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles