Layton's "The Role of the Teacher": A Review The essay "The Role of the Teacher" written by Irving Layton reviews the current state of our ever criticized school system. The author shows us how we view the problems of the school system and explains how and why we place blame on teachers. He shows how "penny-pinching school boards"(p145) are the real ones to blame and not the teaches whom are the easiest to confront. "A feeling has grown that schools and universities are not achieving that which they were intended: namely , the enrichment of the individuals life by giving him the tools of self improvement and the cultivated mind to use them"