Jonathan Kozol is the author of The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. Throughout the text, he weaves many of his own experiences in public schools across the nation into his arguments. These experiences, particularly his time as a teacher in Boston’s segregated schools, deeply influenced his advocacy for school integration and educational equality.

Kozol began teaching in Boston in the 1960s during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Initially volunteering to teach at a summer “freedom school,” he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to become a “real teacher.” Although he had no formal training or experience, he was easily hired because he agreed to work for very little pay in one of Boston’s segregated schools. During his years as an elementary school teacher there, Kozol was exposed to the often appalling conditions that Black children were forced to learn in. He was also mentored by leaders in the Black community, who taught him the importance of school integration in the fight for an equal society, and he befriended many of his students’ parents.

Kozol taught elementary school for many years. He eventually began writing books about his experiences and visiting other schools nationwide, advocating for greater educational equality.