English Teaching: Practice and Critique
Drinking to educate: The frustrations, expectations, misconceptions and successes of secondary teaching in New York City
Volume 3 Number 3 December 2004
Starr Sackstein (Far Rockaway High School, New York)
This narrative recounts the experiences of a new
teacher attempting to implement the America’s Choice Ramp-up literacy
program in a culturally diverse, New York high school. It argues that
this program can fragment teaching and detract from student learning.
It further argues that the program can undermine teacher morale and
professional judgement.