Crazy is Normal: a classroom exposé

Readers who envision eager students lapping up learning led by a Tiger Teacher will be disappointed. Lofthouse presents us with grungy classrooms, kids who don t want to be in school, and the consequences of growing up in a hardscrabble world. While some parents support his efforts, many sabotage them and isolated administrators make the work of Lofthouse and his peers even more difficult. Throughout this journal, though, Lofthouse seems able to keep the hope alive that there s a future for each student that doesn t include jail thanks in large part to his sixth period journalism class and its incredible editor, Amanda. Bruce Reeves