José Vilson writes about race, class, and education through stories from the classroom and researched essays. His rise from rookie math teacher to prominent teacher leader takes a twist when he takes on education reform through his now-blocked eponymous blog, TheJoseVilson.com. He calls for the reclaiming of the education profession while seeking social justice.

Table of ContentsON PERSPECTIVE [AN INTRODUCTION] 3PLEASE PUT YOUR PENCILS DOWN 9PRELUDE TO A HURRICANE 20CAN IT BE THAT IT WAS ALL SO SIMPLE THEN? 32A SYNOPSIS OF THE ROAD LESS WANTED 44FALSE KINGS 54THE ANSWER 65The Post-TFA Assessment 72BLUE MAGIC 80THE HOMEROOM IS A HOME 87SNITCHES OPEN STITCHES 96ON THE REASON WHY YOU DON'T SEE MORE BLACK / LATINO TEACHERS ... YET 102THE FINE ART OF THE CLASSROOM JOKE 117WHAT HAPPENED 123IT DOESN'T MATTER WITH ME NOW 132RACE AND EDUCATION WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 139TECHNICALLY, IT'S CALLED CONVENIENT IGNORANCE 147WHY YOU POST-RACIALISTS GET IT WRONG ... AGAIN 153BAND OF BROTHERS 159GOD GOT JOKES (THE CASE OF 702) 172IT'S THE LIFE 180GENESIS OF A NEMESIS 187WHITE NOISE (ON BEHALF OF RUBEN REDMAN) 193GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD 198A CAUTIONARY NOTE TO BURGEONING TEACHER LEADERS [THE EAGLE VS THE HUMMINGBIRD] 206CONSIDER TEACHING 211ON THE STATE OF TEACHER VOICE 216AFTERWORD 232