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This is Hannah Hughes' very first year of teaching at Pine Falls Academy, a school for children with special needs. She’s heard rumors of the notorious school and was ready to face the challenges, but nothing could have prepared her for this.
One student risks ruining everything in this must-read for teachers, administration, and parents. Prepare yourself for a revealing story that is sure to spread awareness and controversy about the dark side of education nobody wants to discuss.
“The thought of coming face to face with Leo petrifies me. I shouldn’t be afraid of my student, but I am. I’m terrified.” - Hannah Hughes
One student risks ruining everything in this must-read for teachers, administration, and parents. Prepare yourself for a revealing story that is sure to spread awareness and controversy about the dark side of education nobody wants to discuss.
“The thought of coming face to face with Leo petrifies me. I shouldn’t be afraid of my student, but I am. I’m terrified.” - Hannah Hughes
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 2, 2023
For a book titled "Listen" it sure seems you weren't fully tuned in during any of the empathy training for individuals with special needs, trauma, emotional support, etc during your education and trauma informed care training I am certain you received. While I won't discredit how you personally felt during your time and your feelings should have been validated, I can't help but read your words over and over again how you said nothing, did nothing. You had so many opportunities to report things, to raise awareness, and to alert others. If this was as harrowing of an experience for you as you illustrate in your book, one would have hoped you did something to help others not experience this. Instead, you created your own version of a vent session via a published novel.
All of that aside, my honest review of this book as a special needs parent to a child who will inevitably attend a school for such needs - how dare you create imagery of students being nothing short of dangerous and scary. You victimized yourself countlessly as if you were the most important and most affected person in the room. You incite fear with this book. As a parent to a really special kid who cannot express himself outside of crying, yelling, or meltdowns, to read your words of:
"He's not pounding the table and stomping the ground, instead he's jumping up and down and rubbing his hands together like he's planning something evil." - is horrifying given the position you once held as a teacher, mentor, advocate.
In several sections of your text you cite negative feelings involving your own thoughts of violence towards your students where you write you wish you were "punching him back" or using colorful language to describe how you "want to tell him how much of a spoiled brat he's being." As a parent hearing this come from an educator, I can only hope that you have moved on from this career field OR grown exponentially in your character.
I can recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about educators who just shouldn't be in the field. But in good faith, with an open heart as a mom of a kiddo who you could've potentially served... This is an absolutely disgusting testimony of your experience with a specific population of individuals that instills fears and exploits the challenges of students in the most selfish way possible. You clearly weren't cut out for this type of educational setting. However, if you think students with special needs are spoiled brats... General education may be even scarier for you.
I hope the irony of you referring to students as spoiled brats, or entitled isn't lost on you. This is a book solely detailing your own feelings of entitlement as a teacher. It's not about teamwork, or the greater good. It's "me, me, me." Gross. Teachers are meant to be selfless.
To any parents of children with all abilities - not everyone is like this. There ARE educators who love your children just as you do and want what's best for them. We don't view them as monsters with evil plans or cruel intentions. We pour our hearts and souls into your child's well being for little pay, next to no breaks, and plenty of money spent out of our own pockets to ensure your child(ren) are given a quality education and the RESPECT they deserve.
If you were going to write a burn book, you should've taken tips from Regina George. This is trash.
All of that aside, my honest review of this book as a special needs parent to a child who will inevitably attend a school for such needs - how dare you create imagery of students being nothing short of dangerous and scary. You victimized yourself countlessly as if you were the most important and most affected person in the room. You incite fear with this book. As a parent to a really special kid who cannot express himself outside of crying, yelling, or meltdowns, to read your words of:
"He's not pounding the table and stomping the ground, instead he's jumping up and down and rubbing his hands together like he's planning something evil." - is horrifying given the position you once held as a teacher, mentor, advocate.
In several sections of your text you cite negative feelings involving your own thoughts of violence towards your students where you write you wish you were "punching him back" or using colorful language to describe how you "want to tell him how much of a spoiled brat he's being." As a parent hearing this come from an educator, I can only hope that you have moved on from this career field OR grown exponentially in your character.
I can recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about educators who just shouldn't be in the field. But in good faith, with an open heart as a mom of a kiddo who you could've potentially served... This is an absolutely disgusting testimony of your experience with a specific population of individuals that instills fears and exploits the challenges of students in the most selfish way possible. You clearly weren't cut out for this type of educational setting. However, if you think students with special needs are spoiled brats... General education may be even scarier for you.
I hope the irony of you referring to students as spoiled brats, or entitled isn't lost on you. This is a book solely detailing your own feelings of entitlement as a teacher. It's not about teamwork, or the greater good. It's "me, me, me." Gross. Teachers are meant to be selfless.
To any parents of children with all abilities - not everyone is like this. There ARE educators who love your children just as you do and want what's best for them. We don't view them as monsters with evil plans or cruel intentions. We pour our hearts and souls into your child's well being for little pay, next to no breaks, and plenty of money spent out of our own pockets to ensure your child(ren) are given a quality education and the RESPECT they deserve.
If you were going to write a burn book, you should've taken tips from Regina George. This is trash.
August 4, 2023
While I do not discredit your experience and the trauma that you faced, I would have hoped that as an educator and professional you would speak of your students in a more dignified manner. To write about their mannerisms, in explicit detail, when they attend a specialized school due to their significant behaviors does not sit well with me. I am sorry that this teaching position was not all that you had hoped for it to be, but you could have written about your shortcomings without exploiting your students.
March 9, 2024
This book was so good. I cannot describe how I am feeling right now after reading this. I cannot believe all the horrible things this young lady has been through, while all she was doing was something she was very passionate about, and that was teaching. Shame on that school and her so called supervisors who did absolutely nothing to defuse the situation!! They blew it off like it was no big deal and when they finally decided to move the student, they acted like they were the heroes and Ms Hannah should be so grateful. Are you freaking kidding me? I hope this does not ever happen again to any other teachers. Like Ms Hannah pointed out in her story, she does not blame the student, due to his mental disability, and I completely agree with her. This is all the schools fault for not doing their job. And because of that, students lost a remarkable teacher who loved what she did, and was very passionate about it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews