A Terrible Beauty: A Novel---What Teachers Know but Seldom Tell outside the Staff Room [NOOK Book]

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Overview

After suffering the greatest of personal Tragedies, Dai O’Connel is no longer willing to lie. A headstrong Welshman twenty years in an Oregon classroom, he refuses either to lower standards or to implement the feel-good nonsense of Outcome Based Curriculum, and as a result is targeted for dismissal. Sent to document his failings is Solange Gonsalvás, Oregon’s youngest assistant superintendent. Known both for breathtaking attractiveness and her dedication to the job, she is relentless in pursuit of incompetent teachers. Deeply believing she can make the district’s schools better, while struggling with her own concept of what school should be, Solange finds O’Connel not at all as she expected. Principled, confident, very
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More About This Book

Overview

After suffering the greatest of personal Tragedies, Dai O’Connel is no longer willing to lie. A headstrong Welshman twenty years in an Oregon classroom, he refuses either to lower standards or to implement the feel-good nonsense of Outcome Based Curriculum, and as a result is targeted for dismissal. Sent to document his failings is Solange Gonsalvás, Oregon’s youngest assistant superintendent. Known both for breathtaking attractiveness and her dedication to the job, she is relentless in pursuit of incompetent teachers. Deeply believing she can make the district’s schools better, while struggling with her own concept of what school should be, Solange finds O’Connel not at all as she expected. Principled, confident, very good at what he does, Dai is not the kind of teacher Solange forces from the classroom—but more than competence is at stake. District politicos demand O'Connel's ouster, and if Solange wants the top job, she must take his. Bewildered by the intense attraction she feels for the man, Solange must choose between ruining an outstanding teacher's career and furthering her own, a career for which she's sacrificed everything.

“St.John takes critical aim at all the teaching theories and experiments that school districts churn out on a regular basis, which totally ignore the abysmal track record of earlier programs and the basic needs of its students. This novel is an inside view of the anger and frustrations felt by teachers in failing school systems.” Booklist

“Descriptions of classroom conflicts, successes, frustrations will touch readers to the core. The teacher and student among you will cheer out loud as this novel progresses…” National Public Radio

Product Details

  • BN ID: 2940000801420
  • Publisher: Elderberry Press, Inc.
  • Publication date: 12/29/2009
  • Sold by: SMASHWORDS - EBKS
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales rank: 119,054
  • File size: 489 KB

Meet the Author

Here is where a writer is supposed to tell you all about the exciting things he's done. How he's wrestled crocodiles in Tanzania, bounced drunks in an Amsterdam brothel, smuggled guns to Cuba and sat in as drummer for the Who in Tokyo. Well, I've never done any of that, but hey, nobody's perfect.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 25 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(7)

4 Star

(6)

3 Star

(7)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(5)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 25 Customer Reviews

  • Posted July 14, 2011

    A romance for thinking readers

    Remember when novels were about more than just romance... or horror... or mystery? Remember when they also were about real people doing real things who happened to evolve a mutual attraction? This is one of those. If you've ever taught school (I have) you'll get this story. You may not agree with it, but you'll get it.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 14, 2011

    Story about the best teacher you ever had

    Remember the best teacher you ever had? The one who made you think? Who blew you away with ideas you'd never heard of? Who loved his subject so much that it made you love it?

    Now imagine him being fired for caring too much. Imagine the woman sent to fire him caring about children just as much. Now imagine them intensely attracted to each other...

    What a ride!

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 15, 2011

    Undiscovered gem of a romance

    Many romances are so unrealistic, so fantastic and unlikely that I can't get into them. This one is about people with real lives and I believed every word of dialog, every scene... There must be people like this. Loved it.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 15, 2011

    You'll love this one, or you'll hate it, but what you won't be is bored.

    This teacher is about as un-PC as you can get. That's going to tick a lot of people off. He is like the best of the profession. He cares about his students and considers teaching to be a sacred trust. Remember the teacher who stood between his students and the guns at Columbine? He's that kind of teacher. He's the immovable object.

    Now the irresistible force... a very hot, very dedicated woman sent to fire him because of parent complaints. If she does it, she gets a promotion. She spends a week observing him and documenting his infractions. One problem: He's the best teacher she's ever seen.

    When they both find they are attracted to each other, that's when the fun starts.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 26, 2012

    Open your mind

    I love an excellent novel. This novel causes for a reexaminatin of the question of mainstream education and the problems associated with NOT truly allowing teachers to do what they are paid to do..... teach. Faced with parents in denial, sports frenzy or complete lack of caring for children, administrators who are after the next grant to teach inane subjects or policies that defy common sense, school board members that believe theier children should have more leniency than the average student... the list goes on. I have a personal stake in seeing that my children are eduated and recently removed my daughter from mainstream education and placed her into an alternative night school program that allows her to have a 12 to 1 ratio, online access to her books and school work, emphasis on core studies and working with students who go to this school becuase they want to.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 11, 2011

    great story

    This book was so good.It gave you an inside view of what a teacher is up against with the school system and with everything ,politics is always an issue. The story made me laugh, cry and get angry for the kids who really try. thank you for a great book!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 15, 2011

    Delicious situation!

    Some novels set up situations that just thrill you to the core... this is one. The male and female lead have every reason to dislike each other, but the attraction is undeniable for them both. I love books like that. Strong woman, too. And I really liked the ending. If you love romances you should try it.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 16, 2012

    Not recommended

    In my opinion, this book was written for teachers. It could not hold my attention, I did not finish it.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 7, 2011

    Easy read

    Interesting and informative with strong characters and good storyline. Slow pace but steady and entertaining, it's engaging.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted April 8, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    nice

    sound nice

    0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 6, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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    Posted February 12, 2011

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    Posted October 2, 2011

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    Posted June 21, 2011

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    Posted October 5, 2011

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    Posted April 2, 2011

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    Posted April 4, 2011

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    Posted December 1, 2011

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    Posted July 12, 2011

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    Posted October 3, 2011

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