Now considered a classic, this volume is one of the most widely read and highly acclaimed works ever published in the field of education. It is a provocative, often witty and irreverent personal commentary on teaching by one of America's most brilliant philosophers and historians. The book goes beyond a mere discussion of education by attempting to illuminate the whole question of our national culture. Originally published by Atlantic Monthly Press in 1944.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Well written but out of date:
Mr Barzun has all my admiration. I agree with somebody's words below: "down-to-earth, full of common sense, and brilliantly lucid", and whatever more you want to add he's got it. But, what he talks about is utopia, antient history -the way our educational history develops. It just doesn't apply. One can really enjoy reading Mr. Barzun, no matter what he talks about, but in this case, being the contrast between the former state of education and the current one so hurting, I can't take it. It would have been... more info
Jacques Barzun Is Someone Who Knows Something About Authenic Teaching and Learning:
Jacques Barzun's TEACHER IN AMERICA is a classic commentary on actual learning as opposed to "fun and games" in the classroom. He knows what is important in learning and what is cosmetic and false. Barzun not gives a careful diagnosis of what good teaching and actual learning means, but he is aware that modern "methods" do not work, and he knows why. Barzun, as other reviewers note, wrote this book in the 1940s when the disasters in public schools were only incubating. He clearly saw what was going to... more info
The Best of the Best:
Jacques Barzun is in his nineties today and still one of the best thinkers of our time. Forty years ago both my wife and I ran across this book as we were taking wearisome ed courses in teachers college to acquire certification to teach in New York public schools. Our professors did not like Barzun then, and I am sure they don't like him today. He is down-to-earth, full of common sense, and brilliantly lucid. This was our handbook, along with Gilbert Highet's The Art of Teaching, which they didn't like... more info
A Salute to Excellent Teaching:
The hardest yet most refreshing part about reading this book is that I am 25. One can easily pick up the urgency in Barzun's words and doubtless he was critiquing the educational modifications of the time- originally published in the 40's. Since that time, every school has become the 'progressive' school that Barzun warns against- A furthering of Deweyan principles of 'It's not learning if it ain't fun' and 'true understanding is in the heart, not the head.' In an effort to make education fun and push... more info
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