Hello! My Name Is Public School, and I Have an Image Problem

This book speaks to a need in our local communities and points out some of the incorrect assumptions about the public school system. I only wish that they did a better job with the research and writing. As I concluded the reading of this book I had a pounding question in my mind which asked, “What sort of publisher would print this book?” That prompted me to look into the iUniverse publishing company. I found that it is a sort of self publishing entity where one can publish whatever they want if they have the money to do so. The reality of it being published in this manner gives validity to my hesitations about the text. My reasoning for hesitation is three fold: one, the book reads much like a blog posting rather than a definitive scholarly composition, two, the claims that are made within the text are not backed by evidence or noted research, three, the scattered grammatical errors show little evidence of proofreading. In a condensed explanation, this book is an opinion piece that the authors hope will act as a call to arms for all members of the education society. While some of the opinions expressed in the writings I have personally agreed with long before exposure to this book, I must come to the conclusion that this publication may hurt the education field rather than support it. With that being said, is there value hidden within the forest of pages that make up this book? There is. One of my favorite parts of the book is Chapter/Step 6 titled “Stop feeding the beast”. In this chapter Milder and Braddock present a quality guideline for faculty self improvement. This chapter is a good article to share with faculty to start the conversation about professionalism in the workplace. One of the reasons that this chapter is so effective is that it is not tossing the blame to an outside entity and is finally stating that in order to expect the public community to have a quality image of us we need to conduct ourselves in a quality way. There are a few other gems in the book as well, such as the anecdote about the conversation with a firefighter. The story led the reader to consider, “what would I do if I didn’t have to go to work?”. This is such a great way to approach teacher validation and inspiration and it is legitimately uplifting and does not seek to undercut someone else in an effort to make one feel better than they are. Another valuable statement in this book happens in chapter/step 4 where the authors are arguing for better implementation of celebration within our schools. The chapter offers a few suggestions for being an advocate for change on your campus and offers ideas that one could easily launch in a school as a new principal. Overall, this book carries with it a good idea in that school faculty should be positive, professional, and caring but it loses ground in its editorial shortcomings and defamation of external entities like news organizations, charter schools, private schools, etc. This book attempts to coach people towards positive behavior but it does so in a negative and demeaning way which invalidates the entire text. I hope that in the future someone else addresses this area in a scholarly manner with cited evidence and minimal personal opinion. On page 56 and 57 the authors state “...that is my opinion, but it is my book after all.” That statement sums up my thoughts about this composition; it is all their opinion and nothing more.

The authors are experienced teachers who make the point that there is more good going on in public schools today than what is seen or read about in the media. As teachers, the writers say public school teachers must become positive advocates of their profession by resisting the temptation to join the chorus of negative naysayers. Instead, Braddock and Milder challenge teachers to look for and then share the good that is occurring in their classrooms, on their campus and in their school district.At first, I thought the tone was a bit Pollyanna-ish, but the authors make a valid point suggesting to the reader/teacher: Why bite the hand that feeds you. Policemen and firemen have a brotherhood and stand together as a community during times of crisis. The authors suggest teachers do the same.Braddock and Milder outline simple, doable steps teachers can take to become politically informed and more effective communicators regarding the issues in education today. I submit that the authors' expectations are not unreasonable and can be implemented into a teacher's daily, professional routine. If positive change is to occur in public education, it starts from within -- one teacher at a time.

Hello My Name Is Public Schools And I Have An Image Problem is exactly the kind of motivating and encouraging book I needed to read right before starting another school year. Not only is it the perfect choice for a new teacher to gain insights not obtained in their education classes, it has wonderful gems and reminders to those of us seasoned classroom teachers and administrators. Practical and hilarious advice awaited you at oh so many turns of the pages or clicks if reading electronically! I intend to pass this book along to new teachers at my school. It was such an easy read and would be a practical and fun book to do as a book study to get an entire staff on board again with being a professional in their public school and advocate in their community. Kudos to the authors for capturing our staff lunchroom conversations and reminding us why we got into this profession to begin with, as well as how to continue doing it with integrity.

This is a great book for all educators and educational leaders to read. It will inspire and give you motivation to go out and be the ch age for your school and kids. Many great points just reiterated. Easy, quick read.

I used this book for grad school. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read.

The authors spend a good deal of time developing their "Public School Ambassador" premise, but I found myself wanting my quantification of their claim that schools are more successful than they have ever been. Decent read that I will paraphrase but not recommend for friends.

This book should be read by every public school teacher and public school parent. The news media seems to always blast public education. But, come on, there are many positve stories coming out of our schools if we would only seek them out. And teachers --- don't be leading the anti-public school cheers. Quit complaining and start beating the drum for public schools. This book will show you how and give you the encouragement to do so.

Positive words for education are needed. What parents need to realize is that it is a team effort! Education is here to stay what are you doing to change the culture?