Teacher at Point Blank: Confronting Sexuality, Violence, and Secrets in a Suburban School

Literary Nonfiction. Education Studies. Memoir. Why would a high school teacher who loves teaching leave school–after half a career in the classroom? TEACHER AT POINT BLANK answers this question at a time when concerns about school performance, safety, and teacher attrition are at an all-time and often anxious high. Meditating on subtle and overt forms of violence in secondary public education from an up-close and pink collar point of view, Jo Scott-Coe defies cliches and cultural fantasies about teachers. She examines her own workplace as a microcosm of the national compulsory K–12 system, where teachers–now nearly 80 percent women–find themselves idealized and disparaged, expected to embody the dedication of parents, the coldness of data managers, and the obedience of Stepford spouses. In this groundbreaking memoir in essays, Scott-Coe recounts her own journey to recover a sane and independent voice. TEACHER AT POINT BLANK fuses her perspectives as teacher and former student, adult and child, educator and writer.