Reviews

Allakäigutrepist üles by Bel Kaufman, Henno Rajandi

michellelouise's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dorothy_gale's review against another edition

4.0

4★: PUBLISHED IN 1964 & ALMOST TIMELESS. Nearly 60 years old, and sans the smartphone, could’ve been written today. Which is a sad state for how little we invest in the education system AND a good reality check for those who feel each generation of children is worse than the last. The interoffice memos were amusing. My sister the teacher should read this, but of course she doesn’t have enough time. I can totally see why this book has been wildly popular with teachers across America.

kandicez's review against another edition

4.0

This book is at turns depressing and uplifting. The roadblocks teachers faced in the 60's are no less today in the teens, which is depressing. The fact that there are Sylvias out there means something, though. When the last Sylvia takes up teaching our country is going to hell in a hand cart. Fast!

The way the tale is relayed is clever and allows the reader a little distance. There is no narrative here, which leaves us to fill in blanks. Epistolary books are some of my favorites and I wonder if King had read this when he worked on [b:Carrie|10592|Carrie|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166254258l/10592._SY75_.jpg|1552134]. Not only do we get written communication and letters, but memos and bulletins. Like I said, clever.

reagandrury's review against another edition

5.0

This book represents what teaching is at times and is heartbreaking and overall just a great book.

andrearbooks's review against another edition

4.0

Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman is a book I heard about ages (like a legit decade y'all) ago, and I finally have read it! Yay, me? Anyway. The book was first published in the sixties, and almost sixty years later, it is still incredibly relevant. Told in a variety of correspondence methods, this is the story of Slyvia, a young teacher assigned to a metro high school. She very quickly comes to see the realities of this school, including the stories and challenges of her students, the lack of resources to do her work, and the frustrations of administrative demands. Throughout, she tries to do all she can to help her students, while also encountering a variety of barriers through them, her colleagues and the administration. This was such a unique storytelling technique, and it worked so well to really help me see Sylvia's struggles. I was so drawn in, and I was rooting for Sylvia and her students even though the obstacles were many. This is a book whose subject matter is timeless in its frustration, but also in its inspiration. It's one I could see myself revisiting as it's just so well-crafted and has so many messages that are so important to continue to hear about education.

sweddy65's review against another edition

5.0

I can't believe I'd never read this before. It's one of the best novels about teaching I've ever read.

kneessa's review against another edition

2015 Book challenge - A book set in a high school

This is a must read for all my teacher friends. Unfortunately, education has made very little progress in the last 50 years. The circulars and memos from the Department of Education were hilarious because they were so insane and accurate.

scgbean's review against another edition

4.0

Obviously a lot of the language and goings-ons in the book are dated, but that is to be expected due to the format of the book. Putting that aside, it is still a good and entertaining read and allows students in particular to feel for what a lot of public teachers have to deal with, even to this day.

ceraphimfalls's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Definitely more about teaching than any of my pedagogical textbook. Pretty sweet loosey-goosey formatting to boot.

k5tog's review against another edition

3.0

I found this book a bit of a slog. I think the concept was great. The story itself was compelling. But I like more of a narrative instead of the snippets provided in items from a suggestion box, memos from administration, inter-school communications, letters to a friend.