The Overly Honest Teacher

By Meredith Essalat

Synopsis:

As both a teacher and school principal, Meredith Essalat has lived the daily challenges of helping children navigate through their young lives. She has seen the struggles that parents have as they balance longer working hours with the demands of home life. And how it’s the teachers who are often caught in the middle. In an effort to stop pointing out each other’s flaws—and instead letting kids know they are supported—Meredith offers hard-won pointers, enabling parents, teachers, and students alike to encourage one another while holding everyone accountable for their actions.

Combining humor with straightforward, practical advice, the Overly Honest Teacher shows parents how to welcome everyday parenting gracefully. The results will be well-adjusted, positive, enthusiastic young adults ready to work hard and take on the world. And isn’t that what we all want for our children?

Read an excerpt:

“We should never stand by and watch as a child drowns (both literally and figuratively), but we also should never let them stay in the shallow end forever. I have watched parents come to school to spoon-feed their second-grade students at lunchtime. Watched them complete their projects, write their papers, solve their friendship failings. But while these well-intentioned guardians think they are helping their kiddos, they are actually holding them back from reaching their capacity for figuring things out for themselves. Realizing their individual abilities for conflict resolution and self-sustenance.

Pick them up when they fall down. Put a Band-Aid on their broken hearts and salve on their scraped knees. But when it comes to the speed bumps along their road of academic, social, and emotional exploration, pull up a lawn chair and cheer them on from the sidelines. It’s time for your kiddos to get in the game.”

Author bio:

Meredith Essalat is a K-8 school principal in San Francisco, CA and author of The Overly Honest Teacher. With a career in academia that has spanned more than 17 years, she started off in collegiate student activities before moving into both elementary and secondary academic communities. She spent nine years in middle school education as both teacher and Dean of Middle School Curriculum. In each of these opportunities, she witnessed the gamut of the scholastic, social, and developmental experiences of today’s student. She possesses a BA in Mass Communication, a California-Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a second M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. Essalat resides in California with her husband, Cameron. Visit OverlyHonestTeacher.com for her valuable lessons learned both inside and outside the classroom.

Catch up with Meredith Essalat on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

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