Inside Mrs. B.'s Classroom Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago's South Side

by Baldacci, Leslie

• ISBN13: 9780071417358
• ISBN10: 0071417354
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-09-15
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

A respected journalist turned-teacher reveals what's really happening in America's schoolsIn 1999,Chicago Sun-Timesveteran Leslie Baldacci left her prestigious, twenty-five year career to teach at a public school in one of Chicago's roughest South Side neighborhoods.As she later commented, "I thought I knew rough. I thought I had answers. I didn't know jack."But Baldacci never looked back, and the result isInside Mrs. B's Classroom, a compelling, first-hand narrative from the trenches of the inner-city school system that addresses one of society's most critical issues from gritty, daily personal experience.An expert on Chicago's massive education reform efforts even before she turned in her press credentials, Baldacci adds an informed, intellectual layer to this insightful, engaging work. In an era in which many people talk about wanting to make a difference, Baldacci has done so. Here she shares the whole picture, from the unrealistic expectations to the surprises--good and bad--that make up education today. Above all, she shows how an individual can, did--and continues to--make a difference in the lives of American children.

Author Biography

Leslie Baldacci is still a classroom teacher and writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
The Mad Crapper	p. 1
Welcome to the Neighborhood	p. 5
"Bring Two No. 2 Pencils"	p. 9
My Assignment	p. 17
The Farewell Tour	p. 19
The Belly of the Beast	p. 23
Nesting	p. 26
The Seventh Graders Arrive	p. 35
Getting to Know Them	p. 42
Al Gore Visits the Billy Goat	p. 47
The Kids Are All Right, but the Teachers Are Wrecks	p. 50
Violence	p. 56
A Five-Week Reorganization	p. 63
Learning	p. 66
An Observation	p. 78
Crime and Punishment	p. 81
Thanksgiving Break	p. 86
An Intervention	p. 89
The Bathroom Incident	p. 93
A Winning Streak	p. 98
So Far	p. 104
The Mid-Winter Lull	p. 106
The Second Half	p. 109
Hip Hop 101	p. 113
Bottoming Out	p. 117
No Coincidences	p. 124
Pierre	p. 126
Spring Planting	p. 129
Bad Things Happen in Threes	p. 132
"Remediation"	p. 137
Assumptions	p. 141
Livin' on the Edge	p. 144
The End of the Seventh Grade	p. 148
Fairyland	p. 152
The More Things Change	p. 162
Cult of Personality	p. 168
Trouble	p. 171
Dance Africa	p. 175
Loving Louis	p. 179
The Downside	p. 184
Another Christmas	p. 188
Cruel January	p. 194
A Prayer in School	p. 201
Recess!	p. 204
The Teacher Certification Test	p. 207
Midnight Catches a Snake	p. 210
Lost Parents	p. 213
Mother's Day	p. 215
Guns of Summer	p. 218
Going From Here	p. 220
Graduation	p. 224
Postscript	p. 229
Index	p. 231
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.