Beautiful Child

Front Cover
Harper Collins, Apr 29, 2003 - Education - 400 pages

In the tradition of David Pelzer's A Child Called 'It' comes the unsettling story of a mute, almost catatonic seven–year–old and the special education teacher who tries to save her from the silence and abuse of her world.

Hayden has chronicled experiences from her long career as a special education teacher in several books, including One Child and The Tiger's Child. Successes in this difficult and often frustrating field can be few and hard won, a fact which Hayden deftly illustrates while simultaneously offering hope and joy in small victories. This time she brings to life the story of a scruffy seven–year–old, Venus, who is so unresponsive that Hayden searches for signs of deafness, brain damage or mental retardation. The author is relentless in her attempt to diagnose the cause of Venus's 'almost catatonic' state, which is punctuated by occasional violent outbursts. In this first–person narrative, Hayden also shares her own thoughts, worries and reflections on the strained relationship with a mismatched classroom aide, creating a rich tapestry of the dynamics of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them.

 

Contents

Section 1
1
Section 2
7
Section 3
19
Section 4
29
Section 5
41
Section 6
52
Section 7
59
Section 8
69
Section 20
211
Section 21
225
Section 22
235
Section 23
247
Section 24
261
Section 25
274
Section 26
285
Section 27
295

Section 9
83
Section 10
91
Section 11
103
Section 12
114
Section 13
125
Section 14
136
Section 15
149
Section 16
165
Section 17
174
Section 18
183
Section 19
203
Section 28
310
Section 29
323
Section 30
333
Section 31
342
Section 32
351
Section 33
364
Section 34
376
Section 35
384
Section 36
389
Section 37
390

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2003)

Torey Hayden is an educational psychologist and a former special education teacher who, since 1979, has chronicled her struggles in the classroom in a succession of bestselling books. She currently lives and writes in North Wales, U.K., with her husband and daughter.

Bibliographic information