change conditions is to empower young people, through education, to build a better world.
Until that happens, our society will continue to create alienated and angry young men and
women like the people suspected of killing Jonathan. According to police records, Jonathan
was not their only victim, and they did not target him because he was a teacher. He was
someone with money, and they needed money.
Jonathan Levin died because of the conditions in our society he was trying to change. To
pull back from his struggle, to surrender to cynicism and despair, is to dishonor Jonathan
and abandon the young people for whom he cared. Jonathan Levin’s dream continues to live
in the life of every student he affected. Jonathan Levin was a teacher.
***JOIN THE CONVERSATION—JOB OF THE TEACHERQuestions to Consider:- What do you think of the job of the teacher as defined by Jonathan Levin and the other
teachers mentioned in this essay?
2.At this point, how would you define the job of the teacher? Why?
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Atwell, N. (1987).In the middle: Writing, reading, and learning with adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Beagle, P. (1968).The last unicorn. New York: Viking.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1994). Who will speak for the children? How “Teach for America” hurts urban schools and stu-
dents,Phi Delta Kappan, 76(1), 21–34.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Reforming teacher preparation and licensing: Debating the evidence,Teachers College
Record, 102(1), 28–56.
Freire, P. (1995).The pedagogy of hope. New York: Continuum.
Kohl, H. (1994).I won’t learn from you and other thoughts on creative maladjustment. New York: The New Press.
Logan, J. (1997).Teaching stories. New York: Kodansha America.
Marquez, G. (1993).Chronicle of a death foretold. New York: Knopf.
Ponsot, M., & Deen, R. (1982).Beat not the poor desk. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
RESPONSIBILITIES 57