Letters to a Young Teacher carries on the tradition of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, in which a veteran of a field provides insight and wisdom to a young acolyte of the same field through correspondence. What are the benefits of this format? What are the drawbacks? What does this correspondence-style narrative achieve that other formats do not?

Discuss Kozol’s views regarding efforts to privatize education, including the implementation of voucher systems. Are Kozol’s concerns about the privatization of the American education system valid? Why or why not? What might the benefits of a fully or increasingly privatized American education system be?

Kozol expects teachers to bring their playful and creative selves into the classroom, to provide attention and patience to difficult students, to develop positive and mutually beneficial relationships with the parents of students, to establish good relationships with older colleagues who can occasionally be difficult to get to know, and to be honest with children about difficult topics. They must also find ways to satisfy the curriculum and the school administration, to make sure students succeed on mandatory tests, and to maintain optimism and an activist attitude in the face of a crumbling infrastructure.