| | Introduction | p. ix |
| | America has met the enemy-teachers | |
| | Good-Bye Too Soon | p. 1 |
| | Wait! I don't want to leave these kids. And they don't want me to leave. | |
| | Voices of Teachers around the Country: James Boutin, Seattle, Washington | |
| | The Almighty Principal | p. 23 |
| | Take it from a teacher: "Run! Run away! Really, I mean it!" | |
| | Meet the Teachers | p. 41 |
| | Can you find the lazy do-nothings in this picture? | |
| | My Students and Me | p. 63 |
| | In this class, we're all writers. Voices of Teachers around the Country: Corinne Driscoll, Syracuse, New York | |
| | The Rules | p. 89 |
| | The power of positive delusion as an organizing principle. | |
| | Classroom Management | p. 101 |
| | This is the "secret sauce." But what's the recipe? | |
| | What Has Four Wheels and Flies? | p. 111 |
| | The life of the traveling teacher. | |
| | Not High School as You Remember It | p. 127 |
| | The music department is kept in a closet. And the library…what library? | |
| | Teaching, Step by Step | p. 137 |
| | How to perform choreography with a stopwatch. | |
| | Bad Moves | p. 147 |
| | Never poke the principal. | |
| | Judgment Daze | p. 165 |
| | How can we tell who's good and who's bad? | |
| | Voices of Teachers around the Country: Mr. "X," Southwest Florida | |
| | Cheaters' Paradise | p. 189 |
| | Those who insist they aren't lying are liars. | |
| | Voices of Teachers around the Country: Mrs. Chili, New England | |
| | What I Learned | p. 203 |
| | Ten things about education that nobody wants to hear these days. | |
| | What We Can Do | p. 231 |
| | There is hope. Here's how to help. | |
| | Epilogue | p. 239 |
| | Bibliography | p. 242 |
| | Acknowledgments | p. 245 |
| | About the Author | p. 246 |