Be Honest (And Other Advice from Students Across the Country)

Be Honest is the newest innovative publishing project from 826 National, the tutoring center founded by bestselling author Dave Eggers, now with branches in eight cities nationwide. Eggers’s co-founder Nínive Calegari, the former CEO of 826 National and a co-author of the bestselling Teachers Have It Easy, presents a riveting book full of surprising insights from young people who have a lot to say to their teachers.

Be Honest presents the first-person stories of dozens of high school students from every ethnic group and financial bracket: a girl from an immigrant family is put in an ESL class even though her English is fluent; an African American boy talks about the social pressures that prevent him from asking his teacher for help; and a privileged private school student describes his transition to public school—and reports that he was able to learn more with the increased freedom it brought.

Through these personal narratives, teachers and activists will learn an invaluable lesson: what the classroom looks like from the other side of the desk.