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Davonte's Inferno: Ten Years in the New York Public School Gulag
A TEACHER'S STORY OF FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICAN EDUCATION TODAY. Calling on policy, research, humor and a generous serving of snark, in this cutting edge story irreverent Laurel M. Sturt pulls no punches detailing her bizarre life in the trenches teaching in a high-needs elementary school in the Bronx. With the Alice in Wonderland backdrop of teaching in a school strangled by poverty, No Child Left Behind's "accountability," and Michael Bloomberg's micromanagement, Sturt trains an unflinching eye on the crisis confronting today's educators, delivering a scathing indictment of pretentious education reform driven by a mercenary agenda to privatize a system worth billions. The author charges educators and parents to unite and organize at the grassroots level to fight for this civil rights issue of our time--the right to a decent education--coalescing around proven non-negotiables such as sufficient funding, universal pre-kindergarten, a rich curriculum free from high stakes testing, and the socioeconomic integration of schools. By refusing an apartheid in which the one percent and the ninety-nine percent receive vastly different educations, community by community we can drive back the privatizers, restoring the "public" to a system committed to all.
346 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2013
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50 people want to read
About the author
Laurel M. Sturt
1 book7 followersA long-time social activist, in 2002 Laurel M. Sturt left a career in fashion design to become an elementary school teacher in a high-poverty community of the Bronx. Laurel is a graduate of the Madeira School and received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Vassar College. Subsequently she received an Associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Design and Illustration, as well as a Master of Arts in Education from City College, New York.
Besides social justice and children, Laurel's passions are foreign cultures and languages. Laurel has lived in several foreign countries, and speaks a few different languages. Her idea of heaven is being in a new place, the more exotic, the better. She loves going to the beach--preferably, the sandy one on Easter Island. And her idea of a great hotel is the one made of pale blue ice in the Arctic, or less glamorously, simply the straw-covered floor of a smelly stable in Yemen. If it's an adventure, that's what draws Laurel. Though she dreams of surfing in Bali if her knees will let her, for now there's riding and sailing when possible, and weekly belly dance, along with the more pedestrian, running in Central Park.
In her twenties, Laurel was married with stepchildren. Now she has a son, with whom she lives in Manhattan. Davonte’s Inferno is her first book, and she is currently at work on her second.
Besides social justice and children, Laurel's passions are foreign cultures and languages. Laurel has lived in several foreign countries, and speaks a few different languages. Her idea of heaven is being in a new place, the more exotic, the better. She loves going to the beach--preferably, the sandy one on Easter Island. And her idea of a great hotel is the one made of pale blue ice in the Arctic, or less glamorously, simply the straw-covered floor of a smelly stable in Yemen. If it's an adventure, that's what draws Laurel. Though she dreams of surfing in Bali if her knees will let her, for now there's riding and sailing when possible, and weekly belly dance, along with the more pedestrian, running in Central Park.
In her twenties, Laurel was married with stepchildren. Now she has a son, with whom she lives in Manhattan. Davonte’s Inferno is her first book, and she is currently at work on her second.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 2, 2016
Not sure if I'll be able to power through and finish this book (I'm on page 102)...if I do, it will be in search of the occasional nuggets of experience and wisdom that Ms. Sturt is able to share as a 10-year NYC public school veteran. If I don't, it will be because I can no longer stand the gossipy, negative, jaded tone of her writing which is all too representative of teachers who have been in the system too long and have fallen victim to pessimism. Or maybe it will be because she uses one more offensive racial or economic stereotype to characterize the parents of her students. Or maybe it will be because her next extremist rant on Bloomberg goes on waay longer than my attention span (there are at least 3 such digressions per chapter).
I appreciate her hard work in one of the hardest, if not the hardest, jobs out there. I understand that after 10 years of the extreme emotional and physical stress that she faced at her Bronx school, she is looking for an outlet to voice her opinions and make sense of her experience. Some things that she says really resonate with me, like when she likens her school to "Alice in Wonderland," with broken clocks on every floor frozen at a different time, which add to the feeling of being stuck some separate and warped universe. However, I think that she lacks any humility or tact whatsoever in the majority of her writing. All in all, focusing on her own experiences rather than laying the blame thick on Bloomberg, parents, Joel Klein, administrators, right-wingers, left-wingers, and basically everyone, would have made for a much more powerful read that I would have been more excited to finish.
Update: Stopped on page 124.
I appreciate her hard work in one of the hardest, if not the hardest, jobs out there. I understand that after 10 years of the extreme emotional and physical stress that she faced at her Bronx school, she is looking for an outlet to voice her opinions and make sense of her experience. Some things that she says really resonate with me, like when she likens her school to "Alice in Wonderland," with broken clocks on every floor frozen at a different time, which add to the feeling of being stuck some separate and warped universe. However, I think that she lacks any humility or tact whatsoever in the majority of her writing. All in all, focusing on her own experiences rather than laying the blame thick on Bloomberg, parents, Joel Klein, administrators, right-wingers, left-wingers, and basically everyone, would have made for a much more powerful read that I would have been more excited to finish.
Update: Stopped on page 124.
February 16, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, given all of the positive reviews. I am a former classroom teacher and school counselor myself, so I know first-hand how frustrating classroom teaching can be, especially when confounded by student discipline issues. However, I cannot recommend this book due to its overall sarcastic, negative, condescending tone. I came to the conclusion that the author is an “unreliable narrator”, a mediocre-to-failing teacher who at various times blames her failure on unruly students, greedy administrators, neglectful parents, her teaching colleagues (especially the ones who “suck up” to the administration), the mayor of New York, the naming practices of African-American parents (they’re so hard to pronounce correctly!), rap music, and Jehovah’s Witnesses (they complain about her Halloween art project!) to name just a few of the culprits who made her teaching career miserable.
At no point does she consider that perhaps classroom discipline is a skill which can be learned and improved, even in tough inner city schools: there is no mention of her trying to read about classroom management techniques and philosophies. Her one innovation is to offer a lottery of prizes at the end of class, with a few lucky well-behaved children able to randomly win some candy or markers. She has slightly better success when she calls home to tattle to parents about misbehaving students: “These usually ended with the parent assuring me they would ‘beat they ass’ or some such threat. Though I suggested taking something away instead, I must admit the ones who got a smack found religion….”
Her narrative is punctuated with various irrelevant snobby personal attacks, which only serve to highlight her own privilege and cluelessness. For example, the mother of one of the school’s students (referred to as a “welfare mom”) wants to hold her wedding reception in the teachers’ lounge. The author, a Vassar graduate and former fashion designer, is horrified: “The amenities of the nine by ten feet catch-all room included a crumbling ceiling, noisy vending machine, rusted white metal cabinets, ripped vinyl love seat with browning foam extrusions, and cracked formica-topped tables from the early forties….the venue was not merely tasteless, the use of a public school for a private affair was blatantly illegal. Incredibly, someone had to mention the inappropriateness of the reception to daffy Principal Dearest, who only then nixed it. However, we were still left to wonder where the bride and groom had registered: the ninety-nine cent store?”
Ironically, the author has decided to enter the teaching profession at the age of forty-six because she wants to make a contribution to society. She considers herself to be a committed, lifelong activist for social justice. In order to make this contribution, she first has to be selected from a competitive field of applicants for the New York City Teaching Fellows program, in which only one out of nine applicants are chosen and who are rewarded with a full-time job and free tuition to graduate school. Each day, as she leaves the “civilization” of Manhattan to travel to what she perceives as the hell-hole jungle of the Bronx, to a job that she seems to mostly hate, she comforts herself with thoughts about her generous “contribution” to social justice by simply entering the profession of teaching. As the years go by, however, her idealism is crushed by her perception of reality: “….disappointingly, the most compelling contribution we could probably make to many would be keeping them off of welfare and out of prison.” These are the words of an elementary school teacher; her “contribution” is served with a heaping dose of low expectations.
I did find her writing style entertaining, and I finished the entire book with interest, mainly because I wanted to find out if she got fired or not. At the end of the book, she makes a compelling case for fighting poverty, instituting universal preschool, and educating parents, although I imagine most readers would have already agreed with her about those initiatives prior to reading the book. But first the reader must slog through repetitive and poorly researched invectives against charter schools or any kind of school reform. This is not a nuanced book: all principals are power-hungry, all school reformers are greedy, the teachers’ union can do no wrong, and everyone is out to persecute and hassle teachers for no good reason.
The entire book reads as more of an emotional rant than a clear-eyed look at New York City’s public education. I do sympathize with the author. It sounds like she endured an excruciating ten years of horrendous student discipline problems, various negative “letters” in her file from a succession of principals who were not impressed with her teaching ability or classroom control, constant sinus infections, and an unpleasant lack of air-conditioning. I hope that writing this book was good therapy for her, because Lord knows we all need to vent about our jobs sometimes. But a better-trained, multiculturally sensitive teacher might have written a more compelling book, one that reinforced her more valid points about the challenges of being an educator in the inner city without veering into descriptions of cartoon villains and racial stereotypes.
At no point does she consider that perhaps classroom discipline is a skill which can be learned and improved, even in tough inner city schools: there is no mention of her trying to read about classroom management techniques and philosophies. Her one innovation is to offer a lottery of prizes at the end of class, with a few lucky well-behaved children able to randomly win some candy or markers. She has slightly better success when she calls home to tattle to parents about misbehaving students: “These usually ended with the parent assuring me they would ‘beat they ass’ or some such threat. Though I suggested taking something away instead, I must admit the ones who got a smack found religion….”
Her narrative is punctuated with various irrelevant snobby personal attacks, which only serve to highlight her own privilege and cluelessness. For example, the mother of one of the school’s students (referred to as a “welfare mom”) wants to hold her wedding reception in the teachers’ lounge. The author, a Vassar graduate and former fashion designer, is horrified: “The amenities of the nine by ten feet catch-all room included a crumbling ceiling, noisy vending machine, rusted white metal cabinets, ripped vinyl love seat with browning foam extrusions, and cracked formica-topped tables from the early forties….the venue was not merely tasteless, the use of a public school for a private affair was blatantly illegal. Incredibly, someone had to mention the inappropriateness of the reception to daffy Principal Dearest, who only then nixed it. However, we were still left to wonder where the bride and groom had registered: the ninety-nine cent store?”
Ironically, the author has decided to enter the teaching profession at the age of forty-six because she wants to make a contribution to society. She considers herself to be a committed, lifelong activist for social justice. In order to make this contribution, she first has to be selected from a competitive field of applicants for the New York City Teaching Fellows program, in which only one out of nine applicants are chosen and who are rewarded with a full-time job and free tuition to graduate school. Each day, as she leaves the “civilization” of Manhattan to travel to what she perceives as the hell-hole jungle of the Bronx, to a job that she seems to mostly hate, she comforts herself with thoughts about her generous “contribution” to social justice by simply entering the profession of teaching. As the years go by, however, her idealism is crushed by her perception of reality: “….disappointingly, the most compelling contribution we could probably make to many would be keeping them off of welfare and out of prison.” These are the words of an elementary school teacher; her “contribution” is served with a heaping dose of low expectations.
I did find her writing style entertaining, and I finished the entire book with interest, mainly because I wanted to find out if she got fired or not. At the end of the book, she makes a compelling case for fighting poverty, instituting universal preschool, and educating parents, although I imagine most readers would have already agreed with her about those initiatives prior to reading the book. But first the reader must slog through repetitive and poorly researched invectives against charter schools or any kind of school reform. This is not a nuanced book: all principals are power-hungry, all school reformers are greedy, the teachers’ union can do no wrong, and everyone is out to persecute and hassle teachers for no good reason.
The entire book reads as more of an emotional rant than a clear-eyed look at New York City’s public education. I do sympathize with the author. It sounds like she endured an excruciating ten years of horrendous student discipline problems, various negative “letters” in her file from a succession of principals who were not impressed with her teaching ability or classroom control, constant sinus infections, and an unpleasant lack of air-conditioning. I hope that writing this book was good therapy for her, because Lord knows we all need to vent about our jobs sometimes. But a better-trained, multiculturally sensitive teacher might have written a more compelling book, one that reinforced her more valid points about the challenges of being an educator in the inner city without veering into descriptions of cartoon villains and racial stereotypes.
December 31, 2015
Laurel Sturt's unflinching description of her experience as a New York teacher during the Bloomberg era is a distillation of all that is wrong with the ideals of the education reform movement in our country. Few realize how the arbitrary decisions of those in political or economic power can negatively impact those who are the least empowered to fight back: our children. Sturt vividly describes the frustrations and joys of teaching high needs children, working around crumbling infrastructure, scrounging supplies, and fending off power-hungry administrators. I had to laugh at her nicknames for some of the administrators she had the "joy" of working for because they were almost cartoonish- but frighteningly real at the same time. Sturt's vocabulary is not for the average reader, but grab your thesaurus and dive into her story. Just remember that what she reports is all too true for too many American teachers.
August 7, 2014
"In comparison to Davonte's Inferno by Laurel M. Sturt... Well, there is no comparison to this brilliantly descriptive memoir of the reality of public schools in New York. It stands by itself, and therefore needs to be read widely by teachers, parents and those who are interested and involved in public education today... This is not a book for the faint of heart; also the viewers of Mayberry or Welcome Back Kotter re-runs should avoid this book... It is a first person account by an intelligent and perceptive writer of the reality she experienced... Sturt pulls no punches, nor does she create a one-size-fits-all utopian solution...WARNING: Davonte's Inferno is very difficult to put down. Read it at your own risk."
June 2, 2014
I looked forward to reading this (ordered it through ILL) on the recommendation of a friend who taught in a large city's school district. Unfortunately, I can't share her enthusiasm,and I find myself unable to finish this book (an unusual occurrence for me).
I appreciate the points that Sturt makes about public education being held hostage to the politics of the "free market" and the commercial interests of politically-connected people who see public education as just one more way of making money. But her complaints are shallow. For example, she criticizes a specific language program as being too rushed to help her students, and then, a chapter or two later, remarks that it was cancelled even though it actually resulted in demonstrative improvement. Sturt acknowledges that she was surprised by this result, but then says nothing more. She does not attempt to reconcile her criticisms with the program's success; she simply moves on to her next (snarky) complaint. She complains about the emphasis on testing, but doesn't really portray how it compromises children's education.
Sturt also likes to throw blame on everyone but herself (and other teachers that she likes/support her/haven't ticked her off). So, everyone who moves from teaching into administration--such as being a principal or superintendent--does so only because they lust for power; they aren't committed to the kids. As the daughter of a teacher who became a principal, before moving on to develop curriculum for a school district and, ultimately, acting as its superintendent--and the niece of a 5th grade teacher who remained in the classroom for his entire career--I am offended by this gross characterization. Both my father and my uncle were deeply committed to children and public education; but their strengths and policy interests were different, and they followed the paths that best utilized those aspects. Another example of this blinkered approach: in the first approximately 150 pages, Sturt references two written reprimands that she received. In both cases, she blames other teachers for reporting the misconduct; she claims that the kids lied, and that (good) teachers realize that and will talk to the accused before taking the issue to the administration. She can't explain why two different teachers, at two different times, reported her misconduct instead of simply disbelieving their students. But, she assures the reader, it was all lies, and she is the innocent injured party. Possibly, or, possibly, Sturt isn't a reliable narrator.
And that ended up being the main reason I stopped reading. The book depends on trusting Sturt's descriptions and perceptions, and I found that I was unable to do so. I don't believe she can see herself critically, and I don't trust her depiction of the administration. According to her, everyone in it--from chancellor to principal to principal's aides--is all about him/herself, with no real interest in children. I have no doubt that's true of some people; it may even be true of some of the same teachers that Sturt elevates at everyone else's expense. But I believe that the truth is probably more nuanced. And Sturt is not interested in nuance. Her tale has villains (administrators, education theorists, parents (usually African-American)), victims (children, and, occasionally, Sturt herself), and heroes (teachers, Sturt very clearly included in that group). It doesn't have room to consider that these roles are fluid.
I appreciate the points that Sturt makes about public education being held hostage to the politics of the "free market" and the commercial interests of politically-connected people who see public education as just one more way of making money. But her complaints are shallow. For example, she criticizes a specific language program as being too rushed to help her students, and then, a chapter or two later, remarks that it was cancelled even though it actually resulted in demonstrative improvement. Sturt acknowledges that she was surprised by this result, but then says nothing more. She does not attempt to reconcile her criticisms with the program's success; she simply moves on to her next (snarky) complaint. She complains about the emphasis on testing, but doesn't really portray how it compromises children's education.
Sturt also likes to throw blame on everyone but herself (and other teachers that she likes/support her/haven't ticked her off). So, everyone who moves from teaching into administration--such as being a principal or superintendent--does so only because they lust for power; they aren't committed to the kids. As the daughter of a teacher who became a principal, before moving on to develop curriculum for a school district and, ultimately, acting as its superintendent--and the niece of a 5th grade teacher who remained in the classroom for his entire career--I am offended by this gross characterization. Both my father and my uncle were deeply committed to children and public education; but their strengths and policy interests were different, and they followed the paths that best utilized those aspects. Another example of this blinkered approach: in the first approximately 150 pages, Sturt references two written reprimands that she received. In both cases, she blames other teachers for reporting the misconduct; she claims that the kids lied, and that (good) teachers realize that and will talk to the accused before taking the issue to the administration. She can't explain why two different teachers, at two different times, reported her misconduct instead of simply disbelieving their students. But, she assures the reader, it was all lies, and she is the innocent injured party. Possibly, or, possibly, Sturt isn't a reliable narrator.
And that ended up being the main reason I stopped reading. The book depends on trusting Sturt's descriptions and perceptions, and I found that I was unable to do so. I don't believe she can see herself critically, and I don't trust her depiction of the administration. According to her, everyone in it--from chancellor to principal to principal's aides--is all about him/herself, with no real interest in children. I have no doubt that's true of some people; it may even be true of some of the same teachers that Sturt elevates at everyone else's expense. But I believe that the truth is probably more nuanced. And Sturt is not interested in nuance. Her tale has villains (administrators, education theorists, parents (usually African-American)), victims (children, and, occasionally, Sturt herself), and heroes (teachers, Sturt very clearly included in that group). It doesn't have room to consider that these roles are fluid.
August 14, 2014
As a public school teacher in NYC, I can relate to much in this book. Teaching is so much more than just standing in front of children. Though some of the past reviews criticized her putting blame on others. Without a back story, how can one fully understand what we all go through? We face many challenges daily and without the proper support, guidance, or even materials, and curriculum, etc., it makes our job that much harder. Especially now, with the tenure issue coming into play, her experiences detail why it is important to have it and gives you an idea what would happen without it.
May 4, 2014
Sturt tells a story that you want to be unbelievable, but know all to well that it is one that plays out all over the US every day. Makes you grateful if you, or your kids, have been lucky enough to have a good public school experience.
Ironic that a book on education has so many annoying typos, but her writing style is entertaining and she has an imaginative way with words.
Ironic that a book on education has so many annoying typos, but her writing style is entertaining and she has an imaginative way with words.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews