Don't Tell Me Not to Believe

Meet Gary Chattman, who didn’t want to be a teacher. But when it became a valid way to escape the draft during the Vietnam War, he made it his mission to teach.

Once Gary was hired, he realized becoming a teacher was what he was meant to be, and for over fifty years dedicated his life to making a difference in the lives of his students. Despite his dedication, the school administration tried to bring him down one notch at a time.

Student deaths, students skipping classes, and the callous attitudes of some of the administrators who could not see his vision became everyday battles, making Gary determined to conquer his windmills like Don Quixote. Finally, an illness brought on by his school’s new construction threatened to knock Gary off his Dulcinea for good.

Follow the embellished life of this dedicated educator through the tumultuous 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.

(About the Author)

Gary D. Chattman has been a teacher all his life, primarily in public high schools in the Bronx. He has also been a principal, an academic leader, headed up school theatrical productions, and created a special program for teaching Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah programs for young Jewish men and women outside of Hebrew School. He is a concert pianist, a lyricist, and a composer. A grandfather of four, the love of his life is his wife Patti. This is his eleventh book.