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Samuel G. Freedman, Small Victories Freedman spent the 1987-88 academic year observing teacher Jessica Siegel's English and journalism classes at Seward Park High School on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The school has a student body composed primarily of immigrants and first-generation Americans. Siegel's job, says Freedman, is to fulfill "the most fundamental act of American education" – turning her students into "intelligent citizens." Siegel is an unusually compassionate teacher who makes it her mission to know the minutiae of her students' lives, from struggles at home to trouble on the streets. She produces a legion of success stories, sending many students to prestigious colleges. Her classroom is a haven from the tough world outside the school doors. Freedman's prose reads like a novel, but neither glamorizes nor glosses over the tough questions. |
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