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livvalentine's review
1.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book...I was looking for catharsis...I was hoping to find that teaching the kinds of students discussed in this book held the same challenges no matter where you went. In short, I wanted to share in someone else's recounting of "Oh-look-at-how-difficult-it-is-to-teach-I'm-such-a-good-person-but-so-unappreciated."
Instead, here's what I learned: Teaching would be much more pleasant if I could touch or strike students, knock them down, swear at them, or otherwise abuse/mock their lack of intelligence or social norms with impunity. In some places, administrators can and will expel students at the drop of a hat for being a general nuisance and using the informal "you" when speaking to a teacher. And, teaching is a lot easier when you can lecture, order dictation, and go off on infinite tangents without so much of a whiff of administration interference.
Also, the teachers themselves seemed to be spoiled, egotistical, narcissistic versions of their own students. The administration are nothing but buffoons who ask for donations for this cause or that and generally have no idea of what's going on in the classrooms. The author himself admits with what appears to be glee to the reader that he often has no idea what he's talking about and makes up answers to students questions as he goes along, hoping not to get caught out. Well, okay, so I did learn that some things aren't so different.
Finally, I hated the hipster tone the author adopts, which I cannot believe is completely attributable to the translator. What is supposed to be ironic or cool about this exploration into an urban French school? Education is about anything but education? Neat-o! What a prick.
Instead, here's what I learned: Teaching would be much more pleasant if I could touch or strike students, knock them down, swear at them, or otherwise abuse/mock their lack of intelligence or social norms with impunity. In some places, administrators can and will expel students at the drop of a hat for being a general nuisance and using the informal "you" when speaking to a teacher. And, teaching is a lot easier when you can lecture, order dictation, and go off on infinite tangents without so much of a whiff of administration interference.
Also, the teachers themselves seemed to be spoiled, egotistical, narcissistic versions of their own students. The administration are nothing but buffoons who ask for donations for this cause or that and generally have no idea of what's going on in the classrooms. The author himself admits with what appears to be glee to the reader that he often has no idea what he's talking about and makes up answers to students questions as he goes along, hoping not to get caught out. Well, okay, so I did learn that some things aren't so different.
Finally, I hated the hipster tone the author adopts, which I cannot believe is completely attributable to the translator. What is supposed to be ironic or cool about this exploration into an urban French school? Education is about anything but education? Neat-o! What a prick.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
4.0
I read this after seeing the movie. It is wonderful to read a book that presents an unromantic view of a classroom (and too see that copiers are not out to get my school in particular. It apparently is a global problem). The Class seems to be a rather honest account of what occurs in a classroom and in schools in general. The book is forthright in showing when teachers and students make mistakes. It does help to have some working knowledge of French, if just to understand why teachers are upset when a students uses "tu" and not "vous". A knowledge of football (soccer) helps as well. The style is different, but the reader gets use to it very quickly.
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