If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher True Stories from America's Teachers, Our Last Line of Defense and Our First Line of Hope

The son of a teacher himself, James Patterson brings us the real-life stories—the drama, the tragedies, the triumphs—of today's classrooms.

Teaching is among the most noble professions, yet today’s teachers face unprecedented challenges—from limited funding in school districts to book banning to gun violence to politics infiltrating education. In classrooms across the country, teachers demonstrate resilience and ingenuity as they dedicate their lives to improving those of future generations.  

Teachers change students’ lives. 

In one moving story, a student about to take a military special ops exam is sitting in the barber’s chair getting his hair cut, when he has the sudden realization: “I would not be sitting in this chair if it wasn’t for my fifth-grade teacher.” 

He tracks down the teacher and tells her: “You were the first person who ever believed in me.” 

                “I’m so touched,” she says, through tears. “Calls like that are what teaching is all about. I try to remember this feeling when I have a tough class, a tough day, a tough year.”