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Learning in Free Fall
America's education system is in crisis. Every day in schools across the nation, our children feel the impacts of increasing budget cuts, teacher shortages, and threats to the accessibility of a meaningful and equitable education. But what happens when those leading our classrooms are in crisis themselves?
Nicole Terrizzi's memoir, Learning in Free Fall, shares her path from a rural Iowa upbringing to teaching in an urban, Kansas City elementary school as part of the Teach for America program. Terrizzi offers reflections on the entrenched ails and ultimate failures of the systems meant to empower students and recounts her personal mental health journey that occurred in tandem, leading to counseling, maxing out the dosage of two antidepressants, and ultimately electroconvulsive therapy. With raw and honest writing, Terrizzi invites readers to explore what it's like to learn while you teach and brings her hard-won knowledge to the page for anyone interested in education, mental health, or the intersection of both.
Nicole Terrizzi's memoir, Learning in Free Fall, shares her path from a rural Iowa upbringing to teaching in an urban, Kansas City elementary school as part of the Teach for America program. Terrizzi offers reflections on the entrenched ails and ultimate failures of the systems meant to empower students and recounts her personal mental health journey that occurred in tandem, leading to counseling, maxing out the dosage of two antidepressants, and ultimately electroconvulsive therapy. With raw and honest writing, Terrizzi invites readers to explore what it's like to learn while you teach and brings her hard-won knowledge to the page for anyone interested in education, mental health, or the intersection of both.
308 pages, Paperback
Published May 8, 2025
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 15, 2026
I attended Simpson College with Nicole R. Terrizzi, although we did not know each other well at the time, as I was mostly focused on barely surviving life as a music major myself. She reached out and asked if I would read her work, and I was thrilled to read her memoir and share a review.
Learning in Free Fall is a raw and deeply personal memoir that explores what happens when the rose-colored, idealistic views of becoming a new educator collide with the realities of underfunded and under-resourced classrooms, and with the struggles of the person standing at the front of the room. Nicole invites readers into the emotional and psychological complexities of trying to best serve students while also navigating her own mental health crisis.
Rather than framing herself as a heroic educator overcoming adversity, Nicole presents something much more honest and real: a human being who cares deeply but is struggling within systems that often demand more than they sustain.
I especially appreciated how this memoir raises larger questions about the structure of American education. As someone who began my college journey planning to become a music educator, only to experience my own mental health and identity crisis that eventually led me to shift paths toward mental health work, much of this resonated with me. I’m all too familiar with how systemic inequities and resource shortages affect not only educational spaces, but mental health systems as well.
As I continued reading, I kept thinking how powerful this story is, and how valuable it would be for people entering both education and mental health fields. Now, as I’m in year three of four of my Master of Social Work program, I couldn’t help but think that Nicole was doing social work all along. Reading this memoir felt like witnessing the moment where care for others collides with the limits of what one person can carry. I too have felt this pull all too often, and saw pieces of myself within her work- from the small town Iowa farm upbringing to my own struggles with anxiety, not wanting to be a burden, and hiding my hurt from others when I felt I was drowning.
Nicole reminds readers that behind every classroom is a teacher who is not just an educator, but a person navigating their own story, often while holding far more than anyone realizes.
Learning in Free Fall is a raw and deeply personal memoir that explores what happens when the rose-colored, idealistic views of becoming a new educator collide with the realities of underfunded and under-resourced classrooms, and with the struggles of the person standing at the front of the room. Nicole invites readers into the emotional and psychological complexities of trying to best serve students while also navigating her own mental health crisis.
Rather than framing herself as a heroic educator overcoming adversity, Nicole presents something much more honest and real: a human being who cares deeply but is struggling within systems that often demand more than they sustain.
I especially appreciated how this memoir raises larger questions about the structure of American education. As someone who began my college journey planning to become a music educator, only to experience my own mental health and identity crisis that eventually led me to shift paths toward mental health work, much of this resonated with me. I’m all too familiar with how systemic inequities and resource shortages affect not only educational spaces, but mental health systems as well.
As I continued reading, I kept thinking how powerful this story is, and how valuable it would be for people entering both education and mental health fields. Now, as I’m in year three of four of my Master of Social Work program, I couldn’t help but think that Nicole was doing social work all along. Reading this memoir felt like witnessing the moment where care for others collides with the limits of what one person can carry. I too have felt this pull all too often, and saw pieces of myself within her work- from the small town Iowa farm upbringing to my own struggles with anxiety, not wanting to be a burden, and hiding my hurt from others when I felt I was drowning.
Nicole reminds readers that behind every classroom is a teacher who is not just an educator, but a person navigating their own story, often while holding far more than anyone realizes.
February 4, 2026
I was reading a very popular novel, OK, it's the sixth book in the Outlander series, a fairly addictive read. But I do try to intersperse it with other books during my nightly reading time. I started "Learning in Freefall", hoping it would capture my attention away from Outlander, but was not too hopeful.
The first chapter enticed me, but I figured hey, authors try to make the first chapters very inviting; however, soon I became so engrossed that Outlanders became neglected, and night after night I chose to continue Nicole's daunting tale. It's just the kind of book I like to read: one with several themes, seamlessly, intertwining. The three themes are; the author's journey as a Teach for America volunteer, her struggle with mental illness (which was anything but ordinary,) and of course, a love story.
The book is well written, tight, with no extraneous text. Our failing public schools beg for attention and "Learning in Freefall" makes this challenging issue accessible to learn and be concerned about. Thank you, Nicole for inviting me into your harrowing and inspiring journey!
The first chapter enticed me, but I figured hey, authors try to make the first chapters very inviting; however, soon I became so engrossed that Outlanders became neglected, and night after night I chose to continue Nicole's daunting tale. It's just the kind of book I like to read: one with several themes, seamlessly, intertwining. The three themes are; the author's journey as a Teach for America volunteer, her struggle with mental illness (which was anything but ordinary,) and of course, a love story.
The book is well written, tight, with no extraneous text. Our failing public schools beg for attention and "Learning in Freefall" makes this challenging issue accessible to learn and be concerned about. Thank you, Nicole for inviting me into your harrowing and inspiring journey!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews