Touched by a Child: A Principal's Story

by George Towery

Touched By A Child, A Principal's Story, is a collection of stories and experiences about the author's 40 years as principal of two modest income, "Title 1" elementary schools in suburban Washington, DC. The book begins with why the author became a teacher followed by his first experience as principal at age 27 in a burned out, antiquated school building next to a prison and an Interstate highway. The heart of the book is based on his last thirty years as principal of a second school to which he was introduced as a "really difficult school." Through experience, the author grew to truly understand the value of education especially in communities with limited resources and to the future of our Nation. As the stories of children are told, the reader gains an understanding of what challenges schools "really" face in their quest for excellence and what challenges students face in their daily lives and the lives of their families. Teachers are praised throughout as those individuals who work every day with a passion and fervor to love, care for and educate even the most difficult children who, thanks to teachers, succeed in spite of circumstance. The book is funny, sad and inspirational as the reader learns about "The School with a Barnyard", "Po-Verty", "A Little United Nations" and "Alternative Education" (classes for those whose behavior is such that they could not function in a regular school situation). The book also relates the many duties of school administrators and teachers that do not fall under what we normally regard as education.

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2012

Reviews

[Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a brief retrospective on George Towery's 40-year career as an elementary school teacher and principal in the suburban Fairfax County Public School system located outside of Washington DC. Although this region is widely regarded as among the most affluent in the country, Towery's position in Lorton Elementary and later Cameron Elementary provided him a unique opportunity to touch the lives of countless children belonging to the least advantaged economic classes in our society: immigrants, minorities, teenage parents, round-the-clock workers, and so on. The author chronicles the numerous euphoric joys and heartbreaking challenges he's experienced first-hand in educating these children; from discovering evidence of domestic child abuse to seeing his students' eyes light up as they go sightseeing in New York City for the first time. The reader will be left with a better sense of the profound socioeconomic challenges our nation's schools confront daily -- challenges that extend far beyond the limited scope of education as popularly conveyed common political discourse in terms of mere tests, lessons, and teacher evaluations -- and a feeling of sincere hope knowing that there are men and women such as Towery in our schools who dedicate their lives not just to teaching in the classroom but also as true stewards of their communities.

Reader's verdict: Could have used better prose but it's a great collection of stories happy and sad that piece together a bigger picture of the challenges of education and modern-day poverty.

(Disclosure: I was a student at Cameron Elementary from second to fourth grade in the mid-1990s during George Towery's tenure there)

[Clairette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Towery was my Principle in elementary school, so I'm biased, and personally remember several of the things he writes about. This took me back! At the same time, I had no idea of the darker things that went on in the lives of members of a generally poorer community's elementary school, it was eye-opening. Reading of his early experiences as a teacher and principle widened my perspective a bit too.

The format is easy to read on the go, a few paragraphs at a time if that's all you've got and is enough to still capture a heartwarming/humorous/that's-life story to think on till next time.