It Won't Be Easy: An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching Kindle Edition

I am now in the throes of one of the worst book hangovers I have ever had. You know the ones: you are profoundly moved-touched-rocked to your core-convicted by what you have read that you are exhausted and weeping when you finish the last page. You sit in the quiet and think about the way you can't un-see certain things now, and how much of yourself needs to change to truly become the kind of teacher your kids deserve.Thank you Tom Rademacher, for opening my eyes to things I hadn't considered before, or hadn't seen before -- but will never again be able to ignore about myself or my classroom.When I get over my book hangover and finish my cathartic cry, I will read it again. And again. And again until the pages are dog-eared and I have run out of tissues and I will have taken one step closer to being the teacher that my kids need.Amy Hysick2017 NY State Teacher of the Year

Disclosure: I know Tom. I supervised his student teaching, and then researched his classroom later on. Still, believe me when I say that current and future teachers will get much out of this book. His voice is funny and true. He reminds us what the heart of this profession is, always: the students. He also provides other important insights and guidance, like how to get along with the other adults in education. Perhaps my favorite part of the book is how Tom shows all of the things wrong with school, the ways it fails kids and the ways it is unfair and the ways it needs to be changed. And at the same time he shows how you might make peace as a teacher in such a system: working to change it, of course, in solidarity with students, and reflecting constantly, and taking care of yourself. I recommend the book highly.

I'm a first-year teacher and if you don't read the rest of this review just know:1. This is the first product I've felt compelled to write a review on.2. I belly laughed and cried in public while reading this book.3. I hear Tom's little aphorisms in my head daily while teaching.4. If you know a first-year teacher, have a new teacher coming into your department, this is the perfect gift.5. I got one book for myself and bought another after reading to send around to the group of English teachers I graduated with.Okay. The first couple pages Tom states that this book is not meant to be read at once, rather, in parts throughout the course of a school year. I felt a little guilty when I read the whole thing in a couple days over the summer, but I couldn't stop. Now I'm reading it again through my first year. I'm a devout Christian and it is no exaggeration when I say I read and reference this book almost more often than I do the Bible (sorry Jesus).My first year hasn't been easy (Christ, what a terrible pun), but this book has helped me keep a grasp on the important things and helped me digest the parts of this career that no one could prepare me for.~ALL~ teachers should read this.

Just finished reading this book -- I purchased it after reading some excerpts published in an article that drifted around onto the social media pages of several educator friends. It's a great book. So great, in fact, that I've already convinced at least 3 other people to get their own copies -- I'm happy to lend mine out, but it's already marked up by my highlighter and I expect that many of my teacher friends will want to do the same to theirs.First of all, Rademacher's writing is authentic and funny. Especially if you work in an urban school, his stories will speak directly to you and your experience. He also challenges educators with some tough questions about the right way to run our classrooms. The fact that he (mostly) leads with questions, followed by stories, followed by a few maybe-tentative-answers means that the book allows the reader to do a large degree of self-reflection about their own classroom. For the most part, it rarely feels preachy about "the right" way to do things for our kids.I also appreciate that Rademacher is pretty open about the fact that yes, he is yet another white male writing a book about education. He owns that. He openly talks about race and his role in an oppressive, systemically racist system -- again, while relying mostly on stories and questions, rather than answers. I do think this is an especially important book for white educators to read, but could absolutely see how some teachers of color might be turned off by hearing another white guy tell them what it's like to be a teacher. All in all, I think the book works because it stays genuinely rooted in Rademacher's experience, rather than trying to speak some universal mantra of what it's like for all teachers everywhere.I read this book at the end of the school year and it was perfect timing as I look forward to planning for next year, but I think it would also make great summer reading, beginning-of-year reading, or mid-year reading. Honestly, is there every a wrong time to think critically about why you became a teacher and how we can do the best job for all of our kids?

A must read for pre-service and seasoned teachers. This book is the first painfully honest, but poignantly beautiful book about life as a teacher. Funny, sappy, and informative. My only complaint as a current adjunct education professor and assistant principal in a local secondary school is there is way too much profanity. I am not a prude by any means, but the level and frequency of profanity makes me doubt whether I should recommend it to graduate students and colleagues who only know me professionally. I think an edited version would make it on the list of required texts for a number of college level education classes.

100% real. No sugar coating or diet flavor. This is straight bacon for teachers.This should be required reading for anyone who wants to be a teacher, thinks they know what it means to be a teacher, EVER has to make a decision about teachers and schools (aka politicians), or any current teacher who is wondering what the __ they are doing. Do it. The author is credible and real- no bull.

A great Grad die ans teacher