Larry Paros

A marvellous and stirring book about a veteran teacher's lovely gift for rising up and overcoming obstacles, refusing to be beaten down... How he transcended the autocratic ethos and the juggernaut of punitive instruction that's been foisted on us in the name of education. Teachers and parents — indeed, all of us who care about our children, and sometimes feel defeated by the meanness and the hard-nosed opposition that we face — will find in this irreverent book the energy to charge our batteries again.
Thank you, Larry Paros!

Larry Paros breathes the air of opposition rather than accommodation; he finds the romance, the interest, and the challenge of life in dissent against the status quo at a time when the power of injustice is so unfairly weighted against the marginalized and the down-trodden.

Larry's story needs to be read and reread for us to grasp the nature of the schools we need — schools where trust is earned and where everything, including the classics can be used to open up a deeper understanding of racism, sexism and classism. As he reminds us, such settings are also places of joy, forging powerful relationships across the ages — leading to long-term networks of value throughout our lives.

A magnificently written book that lays bare the sacrifices, anguish, pain and obscene inequalities one must face and overcome to not just teach but to re-imagine, redefine and demonstrate what's possible in America's urban schools. To create great schools, Larry Paros would not compromise, nor excuse, nor accept anything less for his students than the absolute best that he could imagine. In so doing, he won the respect of his opponents, the admiration of his peers, and the love of his students.

Just as the author attempted to transform education to meet the societal problems of previous decades, his experiences now stand as a guide to the visionaries who must again renew American schools to contend with the challenges of the modern age.