Life Lessons from Working with Great Teachers

Borrowing from the successes of 57 educators, Ackerly relates lessons on building better schools, beyond quick fixes such as changing the curriculum and adding new programs. In a culture where children are taught to value individualism, schools are often run with a more authoritarian structure, which, the author believes, sets up children for failure. He posits that an educator’s best strategy is to develop close relationships with students through such techniques as making conflict creative and leading students to altruism; and that the key to a successful community of learners—and the key to fostering happy lives as children grow into adults—is in building an environment based in love.