Teacher's Turn: Speaking Out

Book: Teacher's Turn: Speaking Out
By: Katrina Leon


TEACHER'S TURN: SPEAKING OUT is a book that was published by an online publication source, Xlibris, by Katrina Leon ─a teacher in the state of California who has 14 years of teaching experience, and has insightful reasoning in how to improve the national public education sphere. Ultimately, Teacher's Turn is a social commentary that proves to have more sense than the leaders of our nation's educational system.

Plot/Summary: Teacher's Turn is a commentary on the qualifications of teachers and those who make it into the teaching administration, commenting on what should be qualifications to be in a position above teachers, such as having ACTUAL teaching experience to understand what really goes on in the classroom before certain programs are implemented.

Katrina Leon makes great points in how the teaching system should be run as a business because it leaves room for innovation and problem solving, instead of the stagnant long processes that the public schooling system is stuck in, leaving the schooling system to be reactive, not proactive.


Review: I liked Teacher's Turn because the writer has legitimate experience in the field she's critiquing and has viable solutions that are often overlooked in the schooling system.

She questions a lot of ineffective methods in the public schooling system and lists possible legitimate alternatives, while also leaving questions for discussion at the end of each section. She comments on education funding, school lunches, politics and education, illegal immigration, and how it isn't a teacher's job to babysit, but to motivate and teach children; that if issues in schooling were addressed head on (proactive), students wouldn't have to suffer for a districts decision to act two or three years too late in decisions (reactive).

Author's Writing Technique: Katrina Leon separates her critique of the educational system by specific chapters of how education relates to to teachers, parents, government, etc. She gives a lot of information, but doesn't go too in depth in what she says. I like that it doesn't go too in depth because the end of each section has questions for the reader to critically think and form his/her own opinion on the topic, and she lists the resources to further research the information.

Writer's Tip: Honestly, the reason why Katrina Leon's book is effective is because she's passionate and highly informed on the issue she addresses. Think of any passion that you have a high knowledge and interest in. Are there flaws in it? Do you think it could be better, managed differently? Go ahead and write down everything you know about it, and you already have a great start!

Teacher's Turn: Speaking Out can be found at http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=66771 and Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.