The emergency teacher : the inspirational story of a new teacher in an inner-city school /

Fresh from a prestigious internship at a leading newspaper, Asquith still had doubts about her chosen profession. The local school district was 1,500 teachers short, not only because about ten percent quit in the first month. With absolutely no hesitation on the part of the district and absolutely no relevant education or training on hers, Asquith was assigned a sixth-grade classroom loaded with 33 of the poorest children in Philadelphia. She did not give up on the kids and herself so she, and they, succeeded. Asquith does not shrink from exposing problems in this and other inner-city school systems, which range from cultural insensitivity to teachers who expect to be assaulted on a regular basis. She is also remarkably upbeat as she shares the techniques that reached and taught the kids. Annotation 漏2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)