Experiences from:''The School of Hard Knocks''

About the Book

This is a story of an educator. A touch inner-city “kid” who eventually grew to be Principal, a job he never aspired. How life’s experiences, the “School of Hard Knock” and life’s peculiar twists of fate somehow predetermined that for short moment in time he would be the head of an urban high school. This is a story of five encounters on one particular day and how they impacted his life and the lives of teachers, parents and students. Mr. Francisco’s flashbacks to his youth on the streets of New York’s West Side are musing and heart piercing. They provide the basis and experience for his problem solving and decision making. The author questions the over emphasis on acquisition of facts and assessment and the lack of student interaction with ideas and experiences. He questions the lack of development of character in our schools. He advocates student and teacher incentives grounded in effort and productivity. In the end, we are reminded that life’s experiences from the “School of Hard Knocks” often remain with us for a lifetime.

About the Author

Mr. Francisco is a product of New York City's West Side. Gil Francisco has been involved in education for thirty-seven years, as teacher, coach and administrator. His educational background includes a B.A. from Kansas Wesleyan University, Masters of Education from Wichita State University, Administrative Certifi cation From Columbia University Teacher's College and a he was a Doctoral Program Candidate ABD at New York University