School Selfies: Teachers Parents Students and Bandwagons

by Freda Lewkowicz

School Selfies: Teachers, Parents, Students and Bandwagons exposes truths and shines a light on issues in education that demand attention. It is an honest, no-frills selfie of schools today, and it should be compulsory reading for the general public, teachers, parents, teachers-in-training, professors at teachers’ colleges, students and administrators.

Here are the tales of terror, joy and tragedy about teaching that few others have the experience or the courage to reveal. Here is the undistorted, sometimes shocking, wide-angle view of what really occurs in public schools. From the dangerous false accusation syndrome to Mom and Dad as the new bully on the playground, readers will feel recognition, shock, fear, laughter, disbelief and hope as they discover the truths hidden behind school doors.

214 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2015

About the author

Freda Lewkowicz was born in Montreal, Quebec where her parents, Holocaust survivors, sought refuge after the war. She graduated from Concordia University and McGill University with a B.A. in English, a Diploma in Education, and Certificates in Special Education and Reading Instruction. For 39 years she taught English at Rosemere High School in Rosemere, Quebec. While teaching, she became an op-ed writer, focusing on education, parents, and students. Her comments were published in The Christian Science Monitor, Parade.com, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Montreal Gazette, The Ottawa Citizen, The Salt Lake Tribune and The Canadian Jewish News. Her debut picture book, OLIVER SOLIVER, illustrated by Felipe Diaz Huarnez, was published in 2018. I AM HAVA: A SONG’S STORY OF LOVE, HOPE & JOY, illustrated by Siona Benjamin, was published in 2021 by Intergalactic Afikoman.

Reviews

[Felix Gelbart · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her new anthology, "School Selfies:Teachers,Parents, Students and Bandwagons ", Freda Lewkowicz has told a great many truths, and told them brilliantly. She does not mince words, nor does she attempt political correctness. Instead, she simply tells the truth as seen through her eyes; the eyes of a master teacher with several decades of practice in her profession. She has chronicled the arrival of the hovering helicopter parents, the scared to do anything controversial administrators, the lies, the sucking up, and the total avoidance of the pachyderm in the playhouse..... What has become of learning, of respect, of basic values be they educational/grammatical, political or personal?

This is a powerful book which explains in depth what is happening in education today, and what must be done to repair it for the good of all, be they teachers, administrators parents or students. Are there still good students and bright ones...yes! Are there many who feel entitled and superior, and have no need to follow rules, do assignments, or act with grace and class, again Yes! Are there many parents allowing and even encouraging this? Also yes. Sadly so. Freda has many illustrative examples in her book to prove the point. And the point is, EDUCATION IS WORTH SAVING, FOR THE GOOD OF US ALL!

And sadly, it is dying: under the weight of ill thought out and educationally bankrupt government initiatives, cutbacks and reforms...(the emperor’s new clothes), Administrations which no longer seem capable of maintaining order or backing teachers by holding people other than teaching staff accountable - including themselves; by parents who lie and cover for their children; and by the children whose feelgood awards for breathing air and participating in life will mean less than nothing in the economic realities of tomorrow.

There are no participation or feelgood awards in the struggle for jobs. You get it or you don't. That's reality. Nobody gives you a prize for trying...similarly you either can write intelligibly and comprehend what you have read or not. At some point life itself will hold us all accountable. Freda is accountable. She has accepted her role. She tried to stem the rise of banality and political correctness, and got into trouble for it. Let us learn the main lessons in her book. It isn't yet too late, but midnight is fast approaching.

Felix Gelbart, [B.A.,Ed. Cert., Spec. Ed. Cert., M.Ed., Ed Admin Cert. 1 & 2]
(The reviewer is a lifelong learner, an educator for over 43 years as a teacher, vice principal, principal, advisor, and now Student Supervisor for teacher’s college candidates. He holds degrees in Education, Special Education, Literacy teaching, and Graduate certificates in Educational Administration.)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

School Selfies: Teachers, Parents, Students and Bandwagons is the book that teachers should have been given in teachers’ college and the book that parents should be compelled to read before their kids start school. It is also the book that the general public should read to see what’s broken in public education and how to fix it. It may not be a flattering portrayal of today’s educational partners, but it is a description of what REALLY occurs behind closed school doors.
The chapters that describe the different types of parents will make readers roar with laughter. Report Card Rage Parents? My Child Doesn’t Lie Parents? Ms. Lewkowicz’s descriptions are 100% truthful. Some shocking chapters contain notes from parents, and these too will force the reader to laugh out loud. These notes can’t possibly be true. Can they? Unfortunately, they are!
“David did not throw snowballs. He grabbed some snow and threw it on a friend’s coat for fun. It was the first snowfall this winter. We are supposed to enjoy life’s natural pleasures.”
“Inattentive and lack of effort and failing at this time sound a bit exaggerated to me.”
And this from a parent whose child plagiarized from the Internet. “ My daughter did this report on her own including the first paragraph! She always works hard to do her reports but somehow receives poor marks. I feel that this essay should be kept the way it is. If you have any problems with this, please call me.”

In School Selfies readers will meet also the students of today who can break one’s heart with their life stories or with their absolute goodness or misdeeds. School Selfies offers a wide panoramic view of public education today.

[Elizabeth Ramsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lewkowicz raises many interesting points, but her hostility takes away from her arguments. Much of the information presented in the book is repetitive, likely because these were originally published separately. The book would benefit from the author going over it and re-writing some of her essays to avoid repetition, increase clarity, and depersonalize. I realize this is about sharing personal experiences and trying to show how the system can be improved, but too much personal venting takes away from what are some very good arguments. Lewkowicz might also consider including a longer introduction which explains some of her terminology. I am an educator as well and I found it confusing when she said she was a high school teacher and then refered to grade 7 and 8 students. High school doesn't start until grade 9. This is likely a difference between Ontario and Quebec, but it would help if she clarified this in an introduction as the confusion makes it seem as if she is missing facts when a full reading of her work clearly shows that she is not.

[Andrea]

If you think you know everything about teachers, teaching, and the educational system, then think again. School Selfies by Freda Lewkowicz is an eye-opener. The book is a collections of essays covering a gamut of topics based on Ms Lewkowicz' 39 years in the classroom. It is one teacher's honest look at what is going on in our schools today. She tackles such controversial issues as overprotective parents, today's entitled youth, harassment in the workplace and more. School Selfies should be mandatory reading for all who are committed to public education.

[Lyndsey O'Keeffe-Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. While I read it I could hear my husbands' voice (who is also in the school system) telling me these stories. They are so true and happen at every school. From the parents who believe their kids can do no wrong to the teachers campaigning against one another. My husband felt such relief that all this stuff doesn't just happen at his school! Everyone in the school system from teachers, to principals, to parents and even students should read this book to get a real view of just what school is like now.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. I especially enjoy how Ms. Lewkowicz bares nothing but truths when it comes to today's world of teaching in the public system. From principals without any "backbone" to parents who will make excuses for their child no matter what, each chapter will enlighten the reader about the ongoings in schools today.