Former JEANC President Don Bott has published a book of reflections based on his career as a classroom teacher and journalism adviser, “Forty Years, Forty Stories: Lessons for Teachers in Their First or Final Year or Anytime in Between.”

“It is about a few universal ideas: purpose, passion and storytelling,” Bott wrote in a note to JEANC for this story.  “Yes, people will bring up the difficulties of today, from the ‘anxious generation’ of students we now see in high school to the threat of AI taking over schools and eliminating jobs. The world will move in the directions that it will move, but I am still in charge of my stories. The book captures 40 of those stories, but honestly I am framing new stories every single day.”

During his career as a teacher, Bott was the 33-yearlong adviser of the nationally-recognized newspaper, The Stagg Line at Stagg High School in Stockton. Bott left the classroom in 2017, but he has remained at Stagg as an instructional coach, working with teachers who are in the process of clearing their credentials.

“I particularly love to infect young teachers with positivity and belief,” Bott wrote.

The book has been garnering local press, including a piece by the CBS television affiliate in Stockton.

“Forty Years, Forty Stories” is available from Amazon.