Customer Reviews

The Girls In the Back of the Class: They're High School Girls With Secrets, Trouble, And Two Choices-Dropping Out...Or Trusting Her.

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm also an English teacher who have been teaching teen-agers for 10 years. Teaching teenagers is hard work, very stressful, depressed by themselves and the surrounding of them. I don't have such energy of love to my students as Louanne Johnson. But I can feel her pain in heart because I myself love my students. They are devils and angels at the same time. If they were devils, I could ignore them. If they were angels, I could just smile, do nothing, and just ignore them. But they are irresistable.

I agree with Hal, her master teacher. He said to her, "Teenagers are supposed to be ungrateful little brutes. They're supposed to trample your tender feelings, break your heart. It's their job." He is always right. I wish he would be with me!!!

This should be required reading for every education major. I teach in an urban school; Ms. Johnson had something some of my young colleagues who quit teaching after a year do not have--resolve, persistance, and determination. There are no "bad" kids, there are kids who do "bad" things or come from "bad" environments, but as Ms. Johnson writes, it is possible to save the kids by giving a lot of ourselves.

I had to read this book for my Classroom Management class, and I must say, it was very very good! I read it in one day, I couldn't put it down! This is a must read for anyone who has the gumption to teach high schoolers. Read it. You won't be disappointed!

LouAnne Johnson is a true role-model for teachers. This book, as with _My Posse Don't Do Homework_, are must-reads for teachers and teachers-to-be. I recommend them to anyone who wants to be a teacher, as well as teachers who are tired and bored with their jobs. I also recommend them to parents who think all teachers are "out to get" their child.

Whenever I read LouAnne Johnson's books, I am invigorated and excited about my job again. How many people can say that about a book? Read them for yourself... and fall in love with your job all over again

This is the sequel to LouAnne Johnson's "My Posse Don't Do Homework" (or "Dangerous Minds"--retitled). It follows the same format as the first book, but I didn't think it was as good. I felt like she wrote the book because the first one got such great reviews, but this one fell short. Although it is titled "The Girls in the Back of the Class," I didn't feel as though it focused enough on the girls in the back of the class. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good read with amazing experiential stories, but not as good as the first one.

I've worked in high schools for the past several years, and now am trying to get a job as a teacher. This book will be on my shelf to assist me with dealing with my class. Her methods are great! Too many teachers are so uptight that they are the cause of their own classroom problems. This author shows that great results can be had with compassion, a sprinkle of humor and a true love of her students.

What a wonderful book, for teachers, students, parents, anyone who might need to be reminded of how much we have to give, if we just "will". The author shows her love for her students in every passage, and it was well written, witty, and a wonderful read.

Highly recommended as an entertaining, and insightful, book on teaching children who need love desperately.

I had the wonderful chance of reading this book. This book made me laugh and cry and jump in suspense. Ms. Johnson is a wonderful teacher who deserves awards beyong awards. The book taught me to see other parts of education. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who is going into the education field

I believe that Louanne Johnson did a great job on writing this book. I could hardly put it down! I never realized how much some teachers really cared about there students. It also amazes me on how much time really goes into teaching.

This book was a great disappoint me to me. The title reads `Girls in the back of the class' but the content of this novel no where near reflects the title.

I began reading this book as an assignment for a college course I'm currently taking and I selected this particular book because it appeared that this book would describe the many struggles and difficulties young WOMEN have during high school, as many `troubled' student books are about MEN...this one was not any different. There were only slight descriptions of these girls she claimed to be seeking, and GREAT detail the men her class.

This book also made me very uncomfortable! As a teacher in training, I found her intimate relationship with her students to be inappropriate. I understand that she loves her students and wants them to excel, but there should always be a line that is never crossed between personal and business and in this book, Johnson doesn't appear to have one. I felt like her relationship with SOME of her students could appear as something much more to someone else, such as having `relations' with them. Perhaps it was the time period, but I don't think a relationship like hers with her students would be accepted in today's society; it would look too suspicious.

Although I found many flaws in this book, I did appreciate the perspective of the actual teacher. I find that her social life being consumed by her students is very realistic, being worried and concerned, filling her conversations with students. I also felt that her teaching technique was valuable, as she went from teaching street smarts to teaching vocabulary; both imperative to excelling in life.

All in all I really disliked this book. I wanted to learn about `the girls in the back of the class' and learned about the guys in the passenger seat of her car instead. I think her first book was okay, and this was overdoing it. She should have stopped with Dangerous Minds.