Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives

Teacher By Teacher traces the remarkable journey of the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education and is a deeply personal love letter to all the teachers in our lives.

The story of John B. King Jr.’s inspiring path to President Obama’s Cabinet begins the day that his mother died. He insisted on going to school that day, knowing he would find comfort in his classroom. As he navigated living alone with a father dying from undiagnosed Alzheimer’s, it was public school teachers who saved his life. King’s teachers believed in him and saw his potential. They made school a safe, supportive, and engaging place where King could be a kid despite the challenges at home. While some might have dismissed a rebellious young Black and Puerto Rican teen whose life was in crisis, King’s teachers and counselors gave him a second chance.

King went on to earn degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and Yale and committed his career to trying to do for other young people what educators did for him. Teacher By Teacher is an inspiring account of how dedicated educators--both King’s own teachers and the phenomenal teachers who he has encountered throughout his career as a teacher, principal, and education policymaker--can profoundly shape the lives of their students. King’s experiences constantly reinforce the role of schools as places of survival, healing, and hope.

This book is about overcoming challenges and the mentors who help us make it through them. Teacher By Teacher should inspire students, parents, teachers, and everyone who believes in the transformative power of education. But more than that, this book examines the life-changing impact of mentorship, especially for those who are underserved by public institutions and social systems in America.

John B. King Jr. is the president of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps, from preschool through college. King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. He was the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner. King lives in Silver Spring, Md., with his wife (a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher) and his two daughters, one of whom is a current Montgomery County Public Schools student, and one who recently graduated and is now in college.