Synopsis
Teaching in the New Crazy: On Thriving in an Overwhelming, Politicized, and Complicated World by Dr. Glen Coleman is a blend of memoir, field guide, and professional critique aimed at educators navigating the modern, high-stress classroom environment. Drawing on his nearly three decades of experience as a high school social studies teacher in New Jersey and an HP Teaching Fellow, Coleman addresses what he describes as "the new crazy"—a chaotic educational landscape defined by political tribalism, institutional distrust, and the constant digital distraction of omnipresent technology and artificial intelligence. The book serves as an optimistic yet starkly realistic rallying cry for teachers who feel overwhelmed by societal polarization but still believe in the transformative power of a single lesson.
Rather than offering rigid, standardized lesson plans, Coleman focuses on reshaping classroom dynamics to foster student-centered learning. He advocates for leaning into messy, collaborative exploration, arguing that the traditional, hyper-structured models of instruction fail to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. By encouraging teachers to facilitate dialogue through fundamental, open-ended questions like "How do you know?" and "What should we do?", Coleman demonstrates how to push past the superficial engagement of screens and build genuine curiosity, grit, and critical thinking skills in a fractured cultural climate.
Ultimately, the book tackles the emotional and systemic fatigue that drives many educators away from the profession, framing active, student-led inquiry as the antidote to burnout. Coleman places a strong emphasis on leveraging technology—including intentional approaches to AI in the classroom—not as a passive replacement for human interaction, but as a tool to cultivate student voice and self-reliance. It is an actionable blueprint designed to help teachers reclaim their agency, push back against corporate-style educational metrics, and create resilient learning environments where both students and educators can thrive.