After 15 years in the teaching profession, three gut-wrenching realizations forced M. Shannon Hernandez to recognize that she must leave the career she loved so dearly, or else continue to lose a little piece of her heart and soul every day. You are invited into Hernandez's classroom for the final forty days of her teaching career to understand the urgent need for school reform. This book is not only a love letter to her students, her fellow teachers, and to the reformed public school system she envisions, but also a heartfelt message of hope, encouragement, and self-empowerment for those who feel they are stuck in soul-sucking careers. Breaking the Silence is an essential read for each citizen who is seeking a life comprised of more purpose and happiness, as well as parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers who know our nation's education system is in desperate need of an overhaul.