Becoming the Teacher I Needed: Lessons in Radical Kindness and Resilience

by Jere Chang

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2026

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. It was a great way to end a tough school year. I. Love this profession and the people in it. Lots of good reminders and food for thought for the summer.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling backstory of her childhood as a queer, disabled student who experienced bullying and for the most part hated school who became an adult determined to help all kids find a supportive environment there.

Tailed off for me in second (longer) half of the book, consisting of some charming anecdotes about the kids she teaches but mostly very predictable advice for other teachers and philosophizing about education. Presents it a bit as contrarian, and maybe it's just me (I work in education, albeit not K-12), but with the exception of an E.D. Hirsch-influenced "content every second grader must know about how great America has always been" type, everybody in the field would agree with this author. Project-based learning is on trend, social emotional learning important, foster creativity and teach the whole child, test scores are overemphasized--check, check, check.

Good self-summary on p. 123: "When test scores become the only thing schools focus on, we start to lose the soul of education, because let's be real, learning isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It's about curiosity, creativity, connection, and growth......Kids are more than their scores, and teaching is more than hitting a benchmark."

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short to the point Book. It is great for any parent teacher anyone. To learn about their child, their classroom and learn how to make those connections that we need more and more in the world. Learning that we as educators and his parents need to listen to the students and the children that we are around watching how we our selves control our ourselves and how it is interpreted with the children. These are the world that we have in the future. Teaching the children to make connections with other’s and develop their creativity and their imagination is outstanding.Jere has done an amazing job and opening up herself and letting everybody into her past along with giving some wonderful strategies to how we can start making connections. This is something we all need to start learning about taking the phones out of our face and making the true connections with each other. i’m so proud to say that the connections that she made in this Book is the reason why we all have that favorite teacher. It is the reason why I’ve been able to reconnect with the teachers that have made my education and my teaching career possible. This is definitely a must read for all.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a teacher and really enjoyed this book. Ms. Chang is a blessing to all the kids she has teached. She is highly educated and full of good ideas. I wish I knew someone graduating college with a teaching degree this would be the perfect gift! I had a terrible time In school, to think if I had a teacher like Ms. Chang, I could of survived my school years. She has passion and dedication. She's molding great kids to see it in themselves to succeed. I think everybody will find this book heartfelt and inspiring even if you're not a teacher. Keep up the great teaching Ms. Chang. I loved the book and I love following you on instagram.