'A Disgrace to the Profession' Earns an A+

'A Disgrace to the Profession' Earns an A+
There's sex, violence, blackmail, revenge, a blizzard, lawsuits, lots of humor, and the sweet beginnings and bitter complications of a romance--

Free Press, Corning IA - June 26, 2003 -- Looking for a not-tonight-honey-I-have-a-good-book book? If so, read 'A Disgrace to the Profession.' Co-authors Charles Newton and Gretchen Kauffman, retired Iowa teachers, combine nearly 60 years of teaching experience in Des Moines' Lincoln High School. Their book is fiction, or so they claim--with remarkably straight faces, I'd imagine.

"Some of the characters, places, and incidents are based on experiences, but all have been disguised and embellished. Any resemblance to a specific faculty or school system is purely the result of the state of education across America today."

This book astounded me. Nearly everything in it I had either experienced or know teachers who have.

Plot centers on two teachers in a Des Moines high school, publishing an underground newsletter for district teachers, enabling them to safely air issures continuously eroding their daily efforts to productively teach students. Soon written articles and subscription requests flood in from teachers all over the country.

They quickly realize their probelms are not unique, and they've inintentionally opened a can of worms called the American education system. School administration is not pleased.

'Disgrace' offers even more than a good book has to--I give it an A+. There's sex, violence, blackmail, revenge, a blizzard, lawsuits, lots of humor, and the sweet beginnings and bitter complications of a romance that would alone make a good book.

Lively, concise writing also depicts a small cast of memorable and sometimes eerily familiar characters.

Teachers most of all will identify with this novel. The authors grab a host of education issues by the throat and slap them around quite a bit, something I found to be great fun and deliciously cathartic...."

CONTACT:
Pam England