After five years as an educator in Los Angeles County, A.J. Kaufman left teaching and moved out of California, eventually settling in the Midwest. Following a year of traveling, working and doing research, this book as well as another emerged. Toward the end of his time as an educator, the young teacher began writing educational reform commentaries, often with a former colleague. Being continually blackballed and shunned at meetings, having to endure looks of incredulity and a lack of respect from co-workers suddenly became Mr. Kaufman's life as a teacher. Tolerance and open-minded did not exist...
Click here to read reviews of Reclamation.
Some review excerpts:
"Amidst all of the chaotic developments that have plagued our country since the new millennium, the progressive deterioration of the public school system in this country has flown relatively under the radar despite its potentially catastrophic consequences. In a relatively short amount of space, Kaufman takes you into the heart of this issue, explains some of its most basic and fundamental problems, and even goes as far as to propose realistic and productive ways of combating these problems. "
"Teachers who read this book will fall into one of two camps. The majority of them will be infuriated at having their worldview challenged. Those teachers are likely to vilify Kaufman for his positions, chalking it up to political bias, as his fellow teachers in Los Angeles did after he and a coworker wrote an op-ed piece promoting a merit pay proposal. However, there will be others who have spent time in the trenches and who have seen the biases, laziness, and self-centeredness of a large proportion of their fellow teachers and wish for something better - if not for them professionally, at least for the children who are a third, fourth or even fifth priority. Those teachers, even if they do not ultimately agree with Kaufman's prescriptions, will recognize a kindred sense of moral outrage and will appreciate Kaufman's attempt to steer a new course for public education."
"The reason this book works is because Mr. Kaufman knows of what he speaks. He's not some intellectual at a think tank writing in dry prose about policy. He's been in the trenches and he knows from his own experiences as a teacher in the inner city what works and what doesn't. What works? Rewarding teachers for doing good work--not for their failures. Inserting competition into what is now a government monopoly. Improving the poor home environments of so many children. Reigning in the power of the teachers unions."
"For pulling back the curtain WHEN he did, A.J. Kaufman deserves a lot of credit. The easy, self-preserving path would have been to button his lip, work hard for two years, get tenured, then start to writing these opinions of how California's educational system needed change. But rather than hypocritically accepting what he saw around him, he spoke up. That takes real courage."
"One of Kaufman's strengths is his use of narrative to underscore what he sees as the major problems with modern public education. It's one thing to cite statistics and draw conclusions based on those statistics. It's quite another to see how those statistics came into being. Without getting too technical, Kaufman gives us the insight that only a teacher could provide in a debate on public education, and he does so with a light, yet serious tone. It's this tone that helps to make the book a quick and enjoyable read."
"It is not often that a literary work delves into the education monopoly in a fair and open manner; but, Air Kaufman in “Reclamation” does just that. An insider’s personal experiences as a teacher in a union-controlled environment provides a new look into what has become a teacher’s industry instead of a children’s learning experience."
"There is an element of Kaufman's narrative that may work to discourage potential young teachers from entering the profession. If so, that would be tragic, although Kaufman's experience led him to make the same decision. Nonetheless, teachers-to-be owe it to themselves to read this account and to enter into their chosen profession with their eyes open. Kaufman has a true gift for the use of anecdotes to illustrate his point. It is through the retelling of these stories that Kaufman is at his strongest. "
"It's evident that Mr. Kaufman's love of teaching and loathe of the current system demanded that he write this book in an attempt to correct what he sees as insurmountable problems which have been both tampered with and obstructed by unions thus not allowing teachers to work up to their potentials...this book is written to show the love and hope for a system on the verge of collapse and infestation, spreading to schools nationwide. This is a disturbing and fascinating take from an insider with a desire to properly prepare children for their independent walk into a world where the only support they have is what they've learned at home and in school. He doesn't just talk, rather he extends his soul..."
"Mr. Kaufman's accounts of things such as imparting political philosophy towards primary school classes, and the power of teachers unions to block initiatives that help students in order to protect their own interests; they are clear, concise, and very intriging to read. Through strong, mostly first-person accounts, Kaufman "opens the book", so to speak, on some of the corrupting influences that are affecting the public education process in today's society. The content in the book forces the reader to engage and think about what kind of role, if any, they can play in a process that does seem very important to our country's future."
"Kaufman uses the pages to point out specific issues with corresponding solutions. He puts his money where his mouth is by starting with actual letters to various editors that were published during his teaching days that highlight these problems, then dissects the issue using examples and offers for the most part sensible solutions. For example, it is maddening to read about items such as merit pay, an idea that not only makes sense but is standard practice in corporate America, that cannot see the light of day because the union wants to protect its members."
"Mr. Kaufman makes a great many strong, valid points, and the anecdotal material is very valuable. It is clear to the reader that he loved teaching, cared deeply about the children and about the profession, and was wounded by the inscrutable and indefatigable public school system, a dinosaur which refuses to die out. Any means of raising awareness about occurrences like this and the forces that drive them are far more meaningful and effective advocates for education reform than either political party's rote proposals."
A Year in Americana: Cultural and Travel adventures in our unique nation (2006)
Raised along the coasts, surrounded by family and friends who felt, especially after the 2000 presidential election, that the states in America’s middle section simply existed for people to fly over, Ari Kaufman was baffled by such naive logic. With the ample vacation time during summer, winter, spring and extended weekends granted to him as a teacher, Ari made it a point to explore all of America to as much a degree as time and money would allow...
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In order to best understand the world around us, reading the works of great authors on intriguing subjects is imperative.
Here are some of the best books I've recently read. To see all the reviews I have posted on Amazon, please click here:
"What liberals mainly see when they look at this country is injustice and oppression of every kind—economic, social and political. By sharp contrast, conservatives see a nation shaped by a complex of traditions, principles and institutions that has afforded more freedom and, even factoring in periodic economic downturns, more prosperity to more of its citizens than in any society in human history." (N. Podhoretz, 9/11/09)
G-d Bless America!