Description

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Be Honest is the newest innovative publishing project from 826 National, the tutoring center founded by bestselling author Dave Eggers, now with branches in eight cities nationwide. Eggers's co-founder N nive Calegari, the former CEO of 826 National and a co-author of the bestselling Teachers Have It Easy, presents a riveting book full of surprising insights from young people who have a lot to say to their teachers.

Be Honest presents the first-person stories of dozens of high school students from every ethnic group and financial bracket: a girl from an immigrant family is put in an ESL class even though her English is fluent; an African American boy talks about the social pressures that prevent him from asking his teacher for help; and a privileged private school student describes his transition to public school--and reports that he was able to learn more with the increased freedom it brought.

Through these personal narratives, teachers and activists will learn an invaluable lesson: what the classroom looks like from the other side of the desk.

Praise For…

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Insightful observations and useful ideas abound in these writings by participants in 826 National, a nonprofit San Franciscobased tutoring program focused on writing. In these "Letters to Teachers," edited by Nínive Calegari, the program's cofounder (along with Dave Eggers), the writers address specific "teachers who had an impact on their lives." All the writers are teenagers, and the essays focus on a wide range of subjects: the section "Vignettes Inspired by Sherman Alexie" recalls events from primary through high school. Another section addresses a phrase from James Baldwin, "prepared to 'go for broke,' as a starting point and assesses the state of American education. One student writes: "I have witnessed the dismantling of the California public education system, one budget cut at a time." Another group of essays explores how schools would look if the students ran them: cleaner bathrooms and working water fountains, more innovative use of space, and a rethinking of metal detectors. The collection is fresh and as informing as much research-oriented work. In pithy, pertinent, and affecting writings, the students advise administrators to make "sure good teachers [are] running all of the classes," and urge teachers to "raise their expectations of all students so that precious potential will not be lost."
—Publishers Weekly