The plight of the new teacher has changed little during the last 30 years. Neophytes still confront the same conflicting demands--to foster students' academic development while controlling their behavior, often in crowded classrooms in ill-equipped and poorly administered schools. Thanks to five books, Isenberg (a 30-year veteran of urban classroom teaching) found solace and support. The five books are "Up The Down Staircase," "Teacher," "How Children Fail," "To Sir With Love," and "36 Children." As teaching narratives, these best-selling writings of classroom teachers are a precious...

The plight of the new teacher has changed little during the last 30 years. Neophytes still confront the same conflicting demands--to foster students' academic development while controlling their behavior, often in crowded classrooms in ill-equipped and poorly administered schools. Thanks to five books, Isenberg (a 30-year veteran of urban classroom teaching) found solace and support. The five books are "Up The Down Staircase," "Teacher," "How Children Fail," "To Sir With Love," and "36 Children." As teaching narratives, these best-selling writings of classroom teachers are a precious...