"One thing that I want to come out of this is a sense of pride and importance," Bott said. "I know it's kind of a cliche to say that teachers make a difference, but we do. If we don't do a good job, we're going to make a negative difference, and if we do a good job, we can make a positive difference."

Bott said he also hopes people outside education will read the book and that it helps dispel negative perceptions about teaching in Stockton.

"For someone who's not in education, and they just kind of base things on headlines and social media and assumptions, I really hope they see things a lot differently," Bott said. "Because I've made my career in a school district where people have had fun putting it down — like, 'Oh, that's Stockton Unified, and it's crazy' — but look at the stories that I have. These are stories of great kids and great memories, so I dare to disagree." (Recordnet.com 7-20-25)