Christopher Albrecht, ’93, has been a fourth grade teacher in Brockport for 23 years. On July 12, the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year and 2019 Inductee to the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Kansas released his second book, “The Rediscovery of Hope and Purpose” (NFB Publishing, Buffalo, New York).
Christopher Albrecht is pictured with Randi Weingarten, national president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Carol Strickland, executive director of the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Kansas.
Among the speakers at the book’s launch were Jacob Cianci-Gaskill, Ph.D., and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. Cianci-Gaskill, who Albrecht taught in fourth and fifth grades, is Albrecht’s first student to earn a Ph.D. Weingarten gave a passionate speech about Albrecht’s book, calling it “revolutionary, brilliant, and a groundbreaking work meant for all people. This is our new guidebook. People need this book right now.”
Albrecht was also joined at the kickoff in Kansas with his wife, son and 86-year-old father. “It meant so much to me to be joined on this journey with my family and a student who has become a close friend,” he said.
With its publication, Albrecht had to create a new genre of writing, coining Investigative Social Philosophy. The book features 10 interviews that range from the final homesteader who resides in Alaska and gained free land in the 1970s before the 1862 Act was repealed to Harvard President Dr. Lawrence Bacow. Most noteworthy is Albrecht’s interview with iconic children’s author Beverly Cleary. At the time, she was 104 years old and Albrecht’s work with her would prove to be her last before her death.
Other collaborators include Peter Mehlman, the co-producer of “Seinfeld,” Kathrin Switzer, the first female runner of the Boston Marathon, and 5-Hour Energy founder Manoj Bhargava. Each interview represents a different mindset about hope and purpose.
Albrecht reports “The Rediscovery of Hope and Purpose” rose to #1 on Amazon’s top new releases and is a best seller in Educational Psychology and Sociophilosophy. The book caught the eyes of the American Federation of Teachers, who now have Albrecht on board as a contributing writer for American Educator Magazine.
“My hope in writing ‘The Rediscovery of Hope and Purpose’ is to provide stability, joy and clarity as we emerge out of uncertain times,” Albrecht said.
Albrecht’s book was catalyzed by a letter his father, Werner Albrecht, sent him in March of 2020. The news of toilet paper shortages inspired him to chronicle a similar phenomenon he witnessed as a German boy during World War II. “My father saw seven years of war, and essentially his father was gone the entire time. I saw parallels to today’s challenges,” he said.
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