"Stupid Edufads appear with the regularity and consistency of monkey bowel movements."

Memorable teaching memoirs exist—Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man and Pat Conroy’s The Water Is Wide come to mind. Adventures in the Teaching Trade represents a worthy addition to the list. Jones revisits High Plains schools at a time when most public schools reflected the values and aspirations of the communities they served. Interrelated essays follow a 1960s graduate school refugee blessed with an authority-resistant personality learning his trade in small rural schools in Kansas and Nebraska. Keen observations of jargon-babbling educrats, hilarious sketches of doofy administrators, eccentric teachers, and recalcitrant custodians, coupled with sympathetic student portraits, demonstrate a veteran storyteller’s ability to entertain and inform.

During three decades in the classroom, Jones and his students witnessed the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Great Russian Grain Robbery, the impeachment of two presidents, the Federal Reserve’s near extinction of the rural economy, the Columbine massacre, and the opening skirmishes in the current war on meritocracy, parents and their children. How students and their teacher coped with major events sometimes far removed from rural High Plains communities illustrates the stubborn resilience of the human spirit.

Laci Dinkler of rural Bladen, Nebraska, daughter of two former students, arranged the cover photo shoot with the local school bus driver. The session required the driver to make multiple trips up and down a rural Webster County road while Laci snapped photos until she captured just the right one. I am indebted to Laci for volunteering her considerable photography skills and to the bus driver for his time and effort. I also owe the local Silver Lake school district a big thank you for expended fuel and wear and tear on their bus.

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Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Storyteller

Great storyteller! The author is a keen observer of fellow humans and provides insight into the changing public school system over his ~30 year teaching career. Full of wit and irreverent commentary.

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who is or has been in the realm of education.

I enjoyed every story, history lesson, and especially the student anecdotes. The teacher has a clear understanding of the teaching trade.

5.0 out of 5 stars-A must-read for anyone in education

This is a thoughtful and engaging memoir that will resonate with educators. From experiencing the nerves of a newbie teacher to the doldrums of sitting through in-services, tales of students and staff and all the latest edufads, his stories feel familiar and authentic. Jones reflects on the changes in education over the past 60 years--including those shaped by national crisis--while offering sage advice along the way. Most importantly, he reminds readers that teaching is, at its core, about caring for students. Any educator--new or veteran--would enjoy and benefit from this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars-Jones does it again!

Jones is a masterful and witty storyteller. Do yourself a favor--become both enlightened and entertained.