Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?

Teaching Lessons from the Bronx

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Education & Teaching, Educational Theory, Multicultural Education, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Discrimination & Race Relations, Biography & Memoir, Reference
Cover of the book Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens? by Ilana Garon, Skyhorse
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ilana Garon ISBN: 9781628735765
Publisher: Skyhorse Publication: September 1, 2013
Imprint: Skyhorse Language: English
Author: Ilana Garon
ISBN: 9781628735765
Publisher: Skyhorse
Publication: September 1, 2013
Imprint: Skyhorse
Language: English

According to Ilana Garon, popular books and movies are inundated with the myth of the “hero teacher”—the one who charges headfirst into dysfunctional inner city schools like a firefighter into an inferno, bringing the student victims to safety through a combination of charisma and innate righteousness. The students are then “saved” by the teacher’s idealism, empathy, and willingness to put faith in kids who have been given up on by society as a whole.“Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?” is not that type of book.
In this book, Garon reveals the sometimes humorous, oftentimes frustrating, and occasionally horrifying truths that accompany the experience of teaching at a public high school in the Bronx today. The overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, and abundance of mice, cockroaches, and drugs weren’t the only challenges Garon faced during her first four years as a teacher. Every day, she’d interact with students such as Kayron, Carlos, Felicia, Jonah, Elizabeth, and Tonya—students dealing with real-life addictions, miscarriages, stints in “juvie,” abusive relationships, turf wars, and gang violence. These students also brought with them big dreams and uncommon insight—and challenged everything Garon thought she knew about education.
In response, Garon—a naive, suburban girl with a curly ponytail, freckles, and Harry Potter glasses—opened her eyes, rolled up her sleeves, and learned to distinguish between mitigated failure and qualified success. In this book, Garon explains how she learned that being a new teacher was about trial by fire, making mistakes, learning from the very students she was teaching, and occasionally admitting that she may not have answers to their thought-provoking (and amusing) questions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

According to Ilana Garon, popular books and movies are inundated with the myth of the “hero teacher”—the one who charges headfirst into dysfunctional inner city schools like a firefighter into an inferno, bringing the student victims to safety through a combination of charisma and innate righteousness. The students are then “saved” by the teacher’s idealism, empathy, and willingness to put faith in kids who have been given up on by society as a whole.“Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?” is not that type of book.
In this book, Garon reveals the sometimes humorous, oftentimes frustrating, and occasionally horrifying truths that accompany the experience of teaching at a public high school in the Bronx today. The overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, and abundance of mice, cockroaches, and drugs weren’t the only challenges Garon faced during her first four years as a teacher. Every day, she’d interact with students such as Kayron, Carlos, Felicia, Jonah, Elizabeth, and Tonya—students dealing with real-life addictions, miscarriages, stints in “juvie,” abusive relationships, turf wars, and gang violence. These students also brought with them big dreams and uncommon insight—and challenged everything Garon thought she knew about education.
In response, Garon—a naive, suburban girl with a curly ponytail, freckles, and Harry Potter glasses—opened her eyes, rolled up her sleeves, and learned to distinguish between mitigated failure and qualified success. In this book, Garon explains how she learned that being a new teacher was about trial by fire, making mistakes, learning from the very students she was teaching, and occasionally admitting that she may not have answers to their thought-provoking (and amusing) questions.

More books from Skyhorse

Cover of the book Bernie Sanders by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The Inner Runner by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Agamemnon's Daughter by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Adventures with Indians and Game by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The House of Medici: Inheritance of Power by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Mindfulness for PMS, Hangovers, and Other Real-World Situations by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The War Conspiracy by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The Wilderness Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The Brick Bible by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Country Style by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Reboot Your Brain by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Shooting Times Guide to Accuracy by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Weeding Without Chemicals by Ilana Garon
Cover of the book Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters by Ilana Garon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy