I still remember when my sister was at UNI with a teaching major many years ago. Before she could graduate, she was required to student teach for a semester. It still holds true today - my nephew had to do the same thing.
Lou Anne Johnson writes in My Posse Don't Do Homework (371.1 JOH) that she only student taught for one day before she was asked to teach on her own. From the way she writes it, it didn't sound as if the request was because she was extremely talented at teaching high school. It was out of desperation by the administration.
The previous teacher of the high school English class of thirty-four students suddenly retired due to health reasons. The class had gone through two substitute teachers in a very short time - two people who refused to continue with that class. Of course, the vice-principal if the school left out some of the details for the sudden retirement.
Johnson found out that the class had no text book, she was not given any grades up to that point. Essentially she was starting from scratch. She wasn't allowed to talk to the substitute teachers. She knew something was wrong.
Describing the class as "Saturday Night Live" sophomoric skit, the students are undisciplined, unmotivated, and disruptive. Fortunately for her, she finds a way of getting their attention to let them know that she is there the help them. Her experience in the military helps just as much as the theory classes she took in college.
Johnson's sense of humor and storytelling lightens the mood of a serious problem within some school systems. Through her wit, she was able to get students who thought of themselves as "stupid" and "worthless" to begin to care about their studies. As the subtitle says, it is funny and inspirational.
c Waterloo Public Library 2007
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