I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High

by Tony Danza

A surprisingly poignant account, "I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had" is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny but is mostly filled with hard-won wisdom and feel-good tears.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Memoir, Biography, Teaching, Audiobook, Autobiography

358 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Perhaps best known for starring on some of television’s most beloved and long-running series, including Taxi (1978–1983) and Who’s the Boss (1984–1992), Tony Danza has also established himself as a stage and screen star, and he is indisputably one of America’s most iconic performers.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Danza received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history education. Discovered at a boxing gymnasium in New York, Danza was ultimately cast in the critically acclaimed ABC series Taxi, earning him a place in television history. He followed Taxi with a starring role in the classic ABC comedy series Who’s the Boss?, which ran for eight seasons.

Eventually Tony explored his love for the stage, and among his many stage credits is his exciting run on Broadway in Mel Brooks’s hit musical The Producers, playing Max Bialystock (2006–2007), and his reprise of the role in the Las Vegas production at Paris Las Vegas (2007). For his theatrical debut in Wrong Turn at Lungfish (1993), he earned an Outer Critic’s Circle Award nomination. Other stage credits include the critically acclaimed The Iceman Cometh, opposite Kevin Spacey, Arthur Miller’s Tony Award–winning play A View from the Bridge, and I Remember You.

Most recently, it was announced that the ABC television network and ABC Studio are developing a sitcom entitled The Guys, is being developed to be Tony Danza’s return to half hour multi-cam comedy. Tony is also developing a project that could mark his return to the stage: the much buzzed about musical adaptation of the 1992 Castle Rock hit comedy Honeymoon in Vegas. Tony’s next big-screen role will be playing Joseph Gordon Levitt’s father in Levitt’s much buzzed about directorial debut, entitled Don Jon’s Addiction. The film stars Levitt, Danza, Julianne Moore, and Scarlett Johansson, and will be released in 2013.

Among Tony’s previous television experience is his role as attorney Joe Celano on the CBS dramatic series Family Law (2000–2002), his Emmy-nominated performance on David E. Kelley’s award-winning series The Practice (1998), and ABC’s The Tony Danza Show, a talk show that was broadcast live in New York from 2004–2006. He also starred in and executive-produced the ABC comedy series Hudson Street, NBC’s The Tony Danza Show, hosted Saturday Night Live several times and hosted numerous award shows, including the 2001 Miss America Pageant and the 2003 People’s Choice Awards.

Amongst Tony’s big-screen credits are his roles in Walt Disney’s Angels in the Outfield, She’s Out of Control, The Hollywood Knights, and A Brooklyn State of Mind.

In 2009-2010, Tony took on his most challenging role yet—teaching tenth-grade English at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. His amazing experience working as a real teacher was taped and aired on A&E last year in the form of the critically acclaimed seven-part documentary series, entitled Teach. In September 2012, Crown Publishers (a division of Random House) will publish Tony’s book about the experience, entitled I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High.

In 2010, AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with more than 35 million readers, presented Tony with their Inspire Award. The Inspire Awards pay tribute to extraordinary people who inspire others to action through their innovative thinking, passion and perseverance.

Tony currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Mr. Danza,

My daughter walked into the living room while I was reading the scene about you sitting with a student while she wrote a letter to her mother, a letter that revealed some of the abhorrent things she had suffered in her life at home. I was weeping openly, touched by your tenacity, your sensitivity, and your admission that you thought it might have been better not to have known the truth.

The scene so completely paralleled an experience I had during my first year as a middle school teacher, right down to picking up Twilight to help my struggling student learn to read, that I lost complete control of my tears and wept. I thought, "Somebody gets it. Finally, someone understands and has written it all down."

Your book simultaneously inspired me and broke my heart. I remember a reverent whisper I would chant mantra-like each day in the last minutes of my commute, that I would endeavor to be fair, to be pleasant yet firm, and to never, ever give up on a kid. The day I did was the day I should leave teaching. After eight years of teaching, I find myself fighting the jaded disposition I used to see in veteran teachers at school. All the time, I wonder if I've made the right choice, going into teaching.

Mr. Danza, this book came to me in the dark, trough-like depression that hits teachers post-Spring Break and pre-Standardized Testing, precisely when I needed it. I want to thank you for going into teaching, for shining a fair light on the ups and downs of the profession, for offering suggestions for how we all can improve our school system, and reminding me that it's all about the kids. It's all about what they need, and they need so much.

My daughter is a sophomore in public high school, so all I had to do was describe the scene to her and she got it, too. She hugged me, and I went on reading. I cried twice more before finishing the book. You reminded me of the wide-eyed teacher I once was, and though I know so much more about how to really teach now, I miss the energetic rookie I used to be.

I just wanted to thank you for every word, and more than that, thank you for being a teacher. I think you're a natural.

Sincerely,
Celeste Hollister

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're my age [1], the first thing you think about when you hear Tony Danza's name is the show Who's The Boss? Honestly, I remember nearly nothing about that show except that it was set in Connecticut (which I only remember because that's where I was living when it was on) and that Danza played some kind of live-in... servant? Housekeeper? For a divorced career woman?

Hold on, let me check Wikipedia to see if I even got that much right.

I did? Oh, good.

Anyway, Danza kind of slipped out of my cultural viewfinder for a long while, so I was surprised to hear that he had not only written a book, but had done a stint as a teacher in a Philadelphia high school. Being a teacher myself, I was interested to see what his impressions were. He was, after all, coming to it from a very different background than most teachers, and with a different set of perspectives. On top of that, he had been convinced to do it as part of an A&E reality show - something I certainly don't approve of. Not just because the business of running a reality show would interfere with the class, or because they take work away from actors like my brother [2], but because I think reality shows are a scourge upon modern television.

After going through training and orientation, Danza was put in charge of a double-period English class in Northeast High School in Philadelphia. It's a huge public school - about 3,600 students - and is made up of kids from radically diverse backgrounds. Some kids were motivated and hard-working, others saw school as an imposition on their lives. Some kids had stable, supportive families, some kids were being bounced from foster home to foster home. To say that Danza had his work cut out for him would be an understatement. He not only had to find ways to engage the students (a buzz-phrase that he - and every other teacher - would come to resent at some level) and make sure they were all committed to their education, but also handle the byzantine bureaucracy that comes with running a school, the politics of the teachers' office, union issues, getting parents involved, and negotiating the complex moods and interrelationships of hundreds of teenagers. He very quickly learned that being a teacher not only involves a significant investment of time and energy, but also of emotion.

Reading through the book, there were a lot of moments where I nodded in complete understanding. Like Danza, I teach literature in a couple of my classes. He was working on making Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird relatable to his students through constant activities and lecture sessions. I do the same with the books I teach. I might have the kids work on a timeline, or produce a short skit based on the story. They might make a poster or even a movie, if we have the time and the ideas for it.

He often runs afoul of the basic principles of being a teacher in such a large community. For example, there's a section where he takes the students on a field trip to Washington D.C. It's a wonderful excursion and the kids have a great time, but when he returns he gets a wrist-slapping because he hadn't notified any of the kids' other teachers that they would be gone. As far as the rest of the school was concerned, the kids had skipped class. Danza's response was, "Well, I just assumed..." And that's where I felt very close kinship with him. One of the things I learned very, very fast when I started this job was to assume nothing. And that's hard to do, because the school assumes everything.

In another section, the school is practicing for the big achievement tests that will basically determine the school's status as a failing or a successful school. During one of the tests he's proctoring, Danza goes out to get more calculators, and is immediately ripped into by the teacher who's running the test. This teacher says that if it had been the real test, Danza's carelessness could have invalidated the whole thing, costing the school time and money, and running the risk of making it a "Renaissance School" (a nice euphemism for a school that's failing so hard it has to be gutted and re-staffed from top to bottom.) My first thought when I read that was that the teacher in charge clearly didn't communicate the testing protocols clearly enough - he just assumed every teacher would know what to do.

I think a large reason for this is because of the incredible investment in mental and emotional energy that every teacher must make if they're going to do their jobs properly. As human beings with puny human meat brains, there are only so many things we can keep track of at any given time, and for most teachers their students occupy the largest chunk of that attention. When you're thinking about a hundred kids or more, invested in the success or failure of each and every one of them, remembering who does and who doesn't know about some administrative detail is pretty far down on your list of things to care about. Near the end of the book, when Danza was asked if he would be interested in coming back the next year, he said, "At my age, I'm not sure I want to care this much about anything." And the teacher he's talking to just smiles and says, "That's what it takes."

And it's true, that is what it takes. No one else would do it otherwise. Throughout the book, Danza looks at the reality of his colleagues' lives and compares it to the public perception of teachers in the media of the day. The fact is that teachers are in incredible positions of responsibility, yet they don't gain nearly as much respect and admiration (and money) as they deserve. When the students succeed, people praise their parents and their homes. When they fail, they blame the teachers, or call them "glorified babysitters." Programs like No Child Left Behind added to the already unbearable burdens of teachers by creating the constant threat of unemployment should the schools not pass a set of standardized tests that may or may not have anything to do with what the kids are already learning.

I could go on, but I won't, since I have another blog where I bitch and moan about things that make me angry. What I will leave with is this - Danza did this as part of a reality show, one that was just as massaged, ordered, and manipulated as any other, though perhaps a little less than most. He was luckier than most at Northeast - only two classes a day instead of five, and he got the room with air conditioning, thanks to the influence of his network. His kids were chosen for the class, and he did the job without the threat of his career being brought to an ignominious end by some bureaucratic federal process. His experience was in no way representative of the other teachers at Northeast High or in fact many other teachers around the world.

All that said, however, it is clear on every page of this book that he cared deeply about the kids in his class and their progress. He cared about how the school worked, about how the other teachers viewed him, and about how the parents were - or were not - involved in their children's lives. He almost immediately identifies and begins to struggle with one of the hardest problems in teaching - how to make the kids understand that they must be invested in their education. As easy as it is to tell a teacher that he or she must "engage the students," it is just as important that the students engage themselves. Throughout the book, Danza looks for ways to do this, and it's a constant theme.

I finished the book with no doubt in my mind that Danza did the project in good faith and with full devotion to duty, just as any other first-year teacher would have done. He struggled and triumphed just as any teacher would do, and his sincerity comes across on every page. The title, too, resonated with me immediately, since that's exactly what I thought when I started teaching. On top of all that, he cries almost constantly, something I've never done in my career, so he's one up on me.

It's a fast read, and very familiar to anyone who's become a teacher or knows a teacher, no matter where you are. Plus, there are a ton of ideas to steal, which is a tradition amongst teachers around the world, so I'm grateful for that.

------
"Teachers and students need help, not accusations and pay cuts. They need to be a national priority, not an experiment stuck into a late time slot and then canceled for underperforming."
- Tony Danza, I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had

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[1] ThirtyCOUGHCOUGHCOUGH
[2] What, me? Oversensitive? Never...

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always liked Tony Danza and I know I'm not alone in that sentiment. It's not just the characters we've seen him play but somehow he's always seemed "genuine". Now I've never been a teacher but I've certainly been a student for a whole lot of years and I've been a parent to two children who have made it through the school system successfully. I've had ample opportunity to observe teachers in action and have always felt a reverence for them and what they do.

This book is a great portrayal of what it is like to be a first year teacher in a large public, inner-city school in Philadelphia. It's nicely organized with the general flow of the school year, but he includes a section called "Teacher's Lounge" at the end of each chapter where we get to see Mr. Danza learn an important lesson or receive advice from the other teachers on how things really work. But the main parts of the book are the classroom interactions with the students and the struggles that Mr. Danza goes through when dealing with the rules, the administration, the amazing amount of work that teachers have to put in, and the ever present threat of layoffs and/or downsizing. But he freely admits his advantages compared to the other teachers. First and foremost he only teaches one class a day, an English class which, as a voracious reader, is near and dear to my heart. I really enjoyed the discussions he has with the students about their studies. But where this book really shines is his interactions with those students, both in class, and one-on-one as he tries to engage them in their work. Before he knows it he is in their lives and they are in his. He tells some pretty powerful stories of these kids and what they must live through outside the classroom. It's a bit like watching the movie "Freedom Writers" starring Hilary Swank (which two of his students insist he watch during the last week of school). To his further credit, Mr. Danza eats a lot of humble pie throughout this book, and constantly must learn from the experienced teachers and administrators around him; nor does he write about his own successful career in show business except for some brief mentions when it comes up when dealing with the students. And we are treated to quite a few personal glimpses of Mr. Danza's own troubled school days as he tries, sometimes desperately to relate to his students.

All in all this is a very uplifting book that does not shy away from the myriad problems affecting today's public education system in America. A very worthwhile read that will energize you and motivate you to make a difference.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Tony Danza's book about teaching one class during one academic year in a public school in Philly, while trying to film a reality show about it that didn't really take off.

His celebrity definitely shines a light on urban public education, though I'd hardly call his experience legit, since he only taught one class for one year. To be fair, he repeats this throughout the book to credit his colleagues, who taught five.

Personally, I get annoyed by aggrandizing people who teach for a year and then leave, then try to cash in by writing books about how much they sacrificed in a year and how broken the system is, but how they "did it for the kids". (Then comes a quasi-inspirational screenplay involving Hilary Swank. Interestingly, at the end of this book, Danza tips his hat to the "Freedom Writers" teacher, even though she only spent one year in the classroom herself.)

If I taught only one - versus six - classes, I might have a scavenger hunt as a test review also. It's really an impractical exercise for most teachers. Yet Danza spends an entire chapter explaining in great detail how he did this particular activity with his class, and how he constructed one test.

Therefore, I wouldn't really recommend this as a book that chronicles what it's really like to teach as a career. (For that, I'd recommend "Teacher Man" by the late Frank McCourt).

Due to Danza's celebrity, and his initial approach to the job by consulting reality show producers, it's definitely not an organic experience. He also seems to have a beef with his producers, which appears to be motivating the book too.

Some truisms come from Danza's book, (which of course I already knew!):

"It's beginning to dawn on me just how much work teachers are besieged with outside the classroom. This, I think, is another thing that politicians and the media rarely mention." (p.49)

"Another paradox of education in America. They want the experienced teachers to retire and make way for new teachers they can pay less. Talk about your penny-wise." (p.73)

"There's always the threat of a complete takeover by the district if a school doesn't perform." (p.75)

"Administering tests is its own art." (p.85)

"Everyone knows the policies on uniforms, hoodies, iPods, shouting, and the rest, but no one is consistently and actively enforcing these policies."(p.106)

"Some administrations operate like a personality contest, and if the principal doesn't like you or you make some rookie blunder...you'd be gone." (p.160)

Danza basically burns out after a year and decides not to return, but at least he's dropped a book that shows that he got some insights about teaching on a pragmatic and a political level, and conveys how teachers are often caught in an exhausting cycle.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book for a couple of reasons. As a librarian in a small town with a small crop of kids who have been acting up increasingly lately, I felt I could benefit from a story of a self-proclaimed "rookie teacher" with only an inkling of how to actually teach, and how to reach and relate to high school kids. That's not to say Tony Danza was born yesterday; he has a degree in history and wanted to become a teacher before he became a boxer (!!) and then an actor. I admire him for taking such a selfless plunge and challenging himself, even if it was (at first) at the behest of a reality show. He walked the walk and stuck to his guns. What a guy!

My favorite part came when, toward the end of the year, Mr. Danza has trouble keeping control of his students because they're getting excited for school to be over. I remember being in situations like this, where the teacher gets fed up and does something uncharacteristic and drastic, and it immediately snaps everyone back in line. It's an awful feeling when you know you've let down someone that you respect. This was one of many situations in the book where Mr. Danza could have gone off on his students but did the wise thing and, by his actions, let them come to their own conclusions.

page 230
...I realize I'm not anywhere near ready to say goodbye to my kids.
After Memorial Day, however, guilt is the last thing on my mind. The kids go wild. On June 2, Paige blows me off, Charmaine chews me out, and Russian Playboy and Pepper waste the whole class swapping stupid jokes. Worse, I can't even ride them for it, since the entire school acts as if the year is already over. What's my leverage? I can stage a walkout.
Knowing that there's only four minutes left before the end of class, I get up and make a scene of leaving. "All right, that's it. I've had it. You don't want to listen? I'm not fighting this battle anymore. You're on your own. You want this class, you can have it."
I shut the door hard behind me. Not a slam, but hard. I'm really just acting to make a point. But they don't know what to think.
Out across the hall, I stand against the lockers and wait for the bell to ring. When it does, instead of the usual rush, they peek out the door to see if I'm there.
I play it cool. Say nothing. They edge toward me, still trying to figure out what's going on. We're sorry, Mr. D. We didn't mean nothing.
But then, as they close in, everything shifts. We love you, Mr. Danza. Don't be mad at us. Are your eyes watering? And then, boom. I'm dissolving in the middle of of a twenty-five person group hug, and the emotion is so overwhelming, there's nothing I can do to stop it. I weep. I sob. I hiccup.
Now everybody else is laughing. Of course they're laughing at me.

page 233
The final essay question asked, "What was the most important lesson you learned in class this year?" I go back now and flip through the answers again. It shouldn't amaze me that the students all used correct essay form, but it does. It shouldn't surprise me to see some of my own phrases in their handwriting, but it does. And it certainly shouldn't touch me to know that the lessons many of my students consider most powerful were not scripted in any book, but this in particular shakes me to the core...In almost every essay, I find advice that I've given them, almost verbatim. This is why people teach, I think. This is how you make a difference. They heard me and they remembered. That is one thrilling accomplishment.

He did cry a lot, both at school and at home, and I kind of love that he didn't make any bones about it.

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published on January 5, 2018

At our La Crosse County Library branches we are privileged to have wonderful partnerships with our local schools. Many teachers make it a priority to regularly schedule library visits with their students. The author of the book I’m writing about readily admits to being one of those students who made such outings and all other things related to the classroom a challenge.

Thus the title.

Shortly after his TV show was canceled and his marriage fumbled, well known actor Tony Danza embarked on a new direction in his life. With a degree in history and memories of a college dream to become a teacher, a dream he never quite lost, he embarked on what he called a “third act career” and contacted Teach for America. TFA concentrates on preparing qualified candidates for rural and urban teaching posts.

Little did the folks at TFA know but Tony Danza was about to fulfill a long lost passion AND bring along an A & E television crew. It was because of his insistence on not injecting drama into the reality show that the show was short lived. However I am happy to report that Danza fulfilled his one year teaching commitment as a high school English teacher in the inner city of Philadelphia – a job he describes as the toughest he has ever had.

Danza’s mentor on the job was very helpful at alleviating his early jitters. An especially interesting revelation for him was how he viewed silence. As he tells it, silence for an entertainer indicates that the material has bombed. But in the classroom silence can be an indication of thinking, or working. Engaging the student became his new approach.

Danza was especially attracted to problem students, ones who acted just as he once did as a student in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. Soon he was challenged to see that kids of today have a set of different problems than he had experienced. In Danza’s day a troubled young man might have had his share of fistfights but no one had to worry about getting shot. He was a professional fighter after college, so it isn’t long before a punching bag is delivered to the school and impromptu boxing lessons begin. From boxing to Shakespeare, from the football field to a field trip to Washington, Danza is constantly on the lookout for ways to engage his students.

As a library worker, I hate to admit that I have never listened to an audiobook, but I did enjoy listening to Tony Danza read his own material. With his characteristic gravelly voice and New York accent, it was entertaining to hear his stories and observations. I think Tony Danza used every bit of passion and creativity (and let’s face it, some resources not typically available to the average public school teacher) to try to make a difference at Northeast High.

Come to your local La Crosse County Library branch and let us try to make a difference in your reading, viewing, or listening habits. We have locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska and West Salem. Coming soon is our popular adult reading program, Hot Reads for Cold Nights, with participation gifts and a drawing for a gift basket at each location.

Find this book and other titles within our catalog.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things about me that you may need to know for this review to make sense. I am unemployed high school special education teacher who desperately wants to have my own classroom again. I don’t watch reality tv shows. Almost ever. (I did enjoy “Queer Eye,” but not religiously and that was a long time ago.) If that means I don’t know anything about the Kardashians, or non- professional singers or dancers, or a family of polygamists, that’s usually fine with me.

Amazon Vine provided a paragraph blurb about this book before I requested it. I knew it was about Tony Danza teaching English in a Philadelphia school. I didn’t know it was Tony Danza teaching for a reality tv show, with cameras in the classroom, if I’d known I might not have read the book. But Danza may have as little respect for reality tv producers as I do; perhaps even less as he was cancelled after six hidden episodes on late Fridays. Besides convincing kids to learn, parents to care, administration to acknowledge his efforts, he has to battle the producers of the show not to stir drama and to be professional and not be jerks. The tv show pays for the students to go on two field trips: one to Washington, DC to see the Folger Library and to New York City to see “West Side Story.” But then they get upset that bad things didn’t happen there, because it’s bad television that kids didn’t get lost or have fist fights during the play or some other nonsense. It is fun to read about his and his students' enthusiasm for Of Mice and Men,Julius Caesar, To Kill a Mockingbird and an electric poetry unit.

Tony Danza tries very hard to be a good teacher, it is clear from this book. He is passionate about teaching and wants to do it well. But he doesn’t return after his first year in the classroom. One year in the classroom is more than most non- teachers experience, but how does this make him different than George Plimpton, the professional dilettante? This is a readable fun book that I read overnight.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to always love Tony Danza on Taxi, so when I saw teachers recommending this book I had to get it from the library. Turns out his teaching career for a year was exactly what I did -- 10th grade literature. What's not to like, right? Well, unfortunately, sometimes warts and all memoirs do not a good story make. Here's my take on the strengths and weaknesses of this book.

The good:

- He has a teacher's heart. It's in the right place because he really does care about the kids and wants them to learn from his mistakes.

- He displays the altruistic character that a teacher has to have -- it's not about the money or the prestige; it's truly about helping these kids see a better way out. I enjoyed reading his candid talks with the students trying to address their larger problems, not just "not caring about school".

- He rallies people together and brings a fresh energy to the school. Teachers especially need a pick me up from someone with his enthusiasm and optimism.

- I probably would have really liked him if I was teaching in a school with him.

- He works hard to come up with solid lessons and that the children enjoy learning despite all the junk going on at home in their home lives.

- His crying all the time is authentic joy and frustration. Good for him for being transparent instead of feeling like he has to be macho.

- If he wanted, he could be a regular teacher as long as he lowered his expectations for what he could accomplish with 5 times the load.

The bad:

- Temperamentally, he's a sanguine like me, so I know all his pitfalls. He's a people pleaser and has a hard time not internalizing all the students' problems as something he alone has to fix. Knowing when to let something go is hard and he let the kids affect him too much in that way.

- The too-oft phrase "my students made ME look good" is another instance of his sanguinity. Tony Danza admits he gets his identity from what he DOES. He never seems to understand what a dangerous idol "identity-from-job" is to have in your life. It's so egocentric -- all about keeping your reputation up with people so they will like you and approve of your actions (in this case to prove he could love and teach the kids). Though his motives are good, he can't shake being a "showman" by trade.

- It was a bit creepy the many times he commented on the attractiveness of students, teachers, and other women. I'm sure his wife appreciated that...

- All of his get-togethers with teachers after hours involved drinks. That would alienate me (and other teachers) right off the bat. Some of my best "after hours", philosophical conversations happened with other teachers by wandering into their classrooms after the bell rang.

- His family totally got the shaft. He regrets that his own family (thousands of miles away in L.A.) was something he chose to sacrifice for this project. His family was one of many instances in his life where he sees he needs to do better and be a physical presence in their lives, but ultimately chooses the thing he is giving his all to right now -- teaching and his "other" children in the classroom. This "in the moment" attitude is a pattern in his life and those issues lead to his divorce after 25 years of marriage. I think this undermines the advice that he gives his students about persevering.

- On the surface, it looks like he's taking a knock at a hotheaded teacher who has no discretion about when to spout his views about "the system". But once he mentions that the teacher's kids are homeschooled, it seems obvious that Mr. Danza doesn't believe that homeschooling is a viable solution for those who have personal convictions about it. We're not all like that teacher. Unfortunately, Mr. Danza helps fuel that ridiculous stereotype that homeschoolers are "angry people" who hate (and are better than) public schooled folks.

You won't miss anything earth-shattering by not reading this book because none of his solutions or even opinions were fully fleshed out about topics like standardized testing, parental failure, lack of student motivation. You got a sense of how he felt about it, but no conviction about how to really change things other than supporting the overworked teachers in your school (which we should do, each in our own way). However, it was nice to read a book written by someone whose own experience was very similar to my own first year of teaching. It's nice to know I wasn't alone.

[Mediaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is surprisingly tedious and uninspiring. While Danza tries to claim to inspire children in a Philadelphia high school, he comes across as kind of clueless and even at times dumb. From not following school rules to getting an alcoholic drink while chaperoning kids on a school field trip to improperly giving students extra time on a standardize test, he indicts himself as a guy whose heart may be in the right place but his head doesn't get how to teach.

Danza tries his best to convince us that he really cares about kids and the educational system in this book, that's based on the reality TV show he did a couple years back. The problem is that Danza is a millionaire and despite his repeated claims that he identifies with the trouble-making students that won't amount to anything, he actually amounted to something. Namely, he seems out of touch with the students he is trying to reach. They are a very sad group, filled with problems and bad parents. He preaches at them and constantly tells them dull stories from his own life instead of getting at their level and upholding educational standards. It's not very inspiring but rather depressing.

The biggest problem is that Danza didn't really become a struggling teacher--he is a millionaire who was allowed only 90 minutes a day to teach a couple dozen students in one long class period. He didn't experience the ups and downs of what it's like to teach hundreds over the course of eight hours. He didn't struggle with figuring out how to work 18 hours days or pay for his rent out of a meager salary. He did get part of the teaching experience in his one class a day but he draws some conclusions in this book based on only partial evidence. To use an analogy based on his other profession, his drawing conclusions about education based on this meager experience would be like judging all television shows based on his experiences on Taxi and Who's the Boss.

He also was never alone. A camera crew followed him everywhere for most of the school year. A certified teacher was required to be in the room with him at all times. The only interesting part of the book is that midway through the second semester the network found the show too boring and stopped the production! Danza reveals some of the dirty secrets behind reality TV, where drama is created and scenes are reshot to make them more dramatic. He did stick to his standards regarding making this show "real," and that cost him the show.

The book is filled with sincerity but Danza is at times wrong about himself. He mentions his "ABC network" talk show, which wasn't on the ABC network at all but rather was a syndicated program (it's hard to trust a guy who didn't know his show wasn't on a major TV network). He also claims to have ADHD, although he admits to never being diagnosed with it; however, he does manage to include, "I've heard ADHD is a sign of intelligence." That's how highly he thinks of himself. That is despite the fact that he ignores his family throughout the year, even skipping a commitment to go home to California for Thanksgiving to instead stay for a school football game! Again, his heart might be in the right place but his head seems totally misguided.

[Tatiana Gomez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tough read for me.
I think this book is intended for those who are unaware of the state of education today in failing school districts--parents who have children long out of school, or who settle in the suburbs, or those adults who don't have children at all. In that case, this book is a great introduction to the world of the modern-day teacher, who is expected to fulfill multiple important roles in the lives of children who desperately need it, but who is also living under the stress of a scrutinizing administration.
However, as a teacher who has worked in a failing school district and has a lot of strong opinions about it, I found this book disappointing and lacking. Danza only taught one class at a time, the class was filmed for part of the school year, and he clearly was operating under different constraints than other teachers (i.e. salary and balancing a family or life outside of school.) I do not think he addresses these points enough and stresses how much more difficult an authentic teacher's life would be, which sets the bar unrealistically high for the very profession he attempts to champion.
I also felt that the story arc was quite cliche, and knowing that Danza has watched such films as Freedom Writers and is familiar with the outsider-teacher-in-an-urban-school genre, his gestures and "innovations" feel almost contrived to follow what is "expected" of him, such as asking the kids to create raps to learn new material or taking them to see a Broadway play.
Read this if you are a fan of the genre where one teacher comes in to save a group of student's lives, or if you are curious about an outsider's take on current education in inner city schools. I imagine you'll also enjoy this if you are interested in Danza's current life.
Skip this if you are tired of the cliched teacher saving students lives story, and/or if you will be frustrated by Danza's apparent continued lack of understanding as to how REAL teachers live, despite his purported intention for the book of finding out.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued when I saw the ads for this book, because I’ve always found Tony to be a likable guy, and somehow I missed the A&E series when it aired. I wasn’t aware that before he was sidetracked by boxing, then acting, that he’d planned to be a teacher.

I ended up with new-found respect for him. I wouldn’t voluntarily spend 5 minutes in a high school classroom-- even a wealthy suburban one--and he stuck it out for the whole year in inner city Philly even after the tv crew deserted him.

It struck me that what it takes to be a successful teacher in the age of short attention spans is the ability to entertain. If you can’t compete with the kids’ smartphones, you lose. This gave Danza a real edge, though he had to fight the urge to take up the whole class period with a monologue.

While I was the very model of a 1970’s “good student”, I would have floundered in Danza’s classroom. He made the kids get up in front of the class and read or perform something seemingly every day. They loved it. I would have hated it, and spent every class period fighting a migraine or a tummy ache over the stress.

I enjoyed the book, even as it made me despair for our future. I believe that standardized testing is being mandated specifically to cause public schools to fail, so that conservatives have the ammunition to shut them down completely. After all, all it really takes to educate a child is a Bible and a paddle, right?

P.S. Shout out to my 12th grade English teacher, Mr. H., who cast me as the lead witch in our classroom read-aloud of Macbeth, giving me a complex which has lasted 35 years.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relative to other hero-teacher memoirs, Mr. Danza's story is far less obnoxious and unbelievable than, say, "The Freedom Writer's Diary." This is, in part, because Danza acknowledges that his far-from-realistic teaching load (a single class of 30 students!) and the incredible incentives he can afford (trips to NYC! DC! Flip video cameras! Copies of Twilight for everyone!) are not available to all teachers. Danza focuses instead on the difficulties and complex demands that teachers face on a daily basis.

Despite all those things which made his experience less than real, Danza truly had an authentic first year of teaching: he tells about the first day flop sweat, the late night planning sessions, and the day no one's powerpoint was ready for class as well as the scavenger hunt and the poetry competition he planned that engaged the students. He doesn't try to paint himself as a hero.

He made an effort to be a real colleague to the other teachers in the school (unlike the author of the aforementioned FWD. Ugh.) and took the time to really experience a year in the life of a teacher. I appreciated how earnest and vulnerable he was, although I definitely found myself a little frustrated by some of his teaching methods.

Nonetheless, it was a satisfying book.

Quotes to remember: "I can't believe how if affects you when you try so hard and get nowhere."

"If I learned anything from my year at Northeast, it's that the blame game serves no purpose in our educational system. Sure, there are some bad teachers and bad administrators, just as there are failing corporate CEOs and lousy actors, but the vast majority of educators I met at Northeast were not bad so much as they were discouraged and overwhelmed... The sheer logistics of teaching, counseling, comforting, coaching and inspiring 150 students each and every day are beyond the capability of most normal human beings. Yet public school teachers are expected to perform these tasks calmly and brilliantly... all for less money than the average plumber, real estate agent, or sales manager makes... Teachers and students need help, not accusations and pay cuts."

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. A few years ago I saw one half of an episode of the reality/documentary that this book is based on. I've always been a big fan of Tony Danza as an all-around good guy. I appreciate him so much more now. The book documents his year as a real teacher at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. I was interested in this because the school has many local connections to my family. My niece graduated from NEHS, and my husband went to a competing school and regularly played them on the foot ball field. We currently live in South Jersey (across from Philly) and both my husband and I have worked in Philly.

What he attempted to do (and document for TV) was admirable. The book gives you an insight into how Danza fought to keep the show real (and succeeded) even though it led to the demise of the TV show. Kudos for realizing that and for putting kids first. Although Danza admittedly gets (probably) way too invested in his students lives (an occupational hazard in teaching from my numerous teacher friends) he come across as the teacher we all wish we had had (and some of us did). Teaching gets so much flack, and it is a difficult, frustrating and often underpaid job. I also love that after his time at NEHS ended, he still remained in touch and involved, able to use his celebrity as a way to support the school, even though he's not there day to day.

Based on the book, I'm purchasing the DVD series to watch the available episodes. (7)

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I used to be a teacher, so I think that has a lot to do with it, & since I'm still in the public school system (as a secretary) this book really hit home. I've always loved Tony Danza, so it was fun reading about him as a teacher. Yes - he only taught 2 class periods of high school English each day, and he had lots of help from mentors within the school, an assistant, etc. (so not your typical teacher) but it showed how much blood, sweat & tears goes into teaching and how much MORE the average teacher (with a full teaching load & no extra help) must deal with each and every day. Even with all that help, he had some pretty funny & challenging experiences. You can really see his heart throughout this book.

[W. Frazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I give major kudos to Tony Danza for his yearlong teaching stint. However this book, an extension of these teaching experiences, is frustrating. It lacks a clear focus as multiple elements compete for attention. The book follows four main story arcs: Danza’s life-in-transition as he deals with a troubled marriage and career, a reality television production that is following Danza’s teaching stint, Danza’s actual experiences as a teacher, and finally a portrait of his students and school. There are some good moments, but as the elements overlap, the takeaways gets muddled. Danza’s big, bold personality is ever-present, and he has an annoying habit of hijacking each storyline. The book also has an unsettled emotional vibe to it that is difficult to explain.

[Krista Novak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. Danza's take on the PSSAs were great. However, he only taught one class. Not exactly a true reflection of a teachers schedule.

[Grace Sherman]

This was such a perfect read for me specifically.

I would recommend it to all first year teachers. It highlights the good, the bad and the realistic parts of teaching. Loved it.

[Wilhelmina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like reading books by television personalities, movie stars and the like, and this book was borrowed electronically from the library......I must have been desperate to read something. So the premise is that Mr. Danza, a television personality of some minor renown, in shows which I have never seen, takes a year off his life somewhere around the sixtieth year of his life and "teaches" one English class to students in the Philadelphia school district. This was first broached as a reality television show........but in actual fact the producers dropped out of the filming by the end of the first semester, and to his credit Mr. Danza did carry on teaching his one class......(thank goodness he does tell us that he is a millionaire, and therefore we didn't have to worry about whether he would be able to afford his rent, or groceries), for a full year. Apparently, had he not gone into show business he would have like to become a teacher, he does have a degree in history, and there were apparently 6 television shows aired of this experience, after which the A & E network, probably running after much more sensational topics, dropped the show. Mr. Danza reinforced some of the reading I had done as I had just finished "the Bee Eater" about the Washington School System.......and it confirmed at least one fact to me. The poor are still disenfranchised in the United States School System, and will continue to be unless this system is completely overhauled, political adgenda is put aside and the welfare and education of the child come first. Mr. Danza returned to his life after his "year" of teaching but many poor, disenfranchised children continue to have their dreams dashed, and their futures trashed by this system.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't really explain how much I enjoyed this book. It's not deep, lasting literature and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but reading someone's perspective on education was close to home for me. Tony Danza, the actor from the 80s sitcom "Who's the Boss?", that show with the randy old lady and where Alyssa Milano's hair was it's own character, finds his acting career fading and his personal life slowly falling apart. He confides in a friend that he is considering becoming a teacher. It had been his original career choice, before boxing and acting took over, and he figured the time might be right to make that kind of a change. The friend happened to be a producer, and suggests turning this into a reality TV show. Danza refuses - he wants to teach "for real" and not with manufactured drama. In the end, a network picks up the idea and follows him for part of a year as he learns the ropes teaching an English class to a group of inner-city high school kids. He hits all the hot-button issues in education, like testing, uninvolved families, and the pressures of leading kids with honesty and a new self-awareness. He sticks out the whole year with the students, even though the show wraps by January, and the book covers everything the "reality" show left out. It is real - no Hollywood breakthroughs of the tough kids, no storybook ending where all the kids call Mr. Danza their hero and head off to college to be teachers themselves, but I got the feeling that he came out of the experience with a new respect for the life of a teacher. This was quick and engrossing for me, in large part because we live that life daily.

[kaoyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started listening to this book I had some misgivings about what he would say about teaching, being a retired teacher myself. But I really enjoyed it. Granted, he only taught one class of twenty-six sophomores in high school for a "double period", meaning 90 minutes, but he does address that, giving his admiration to teachers who teach many classes with 150 students. In my school make that 220 to 240 students. His small numbers allowed him to become involved in the lives of his students in a way that is difficult for the average teacher. Sadly. But his insight into what goes into teaching, the hard work it is to engage less-than-enthusiastic students, and the lack of support from politicians and parents was dead on for me. Even when the network said teaching wasn't "exciting" enough for them to do more than six episodes of the reality show, he stuck it out for the full year because he'd given his word he would. He introduced me to other teachers for whom this was their profession and their life. There were good teachers and bad teachers. Same in any profession in the world. He mentioned the new teachers who start teaching thinking they'll change the world and leave before Christmas. By the end I was shedding tears as he talked about the rewards of teaching and why teachers keep coming back to less than ideal circumstances. In the end it's the kids we teach/taught that make it all worthwhile. I think this book would make a good read not just for teachers, but for parents and students.

[Noran Azmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tony Danza is one of the underrated people of our time, really. Most of my generation, and the following ones, probably missed his hit sitcoms like "Who's the Boss", but back in the eighties he was quite the celebrity. And such he might still be, if he were the kind of person that puts the demands of his pocket before his principles. It annoys me when I'm reminded how old he is; I wish our generation had celebrities of that caliber.

Out of a strong passion for teaching, Danza signs up to teach for one year at a Philadelphia high school, and to his initial objection, it all gets on camera for a reality TV show. This book is an account of this year.

Now, I can't really stomach non-fiction books, and if there's one thing I hate, it's reality TV. And this is a non-fiction book about a reality TV show. But it is so sincere, moving, well-written and simply important, that I finished it all in one day. Danza always puts so much of himself in his work. You can see it in "Who's the Boss"; his character's idealism, altruism, constant energy, initiative and willingness to help others and change the world for the better are almost contagious. The same goes for this book.

What you will get from this book, is not the satisfaction of the happy ending, of seeing every kid's problems worked out, rather, you may get to vicariously experience the joy of helping others, of getting through. You will feel eager to get up and do something about the world, because it's getting out of hand. We all need to remember how to be hopeful again.

[Laurel Wicke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I watched a couple of episodes of "Teach" the reality show/documentary of Tony Danza's year as a high school English teacher. I am as torn about this book as I was the series. As a teacher, I thought it was an interesting premise: See someone attempt the job and wrestle with the demands of today's educational system, but I guess I didn't want to see a hollywood actor do it. I think Mr. Danza had good intent, but he's been in the acting business too long. Sometimes the project seemed a little narcasistic, a little too "how is this effecting me?", a little too played up for the cameras, and this book--though a better portrayal than the show--felt a little the same way. I just wanted him to get out of the way a bit. I wanted him to tell the story without shining the spotlight on himself all the time.

[Kristin Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to start this review by stating two key facts: I hate teaching memoirs because I find them so overdone and "sappy", and I only picked this up because I read somewhere that Tony Danza became a teacher, and was like "what??!"

I read this book in a single sitting, and was mesmerized. Mr. Danza has a strong writing voice first, but foremost, understands the true struggle that teachers face. He absolutely nailed what it mean to cry from frustration, cry from emotions, and cry when student homelives are more than they can handle.

He exposed the flaws in teaching today when standardized tests are pushing us to the breaking point, and exposed the flaws in public education today. He presents a call-t0-action that demands attention, and points fingers where they need to be pointed.

From a veteran teacher of sixteen years, I must say this: Thank you, Mr. Danza.

[Allison Junkans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little skeptical when I heard Tony Danza was going to teach in Philadelphia public schools. I never watched the TV show, so this is the first time I got to hear about it. I am very impressed with Tony Danza. First, the book was well written and so honest. I do not think I would want to write that honestly about my first year teaching. Secondly, celebrities rarely walk in other people's shoes. Tony really got to experience what being a teacher is like. He clearly recognized that his experience teaching only one class a day is nothing compared to real teachers. Also, it was slightly different because he had the TV network to pay for out of town field trips and fancy incentives. I always liked Tony Danza, but now I would say I'm definitely a fan.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

ehhh?!:? Couldn't tell if he was trying to be an actor or an educator. You can't shoot a film for Hollywood in your class and at the same time tell your audience that American values as illustrated on television sets students up for failure in the schools. You are part of the problem. Mr. Danza was allowed only one class of students for one bell - hardly a portrait of what a real teacher endures. He never really explained if he completed a degree in teacher education, obtained certificates, or student taught - like real teachers before entering their classrooms. I'm constantly amazed at what actors are granted permission to do (for free or without adequate preparation) that the rest of us have to work for.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I finally listened to this audiobook, which is read by the author. If you are interested in teaching or have family members who teach or just want to know what it's like to be a kid in a big city public school, this book is for you. If you are already a teacher you probably have far more insight than what Tony Danza can provide with his one year of teaching only one class.

Mr. Danza is tough, cool, and he means business, but he's also inspiring. Having listened to this book I know that I want to volunteer more in my local schools in these later years. I've tried many times and been turned away (well, ignored, really) but now I know I want to keep trying.

I also have a sudden desire to read and memorize poetry...

[Nat Medlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book every year with my tenth graders, it helps them to understand some of what I am trying to get through to them about life in school. Danza gave up his celebrity for a while and actually became a tenth grade English teacher. He has some strange ideas, but he shows his humanity throughout the pages of the book. I enjoy it every time, and most of my students do as well.

I read it again this year, and again my students really seemed to get a lot out of it. It shows them that the struggles some of them have in life (in and out of the classroom) are happening all over and through hard work, support, and perseverance they can overcome it.

[Teresa Colmone · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate his positive comments about teachers and the public education system, it was hard to read that he had one class and a large budget (that paid for field trips and such). With more money and more free time, I would make a bigger impact myself.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good points but overall misleading. He taught one section of English where other teachers taught at least five. And had a TV production crew to fill gaps. Not realistic.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book which chronicles a year of the life of Tony Danza as he teaches High school English. I enjoyed checking it out.