Overview

"""The first thing I need you to know is that becoming a teacher was the most important thing that ever happened to me."" With these words, Kaycee Eckhardt begins a journey both harrowing and hopeful: the story of becoming an effective teacher, and building a new school, in post-Katrina New Orleans. Beginning as a first year teacher, barely out of six weeks of training, the book follows her path from the New Orleans neighborhoods of Holly Grove, Algiers, Treme, and the 9th Ward. She takes us through four different schools, a destroyed bicycle, a half dead pit bull, a burlesque-dancer, spit and a concussion, broken light bulbs, a phonics lesson, and planting the seeds of literacy in the most dire of circumstances. With affection and brutal honesty, she relates the hilarity and tragedy of several children, the belief in all things possible, and finally, the most difficult decision of all. Filled with heartbreaking stories, teacher survival strategies, and an excess of heart, Katrina's Sandcastles is a story of sacrifice and struggle, belief and failure, despair and ultimate redemption in the heart of the Crescent City."

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9781621067481

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Reviews

Gorgeous, tragic, inspiring, and heart-wrenching from the first page to the last. Just like the schools (this author) taught in, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it is an honest and inspiring account of the quest to make the world a better place, one child at a time. --Caitlin Corrigan, professor, Rutgers University

A riveting and nuanced look at one of the most important education stories of our time. As an educator who worked in New Orleans schools for several years after Hurricane Katrina, Kaycee Eckhardt adds a desperately needed front-line perspective to our understanding of this complex and important story. Passionate and dedicated, Eckhardt writes from the heart. --Sarah Carr, author, Hope Against Hope Beautiful, brave, and honest. Kaycee shows us the complexity of good teaching--the commitment, the skills, the heart, the humility. A testament to the possibility, difficulty, and challenge of improving education that should be read by anyone considering teaching in urban school systems. --Lisa Wilde, author, Yo Miss Eckhardt takes us behind contentious school reform debates to the life of a young teacher in a New Orleans charter school. With uncompromising candor, she vividly describes the hard-won successes and gut-wrenching failures of a teacher's work. You won't forget the young people in her classroom and what she learned from them. --Mike Rose, author, Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America It's a book that reminds us that it's kids that are important, it's a story of why teachers do what they do. . . . It's a gem. . . . an important book, and I'm so glad it has been written. --Davis Guggenheim, director, Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth, The Shield Gorgeous, tragic, inspiring, and heart-wrenching from the first page to the last. Just like the schools (this author) taught in, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it is an honest and inspiring account of the quest to make the world a better place, one child at a time. --Caitlin Corrigan, professor, Rutgers University Absolutely stunning . . . beautiful and bittersweet . . . made me miss working directly with kids. --Director, teachNOLA Incredibly moving . . . a powerful story that captures emotion but remains simple in its main points. . . . Really incredible stuff. --Morgan Ripski, Collegiate Academies Lovely! I am honored and excited to be reminded of [Eckhardt's] inner life and constant growth. --Ben Marcovitz, founder, Sci Academy and Collegiate Academies Well done. . . . Written with delicate and gorgeous hindsight --Sara Zuckerman, America Achieves

"""A riveting and nuanced look at one of the most important education stories of our time. As an educator who worked in New Orleans schools for several years after Hurricane Katrina, Kaycee Eckhardt adds a desperately needed front-line perspective to our understanding of this complex and important story. Passionate and dedicated, Eckhardt writes from the heart."" --Sarah Carr, author, ""Hope Against Hope"" ""Beautiful, brave, and honest. Kaycee shows us the complexity of good teaching--the commitment, the skills, the heart, the humility. A testament to the possibility, difficulty, and challenge of improving education that should be read by anyone considering teaching in urban school systems."" --Lisa Wilde, author, ""Yo Miss"" ""Eckhardt takes us behind contentious school reform debates to the life of a young teacher in a New Orleans charter school. With uncompromising candor, she vividly describes the hard-won successes and gut-wrenching failures of a teacher's work. You won't forget the young people in her classroom and what she learned from them."" --Mike Rose, author, ""Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America"" ""It's a book that reminds us that it's kids that are important, it's a story of why teachers do what they do. . . . It's a gem. . . . an important book, and I'm so glad it has been written."" --Davis Guggenheim, director, ""Waiting for Superman,"" "" An Inconvenient Truth,"" ""The Shield"" ""Gorgeous, tragic, inspiring, and heart-wrenching from the first page to the last. Just like the schools (this author) taught in, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it is an honest and inspiring account of the quest to make the world a better place, one child at a time."" --Caitlin Corrigan, professor, Rutgers University ""Absolutely stunning . . . beautiful and bittersweet . . . made me miss working directly with kids."" --Director, teachNOLA ""Incredibly moving . . . a powerful story that captures emotion but remains simple in its main points. . . . Really incredible stuff."" --Morgan Ripski, Collegiate Academies ""Lovely! I am honored and excited to be reminded of [Eckhardt's] inner life and constant growth."" --Ben Marcovitz, founder, Sci Academy and Collegiate Academies ""Well done. . . . Written with delicate and gorgeous hindsight"" --Sara Zuckerman, America Achieves"

Incredibly moving . . . a powerful story that captures emotion but remains simple in its main points. . . . Really incredible stuff. --Morgan Ripski, Collegiate Academies Well done. . . . Written with delicate and gorgeous hindsight --Sara Zuckerman, America Achieves Absolutely stunning . . . beautiful and bittersweet . . . made me miss working directly with kids. --Director, teachNOLA Lovely! I am honored and excited to be reminded of [Eckhardt's] inner life and constant growth. --Ben Marcovitz, founder, Sci Academy and Collegiate Academies Gorgeous, tragic, inspiring, and heart-wrenching from the first page to the last. Just like the schools (this author) taught in, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it is an honest and inspiring account of the quest to make the world a better place, one child at a time. --Caitlin Corrigan, professor, Rutgers University It's a book that reminds us that it's kids that are important, it's a story of why teachers do what they do. . . . It's a gem. . . . an important book, and I'm so glad it has been written. --Davis Guggenheim, director, Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth, The Shield Beautiful, brave, and honest. Kaycee shows us the complexity of good teaching--the commitment, the skills, the heart, the humility. A testament to the possibility, difficulty, and challenge of improving education that should be read by anyone considering teaching in urban school systems. --Lisa Wilde, author, Yo Miss A riveting and nuanced look at one of the most important education stories of our time. As an educator who worked in New Orleans schools for several years after Hurricane Katrina, Kaycee Eckhardt adds a desperately needed front-line perspective to our understanding of this complex and important story. Passionate and dedicated, Eckhardt writes from the heart. --Sarah Carr, author, Hope Against Hope Eckhardt takes us behind contentious school reform debates to the life of a young teacher in a New Orleans charter school. With uncompromising candor, she vividly describes the hard-won successes and gut-wrenching failures of a teacher's work. You won't forget the young people in her classroom and what she learned from them. --Mike Rose, author, Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America

Author Information

Kaycee Eckhardt created the reading program for innovative New Orleans charter school Sci Academy where students’ reading levels improved by an average of over 3.5 years. Eckhardt was the Louisiana Charter Teacher of the Year in 2009. She has gone on to do national education, Common Core advocacy, and teaches literacy development. She was interviewed by Brian Williams on NBC’s Teacher Town Hall and the subject of the viral documentaries School Works: The Committed Teacher andAmerica Achieves: Symbolism in the Lottery. She continues to work in education policy and lectures to motivate and inspire first year teachers. She lives in New Orleans.

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