The Students Are Watching: Schools and the Moral Contract

quote from The Students are Watching: "School exists to change young people. The young people should be different--better--for their experience there. They should know some important things, they should know how to learn additional important things, and they should be in the habit of wanting to learn such important things. They should have a reasoned, but individual point of view. They should be judicious, aware of the complexity of the world. They should be thoughtful, respectful of thought and of ideas which are the furniture of thought." The Students are Watching is about teaching morals through example and treating students with respect while delivering education in an ethical manner. I don't really view this as a "how to teach morals" book, but as a guide to running an ethical school.

"To find the core of a school, don't look at its rulebook or even its mission statement. Look at the way the people in it spend their time..." (p. 18). This quotation from The Students are Watching is exactly what the Sizers have done in this book. This book examines how the students, teachers, administrators, and everyone else who is involved in schools spend their time. It is a book wrought with parables about high school life. This book is not meant as a case study, but rather a reflection of what high school is really like. The stories used to illustrate the authors' points are not necessarily factual literal cases, but are realistic and well chosen. I found this book to be very readable and well organized. The six chapters describe what happens in schools: 1. Modeling 2. Grappling 3. Bluffing 4. Sorting 5. Shoving 6. Fearing Within these chapters, the Sizers reflect on what they have observed in their combined 40+ years in education. Each of the above verbs is done in schools both in positive and negative ways. The Sizers do a wonderful job of explaining what schools do, why they do it, and the consequences for their actions.This book is not a how to manual for improving academics. Rather, it is a well-written thought provoker that helps those involved with school to think about what students are really learning. Much more important than academics, the Sizers focus on what values our schools are sharing with our young people. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is involved with school in any capacity.

If ever there are two people who embody morality in education as well as in life, they are Ted and Nancy Sizer. Their candid voice and wealth of experiences contribute to a much-needed commentary on the state of American public schools. In the aftermath of so much school-related violence, a truly American epidemic, it is imperative for adults-- teachers and parents alike-- to heed the Sizers' advice and commit themselves to greater deliberation in their actions.

The Students are Watching is one of the best education books I've ever read! Accessible and passionate, the Sizers use their knowledge and experience to tackle many of the problems in schools today. The book is practical and full of examples--for teachers, students, and parents--describing the true meaning of morality in schools and of how we can create schools that demonstrate a belief in the students; preparing them for the future.

Ted and Nancy Sizer write, not with the equivocal opinions of policy makers, but with the authority of their years of experience as teachers and school reformers. I've read a lot of books on education, but this is the only one I've read that truly matters. It persuades us, through its economy and intelligence, that only by building a moral community -- one unique to each school -- can we begin to change our public schools to serve their students, teachers, and our society.