My Life In School

Former New York State Commissioner of Education Sobol takes us on a compelling journey beginning in his childhood, continuing with his life as a teacher and leader in schools, Commissioner of Education in New York and professor at Columbia University. Using language close to poetry, Sobol writes of his early years, a blend of family warmth and threats from the 1930's outside world. He rides a trolley car to Boston Latin School, becomes organist in his church community, grows and expands during his life as a commuter student at Harvard and his service in Korea. With humor and candor, he shares his self- doubt, his misgivings, his failures, his successes and his passion for teaching. He shares two stories, one personal and one professional. Says Sobol of his book, "... the personal is so intertwined with the professional, they cannot be clearly separated. Two stories, but one life." Sobol's memoir is honest and revealing about the challenges that education in this country presents for teachers, school and district leaders, commissioners, boards of education, parents, community members, and children. My Life in School offers an invitation into Tom Sobol's life. A must read for anyone, because none of us is removed from the need for an ethical, equitable, robust education system.