Restless Gold: Musings About California Pupils and Other Verses

Her stare of anger,

Sharp tongue

Pierced me

Like a dagger.

Consumed with ire

Until our unit on

A Streetcar Named Desire.

No matter what period in history, teachers must navigate a host of challenges both inside and outside the classroom in order to effectively prepare their students for the future through the process of learning critical thinking skills.

In a collection of eighty-five poems penned from 1980 to 2020, David William Salvaggio shares lyrical insight into four decades filled with significant social change, wars, political upheaval, two pandemics, discrimination, and civil unrest as he taught a diverse group of high school students who were wealthy, poor, famous, infamous, abused, successful, and categorized as Dreamers. With both humor and heartache, these timely works reflect the struggles, failures, and victories of Salvaggio as he witnessed failures, heartache, and the power of love and hope to overcome all darkness.

Restless Gold; Musings about California Pupils and Other Verses is a volume of poetry inspired by 35 years of teaching high school students.

"Powerful ..."

- Jessica Yowell, Editor, Elyssar Press

David William Salvaggio taught high school English and American literature, drama, and history for thirty-five years. He is a freelance writer who has published editorials and feature articles in various journals including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, and San Jose Mercury News. In 1999, his tragicomedy, From Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple, ran for nine weeks in West Hollywood. Salvaggio resides in Redlands, California.