Retracing the journey : teaching and learning in an American high school / Leila Christenbury ; foreword by Deborah Appleman.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-147) and index.

What matters most -- To school. Trailer 11. Live Oak High School. Who they were. What they expected. The plan. The adjustments -- The first weeks. More than I wanted to know. What seemed immediately right. Storm clouds. The discussion that died -- Conflict of values. What happened to the work ethic? Looking for advice. The failed lure of choice. Planning and keeping track -- When a project goes bad. The great research paper plan. Parents are not always our friends. The research paper results -- The struggle for engagement. Students with whom I connected. The student who wouldn't--and then who would. The note that was not meant to be found. Only connect -- The state test : unintended consequences. Reviewing for the test. Didn't I get that memo? -- Conflict of expectations. I lose my temper. The field trip travesty -- Some good stuff and some other stuff. The discussion that worked. The projects that clicked. When best practice meets school culture -- Assessment : the students and other teachers. What the students had to say. Section two: course content and activities. Section one: students' open-ended answers. The last question. Looking at the experience of other teachers. What their current teacher had to say -- Lessons learned and re-learned. Treaties in the classroom. Treaties and instructional ideals. High stakes testing. The schedule of the school day. School regulations. Locus of control. The fiction of excellence -- It will be different in college. universities and schools. walking our talk -- What we might do in the future. How did we get here? Contemporary concerns. Reform models and schools. The urgency of the issue. Assessing the ideas. And at the end. Epilogue.