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The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle
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Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $17.13
You Save: $ 8.82 ( 34% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Average Customer Rating:
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The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle Description
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 371.10092
EAN: 9781559708357
ISBN: 1559708352
Label: Arcade Publishing
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2007-08-20
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Studio: Arcade Publishing
Dewey Decimal Number: 371.10092
EAN: 9781559708357
ISBN: 1559708352
Label: Arcade Publishing
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2007-08-20
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Studio: Arcade Publishing
Editorial Review of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle
At 22, Dan Brown came to the Bronx's P.S. 85 as an eager, fresh-faced teacher. Unbeknownst to him, his assigned class, 4-217, was the designated "dumping ground" for all fourth-grade problem cases, and his students would prove to be more challenging than he could ever anticipate. Intent on being a caring, dedicated teacher but confronted with unruly children, absent parents, and a failing administration, Dan was pushed to the limit time and again: he found himself screaming with rage, punching his fist through a blackboard out of sheer frustration, often just wanting to give up and walk away.
Yet in this seeming chaos, he slowly learned from his own mistakes and discovered an unexpected well of inspiration to discipline and teach and make a difference.
The Great Expectations School is the touching journey of Class 4-217 and their teacher, Mr. Brown, but more than that, it is the revealing story of a broken educational system and all those struggling within and fighting against it.
Customer Reviews of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: VERY very good book. I definitely recommend
Review: The Great Expectations was REALLY interesting to read. It went quickly (I finished it in 2 days.) I've recommended it to everyone I know--- I think every responsible citizen should read this story, but especially people who are becoming teachers. It should be required reading. An unblinking look at the reality of life in a tough school: the blood, sweat, tears, laughs, and life-changing rewards. Thank you Mr. Brown!
And Sonandia, you are a true hero!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A "Must Read" for Teachers in Urban Schools
Review: As a teacher and administrator who has worked in urban schools for almost thirty years, I was amazed at how Dan Brown's experiences and his roller coaster of emotions resonated with me. While I entered the profession at a different time, I always wonder how new teachers like Dan Brown are able to walk into one of today's urban classrooms and teach with confidence and skill. With candor, and at times with humor, Dan Brown's memoir captures the sad truth of public education in urban districts. Kudos to all those teachers and administrators who dedicate themselves to improving the lives of the children who attend these schools, in spite of all the internal and external obstacles. Thank you, Dan Brown, for writing about your experience as "a rookie teacher in the blackboard jungle."
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Singing in the Rain
Review: You gotta sing as you kick them, that's the message of the 20th century. The low expectations of the "Great Expectations School" stand out, but the author persuades us that all is not lost. This author goes a long way toward adding some realism back into the great fantasy known as "all children can learn." When you stop laughing at that, let the author's humor take you even further into the nightmare of public education. Wit is one of the first things to go when you enter this profession. Brown's possession of it is the first sign that this guy wasn't born to be a teacher but rather an observer and commentator. So be it, his astute observations bring out the best and the worst of finest prison system known to man, the New York Public Schools.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: BEWARE!!!!!!!
Review: Beware this is not Dan Brown the auther of "The Da Vinci Code". Different people!!!!!!!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Even the worst situation is not without hope
Review: Dan Brown surpasses the similarly named charlatan by the second page of this tender recollection, so enough conversation about how one is not the other, eh? Anyone comparing the two (myself included) is drawing a tenuous, superficial connection. Simply put, it would be a discredit to this Mr. Brown to be associated with that one.
The Great Expectations School is a story from the intersection of reality and idealism. Mr. Brown acts as interlocutor between an impoverished section of society and those too caught up in disbelief or willful refusal to recognize it. Harsh conditions are much easier to stomach when they are limited to 30 seconds on the news.
Mr. Brown is brave to harrow the experience that he reports, but the more courageous act by far is to then report on it, in all of its bleak grandeur. This reader is very thankful that he did.
Review Summary: VERY very good book. I definitely recommend
Review: The Great Expectations was REALLY interesting to read. It went quickly (I finished it in 2 days.) I've recommended it to everyone I know--- I think every responsible citizen should read this story, but especially people who are becoming teachers. It should be required reading. An unblinking look at the reality of life in a tough school: the blood, sweat, tears, laughs, and life-changing rewards. Thank you Mr. Brown!
And Sonandia, you are a true hero!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A "Must Read" for Teachers in Urban Schools
Review: As a teacher and administrator who has worked in urban schools for almost thirty years, I was amazed at how Dan Brown's experiences and his roller coaster of emotions resonated with me. While I entered the profession at a different time, I always wonder how new teachers like Dan Brown are able to walk into one of today's urban classrooms and teach with confidence and skill. With candor, and at times with humor, Dan Brown's memoir captures the sad truth of public education in urban districts. Kudos to all those teachers and administrators who dedicate themselves to improving the lives of the children who attend these schools, in spite of all the internal and external obstacles. Thank you, Dan Brown, for writing about your experience as "a rookie teacher in the blackboard jungle."
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Singing in the Rain
Review: You gotta sing as you kick them, that's the message of the 20th century. The low expectations of the "Great Expectations School" stand out, but the author persuades us that all is not lost. This author goes a long way toward adding some realism back into the great fantasy known as "all children can learn." When you stop laughing at that, let the author's humor take you even further into the nightmare of public education. Wit is one of the first things to go when you enter this profession. Brown's possession of it is the first sign that this guy wasn't born to be a teacher but rather an observer and commentator. So be it, his astute observations bring out the best and the worst of finest prison system known to man, the New York Public Schools.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: BEWARE!!!!!!!
Review: Beware this is not Dan Brown the auther of "The Da Vinci Code". Different people!!!!!!!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Even the worst situation is not without hope
Review: Dan Brown surpasses the similarly named charlatan by the second page of this tender recollection, so enough conversation about how one is not the other, eh? Anyone comparing the two (myself included) is drawing a tenuous, superficial connection. Simply put, it would be a discredit to this Mr. Brown to be associated with that one.
The Great Expectations School is a story from the intersection of reality and idealism. Mr. Brown acts as interlocutor between an impoverished section of society and those too caught up in disbelief or willful refusal to recognize it. Harsh conditions are much easier to stomach when they are limited to 30 seconds on the news.
Mr. Brown is brave to harrow the experience that he reports, but the more courageous act by far is to then report on it, in all of its bleak grandeur. This reader is very thankful that he did.