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Dangerous Minds

They Were Problem Kids With One Last Chance . . . Her

St. Martin's Paperbacks, August 1995
ISBN: 978-0-312-95620-2, ISBN10: 0-312-95620-7,
4 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches, 278 pages,
Mass Market Paperbound, $7.99

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Categories and Subcategories

See All Categories Education Education - All Titles

After their previous teacher had been "pushed over the edge," the so-called "class from Hell" was not too worried about the arrival of LouAnne Johnson, their new instructor. Indeed, Johnson had been warned early on: "Those kids have tasted blood. They're dangerous."

But Johnson had a different idea. Where the school system saw thirty-four unreachable kids, she saw young men and women with intelligence and dreams. When others gave up on them, she broke the rules to give them the best things a teacher can give—hope and belief in themselves. When statistics showed that the chances were they'd never graduate, Johnson fought to beat the odds.

(Dangerous Minds was previously published as My Posse Don't Do Homework.)

Praise

"The poignancy of her stories sneaks up on you and grabs hold of your heart."—Booklist

"As long as there are teachers like LouAnne Johnson, there is hope . . . She wins more than she loses. Readers will be winners, too."—Grand Rapids Press

"A heartwarming tale . . . A fast-paced book worthy of some attention. The stories are vivid enough to make the reader cheer for its heroes—the students who become good enough to dream again, thanks to someone who cares as much as Johnson."—San Mateo Times

"This book should be read. Johnson is what a teacher ought to be, and these students' success stories are what's possible with care and creativity."—The Daily Oklahoman

"[A] funny, alarming look at a city school from a dedicated, unconventional teacher . . . Johnson shows the importance of basic respect, constant encouragement, and unorthodox teaching strategies for a generation (yet another generation) of disenfranchised students."—Kirkus Reviews

"Johnson exhibits the energy and idealism to motivate her students . . . A humorous account of teaching at an American high school."—Library Journal

About the Author(s)

LouAnne Johnson

LouAnne Johnson is a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, high school teacher, and college instructor. She is also the author of Making Waves and The Girls in the Back of the Class.

Excerpt

Dangerous Minds
ONEMy Dog Ate ItI couldn't concentrate. Raul Chacon was standing in the middle of the parking lot outside my classroom, shivering in the freezing rain. It was a bitterly cold, dreary day in mid-January, but Raul, clad in his Parkmont gym shorts and T-shirt, stood with his eyes closed, his face turned up into the downpour. Several students and one teacher had tried to reason with him, but Raul was determined, for some unknown reason, to stand outside.

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