Chalkdust Memories follows the arc of the author's 26 years in the classroom. Dunnan was driven from teaching, and effectively prevented from ever teaching again, through the concerted actions of a corrupt, rich, white suburban high school noprth of Boston. Together with the author's previous book, Notes to a New Teacher, it forms bookends to a teaching career. However, whereas Notes mixes memoir with insight and instruction for people entering teaching, Chalkdust Memories is strictly a memoir. Looking back over a classroom career, it brings humor, reflection, and a degree of cynicism to the story. There are many segments of Chalkdust Memories that also appear in Notes, although more than half the book is new material. The reason for re-using material is that he audiences for the two books should be different. More detailed descriptions of both books can be found on the chalkdustmemories.com website. For a three minute TV interview with the author go to http: //www.chalkdustmemories.com
About the Author: Dana Dunnan comes from a family of educators. He attended the University of New Hampshire and Stanford University. He began teaching as a substitute teacher while attending UNH. Since he liked that experience, he knew he would embrace teaching as a profession. While at Stanford, he was a teaching intern at Woodside High School, in Woodside, California. Upon receiving his Masters' degree, he began full-time teaching at Masconomet Regional High School, which serves the affluent Boston suburbs of Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield. Early in his time at Masconomet, he got indicators of what the culture of the school community would be like. He was laid off as a teacher in the science department, and took a year's leave of absence. During that year, he began teaching at the Summer School at the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy. To return after that year, he had to bump his way into the English department. His success teaching journalism won awards, and influenced his own writing. He returned to the science department, and began work as an adjunct faculty member at Harvard Graduate School of Education, helping the teacher training program. After his time at Harvard, he became involved with Massachusetts' effort to develop curriculum frameworks in STEM. He also connected with MIT, where he would eventually spend several years as a visiting scholar. Through all of his outside work, he continued to teach at Masconomet. He became a union activist, and proposed and led a no-confidence vote that would ultimately end the career of superintendent Joseph Carroll. Such actions did not occur without consequences. The climate and culture of Masconomet lie at the heart of Chalkdust Memories. This is the author's fourth book.