When Lloyd was in the first grade, his mother was told by the “experts” that he would never learn to read. The world would have missed out on a great author if they had been right. I am glad these “experts” were wrong.
Mr. Lofthouse went on to become an author and a teacher in the public school system. In this memoir, you get to spend a year with him as he teaches and goes about his daily life.
If you think that being a teacher would be an easy job, you are wrong. As I read about the way the kids behaved and the lack of desire many of them had to learn, it was discouraging. But it was also encouraging that Mr. Lofthouse did not give up on them.
Some of the parents supported the way he taught; others did not. Not even all of those above him supported his style of teaching. Why not? His students actually had to do the work assigned to them to make a passing grade. It seems to me that his way of teaching would have been supported by all.
Blaming the teacher when a student fails is not the right reaction to have. How well a student does is equal to the effort the student puts forth to learn. One cannot pass a class by sitting there day after day and never doing any of the work.
As well as being an English teacher, Mr. Lofthouse also taught journalism and was in charge of the school paper. The journalism class was often the highlight of his day. Most of those who worked for him on the paper were self-motivated and eager to learn.
I homeschooled my children all the way through graduation, but after reading Crazy is Normal, I have a new appreciation for the public school teachers in our public school system. My children wanted to learn and they were a joy to teach. It would be discouraging to put in such long days, to give teaching your all and discover your students really didn’t have a desire to learn.
I believe every parent should read this book. For those of you who have children in the public school system, it will help you to understand why you so desperately need to support the teachers. For those of you who homeschool your children, it will give you a new appreciation for the challenges the teachers in our public school system face.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to purchase this book, an Amazon link is below.
Amazon Link: Crazy is Normal
Recommended Articles:
Running with the Enemy – a Review
Lloyd Lofthouse Interview – Writing, Characters, and Vietnam
How Public Schools in the US Have Improved – Guest Post by Lloyd Lofthouse
The Redemption of Don Juan Casanova – a Review
Lloyd Lofthouse Interview – Teaching, Working in a Nightclub, and Life Experiences
Favorite Sentences:
I sat at that table every day in fear of the next blow, learning to read, and my mother made liars of the experts.
Without cooperation from the student and/or parents, a challenging job quickly becomes impossible.
“Anyone can say they are wonderful, but only actions prove it.”
In teaching, the victories usually came in small, quiet doses while the problems were loud and in your face.
New Words Learned:
automaton – a mechanical device operating under its own hidden power; robot
barrio – (Spanish) a part of a large U.S. city, especially a crowded inner-city area, inhabited chiefly by a Spanish-speaking population
polysyllabic – consisting of more than two syllables
rubric – a set of rules of conduct or procedure
About the Author:
Little did Lloyd Lofthouse know in 1999, when he married Anchee Min, that he was beginning a journey of discovery. His first trip to The Middle Kingdom was on the honeymoon with his bride, who introduced him to China and Robert Hart (1835-1911), the main characters in Lloyd’s first two novels,My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. The next decade was a journey of discovery. Lloyd now lives near San Francisco with his wife-with a second home in Shanghai, China.
Lloyd earned a BA in journalism in 1973 after fighting in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. While working days as an English teacher, he enjoyed a second job as a maitre d’ in a multimillion-dollar nightclub. His short story,” A Night at the ‘Well of Purity” was named as a finalist for the 2007 Chicago Literary Awards.
Lloyd has won 15 awards for My Splendid Concubine and 5 awards for Running With the Enemy.
Website: http://lloydlofthouse.org/
Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/lloydlofthouse
Google+: https://plus.google.com/116728680363586998839/posts
Thank you for your honest review. On that note, a few days ago I learned that “Crazy is Normal” was the 1st place winner in biography/autobiography at the 2015 San Francisco Book Festival. The awards ceremony will be held at the Sir Frances Drake Hotel in San Francisco on May 23, 2015. I plan to be there. :o)
“I believe every parent should read this book.” Amen to that, I totally agree.