Play Book Tag discussion

Up the Down Staircase – Bel Kaufman
4****

From the book jacket: Never before has a novel so compellingly laid bare the inner workings of a metropolitan high school. [This] is the funny and touching story of a committed, idealistic teacher whose clash with school bureaucracy is a timeless lesson for students, teachers, parents – anyone concerned about public education.

My reactions
This is written in a kind of epistolary style – notes in the suggestion box, memos from the school principal or nurse or clerk, letters written to a college friend, messages from fellow teachers, items posted on the bulletin board, etc. There are misspellings and doodles (where the kids are writing in the suggestion box or school assignments), ALL CAPS (memos from the “all important” vice principal), and bureaucratic gobbledygook psychobabble (from the school counselor who fancies herself a Freudian psychoanalyst). Guess we can be thankful that Kaufman wrote this before texting abbreviations! It makes for a fast and very engaging read, and lends an air of verisimilitude.

The novel crams much truth into this wild ride of a semester’s experiences for this brand new teacher. It’s interesting to watch Sylvia Barrett come to recognize her students’ hidden talents, aspirations and needs. It’s also interesting to witness her growth as a professional educator, how she learns the ins and outs of the system, whom to trust, where to seek mentoring, and determining where her future lies.

I loved the way her students interpreted the classics! Some were hilariously off the mark. But many were poignant and reflected their modern-day experiences.

Some of these students have heartbreaking back stories. Children having to take on responsibility for ailing parents and younger siblings, or fearing for their own safety. Kids facing homelessness, tempted by gangs, or struggling with prejudice or bullying. Girls worrying about their appearance; boys concerned with looking tough. As in real life, this good teacher managed to connect to a few of these students, and tragically lost others.

Hard to believe this was written in the ‘60s and still stands up today. I’ve never seen the movie, but am tempted to track it down.



LINK to my review

As someone who works in the Social Services field I am always interested in reading about those who come alongside others in a counseling, coaching or teaching capacity. This one sounds really good and had been added to TBR!

I read this book ages ago and loved it. I saw the movie when it came out in 1967 and I remember liking it.

I remember enjoying this when I read it. Sometime afterward I went to a high school for a year that had UP and DOWN staircases--there were 2700 students in 3 grades and that is how the school was designed--perhaps it was built when that was popular, because my kids go to one with more grades and nearly as many students without the designated directions on the stairwells.