Teacher strikes are a weekly occurrence. Teachers are demanding improved worksite conditions, more supplies, more money and more support from the administration. Some veteran teachers have thrown up their hands in bitter defeat and retired early or quit. New teachers are questioning why they got into the business of education. Each day brings new challenges to the classroom. Teacher morale has fallen and the culture in schools has become toxic. How did we get here and what can be done to change the nature of today’s classrooms?

This book exposes the underbelly of the culture in today’s classroom and offers practical solutions. Some solutions are new and innovative, while others are “tried and true” but have been shunned into the shadows by school boards and state legislators caving to the whims of politicians, parents, and students. This book challenges administrators to “take back” their schools and operate them with civility, structure, management and with the understanding that they serve the teachers – not the other way around. Today’s students bring difficult issues to the instructional environment, but teachers can brilliantly face and overcome the challenges if they are not burdened by the administration with an extensive number of testing programs, committees, meetings, as well as bombarding emails and issues from parents. It is time to “rescue the teachers” by supporting and nurturing them as they bring their knowledge to our children. It is time to return respect to the teaching profession and thereby recognize the important role that teachers play in a child’s life.

In his writings, Dr. David Pizarro brings 42 years of professional educational experience to the forefront as he focuses on creating quality instructional programs for children. After obtaining his educational doctorate, he served at several universities as a teacher, grant writer, and consultant to the local public schools. During his collegiate tenure, he was recognized for his literary contributions to numerous professional educational magazines. Dr. Pizarro then invested twenty-five years as a school administrator in the state of Florida. His service to the profession was never doubted by those teachers in his care, who came to know him as “Dr. P.”