What do you think?
Rate this book
Up the Down Staircase
Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase has been translated into sixteen languages, made into a prize-winning motion picture, and staged as a play at high schools all over the United States; its very title has become part of the American idiom.
Never before has a novel so compellingly laid bare the inner workings of a metropolitan high school. Up the Down Staircase is the funny and touching story of a committed, idealistic teacher whose dash with school bureaucracy is a timeless lesson for students, teachers, parents--anyone concerned about public education.
Kaufman lets her characters speak for themselves through memos, letters, directives from the principal, comments by students, notes between teachers, and papers from desk drawers and wastebaskets, evoking a vivid picture of teachers fighting the good fight against all that stands in the way of good teaching.
Never before has a novel so compellingly laid bare the inner workings of a metropolitan high school. Up the Down Staircase is the funny and touching story of a committed, idealistic teacher whose dash with school bureaucracy is a timeless lesson for students, teachers, parents--anyone concerned about public education.
Kaufman lets her characters speak for themselves through memos, letters, directives from the principal, comments by students, notes between teachers, and papers from desk drawers and wastebaskets, evoking a vivid picture of teachers fighting the good fight against all that stands in the way of good teaching.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 1965
404 people are currently reading
7570 people want to read
About the author
Bel Kaufman
14books25followersBel Kaufman (b. 1911) was a bestselling writer, dedicated teacher, and lecturer best known for her novel Up the Down Staircase (1965), a classic portrayal of life in the New York public school system. Kaufman was born in Berlin, the daughter of Russian parents and granddaughter of celebrated Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem. Her family moved to Odessa when she was three, and Russian is her native language. The family also lived in Moscow before immigrating to New York City when Kaufman was twelve. There, she graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College and with high honors from Columbia University. Kaufman then worked as a high school teacher in the city for three decades. The success of Up the Down Staircase launched her second career as a sought-after speaker for events around the country. Kaufman is also the author of Love, Etc. (1979), a powerful, haunting, and poignant novel rendering life as fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 837 reviews
June 15, 2025
When I was thirteen, I think my high school actually had "down staircases," (or so it seems to me now in retrospect sixty years after the fact) because I absolutely adored this book as a green freshman.
And Kids nowadays should love it - especially if they've matured a bit - cause it shows the modern high school from the POV of a teacher who's on THEIR side.
Kids like me didn’t adjust well sometimes, because we COULDN’T STAND ADULT RULES.
I gotta tell you, I for one had been spoiled at home!
It was like,
My mama loves me
She gets down on her knees and hugs me
Loves me like a rock,
Loves me like the Rock of Ages... (Paul Simon)
Got it? I walked on water for my Mom!
And that year, 1963, I was Dadless. Yikes. Mom let me watch TV later than my younger siblings, and she let me do my homework lying down...
I was a mess of a kid, looking for a rod and a staff to "comfort" me some. Haha. So get this: a green, pampered kid who was too cool for rules ran up against a Cold, Hard High School Rulebook - I was CLOBBERED by it.
Wow, did I get my act in gear! The Fear of God was put into me.
Well, Bel Kaufman - my polar opposite as a cool-brained adult - stood up against that Rulebook to make it HUMAN. She was so like my home room teacher that year, Miss Fenton, who dared to humanize us kids in that inhuman environment.
I got to know the Soft Touches like her among the staff, though often, being an Aspie, I read people wrong. Well, Bel Kaufman was a Soft Touch for her kids for sure...But boy, did she read the Riot Act to the head honchos.
Yes, she was progressive.
As was, historically, that whole early-sixties Camelot back then.
But even if kids still went Up the Down Staircase in their confusion -
She would still be On Their Side.
And Kids nowadays should love it - especially if they've matured a bit - cause it shows the modern high school from the POV of a teacher who's on THEIR side.
Kids like me didn’t adjust well sometimes, because we COULDN’T STAND ADULT RULES.
I gotta tell you, I for one had been spoiled at home!
It was like,
My mama loves me
She gets down on her knees and hugs me
Loves me like a rock,
Loves me like the Rock of Ages... (Paul Simon)
Got it? I walked on water for my Mom!
And that year, 1963, I was Dadless. Yikes. Mom let me watch TV later than my younger siblings, and she let me do my homework lying down...
I was a mess of a kid, looking for a rod and a staff to "comfort" me some. Haha. So get this: a green, pampered kid who was too cool for rules ran up against a Cold, Hard High School Rulebook - I was CLOBBERED by it.
Wow, did I get my act in gear! The Fear of God was put into me.
Well, Bel Kaufman - my polar opposite as a cool-brained adult - stood up against that Rulebook to make it HUMAN. She was so like my home room teacher that year, Miss Fenton, who dared to humanize us kids in that inhuman environment.
I got to know the Soft Touches like her among the staff, though often, being an Aspie, I read people wrong. Well, Bel Kaufman was a Soft Touch for her kids for sure...But boy, did she read the Riot Act to the head honchos.
Yes, she was progressive.
As was, historically, that whole early-sixties Camelot back then.
But even if kids still went Up the Down Staircase in their confusion -
She would still be On Their Side.
May 2, 2017
I was never a teacher, but I was certainly a student, as was my daughter. For me, and later for her, there were a few great teachers who stood out and made learning a desired thing for it's own sake. The dedication and passion and time expended by these educators is surely undervalued.
Up the Down Staircase was written by one of these teachers, a novel about a young teacher in a New York City high school trying to navigate between the needs of her students and the beaurocracy of the system. Written in snippets of dialogue, notes, memos and letters, it gives the reader a real feel for what actually goes on inside the classroom, which is probably the same today as it was when this book was written in 1962. I can see why it has attained classic status.
I know this is just a review, but for any teacher reading these words, thank you for doing what you do. You are much appreciated, and it must be a special feeling when you realize that you may have made even a tiny change in a student's life. And for any teacher who hasn't read this book, you should.
Up the Down Staircase was written by one of these teachers, a novel about a young teacher in a New York City high school trying to navigate between the needs of her students and the beaurocracy of the system. Written in snippets of dialogue, notes, memos and letters, it gives the reader a real feel for what actually goes on inside the classroom, which is probably the same today as it was when this book was written in 1962. I can see why it has attained classic status.
I know this is just a review, but for any teacher reading these words, thank you for doing what you do. You are much appreciated, and it must be a special feeling when you realize that you may have made even a tiny change in a student's life. And for any teacher who hasn't read this book, you should.
April 1, 2012
I have found a book to add to my collection of inspiration-to-stay-a-teacher-media; I found it just in time.
Even though the book was originally published five years before I was born, teaching really hasn't changed that much. No surprise. Students haven't changed either.
I recognize entirely too much of the jargon. I recognize entirely too many of the statistics. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also recognize the lesson she learned that I have to relearn: the students know when the teacher cares. The students are starving for love and affection. For too many of the students, they have no source available. They need to know someone cares.
As a teacher, it's safer and easier not to care. The students are only going to break our hearts and disappoint us, we tell ourselves. Isn't that the risk we decided to take when we entered the profession?
I'm glad I bought the book. I'm glad I got the book with library binding. I have the feeling I'll be reading this teaching classic often.
Even though the book was originally published five years before I was born, teaching really hasn't changed that much. No surprise. Students haven't changed either.
I recognize entirely too much of the jargon. I recognize entirely too many of the statistics. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also recognize the lesson she learned that I have to relearn: the students know when the teacher cares. The students are starving for love and affection. For too many of the students, they have no source available. They need to know someone cares.
As a teacher, it's safer and easier not to care. The students are only going to break our hearts and disappoint us, we tell ourselves. Isn't that the risk we decided to take when we entered the profession?
I'm glad I bought the book. I'm glad I got the book with library binding. I have the feeling I'll be reading this teaching classic often.
August 27, 2020
was a high school teacher when she wrote . The year was 1963. She depicts all aspects of the job—the good and the bad students as well as their parents, capable and incompetent teachers alongside the administrative school staff, the ever mounting clerical duties, the job’s highs and its lows, that which is tedious and the tremendous satisfaction felt when a young adult begins to appreciate the value of knowledge and learning. There is nothing like knowing that you have had a positive effect on a child’s life. Making a child curious, showing them how to gain knowledge and how to seek out answers to their questions is a valuable gift. It is the gift dedicated teachers give their pupils.
The story takes place over one fall term in an inner city public high school short of funds. The teacher around whom the numerous characters circle is a young idealistic English teacher named Sylvia Barrett. The tale is epistolary. School memoranda, homework, essays, lesson plans, teachers� private messages sent to each other and letters Sylvia sends to friends are cited. The letters recount the events having taken place at the school. Sylvia is also seeking another teaching position in a private institution. This correspondence is replicated too There are dialogs placed at the beginning and the end of the novel.
The epistolary format sets the tone of the story. The reader hops from subject to subject, zigzagging back and forth between the many characters. There is a lot of humor. There are witty, clever lines. Look at the title. It hints at the writing in store. Much of the humor is ironical.
We observe through the change in the students� writing what they have learned and that they have matured. I find this cleverly done.
In the last third of the novel the plot takes a more central role. The writing style becomes conventional and less to my liking. Now a story is being told. The earlier parts have an originality the latter third lacks. The events that occur have been told in other books before.
At the end, I played with giving the book three rather than four stars. The story had lost its unique character; it felt ordinary. I have stuck with four because the book so well describes the reality of the life of a high school teacher and why teaching adolescents can be so rewarding.
Barbara Rosenblatt narrates the audiobook very well. Each character is given a different intonation. The intonations fit the characters perfectly. Given the large cast of characters, this is no easy task, but Rosenblatt does it with finesse. Four stars for the audio narration.
The story takes place over one fall term in an inner city public high school short of funds. The teacher around whom the numerous characters circle is a young idealistic English teacher named Sylvia Barrett. The tale is epistolary. School memoranda, homework, essays, lesson plans, teachers� private messages sent to each other and letters Sylvia sends to friends are cited. The letters recount the events having taken place at the school. Sylvia is also seeking another teaching position in a private institution. This correspondence is replicated too There are dialogs placed at the beginning and the end of the novel.
The epistolary format sets the tone of the story. The reader hops from subject to subject, zigzagging back and forth between the many characters. There is a lot of humor. There are witty, clever lines. Look at the title. It hints at the writing in store. Much of the humor is ironical.
We observe through the change in the students� writing what they have learned and that they have matured. I find this cleverly done.
In the last third of the novel the plot takes a more central role. The writing style becomes conventional and less to my liking. Now a story is being told. The earlier parts have an originality the latter third lacks. The events that occur have been told in other books before.
At the end, I played with giving the book three rather than four stars. The story had lost its unique character; it felt ordinary. I have stuck with four because the book so well describes the reality of the life of a high school teacher and why teaching adolescents can be so rewarding.
Barbara Rosenblatt narrates the audiobook very well. Each character is given a different intonation. The intonations fit the characters perfectly. Given the large cast of characters, this is no easy task, but Rosenblatt does it with finesse. Four stars for the audio narration.
May 11, 2021
“In days of old, we rock ‘n rolled, and iPhones weren’t invented....�
If you were born after 1960, you are not going to really grok this book in all its fullness, but as I went to high school in the Fifties, though in a small town, it really rings a bell. From 1945 to around 1965, American city high schools often resembled Calvin Coolidge High in New York (fictional place), the site of Sylvia Barrett’s introduction to American secondary education. Though slugs, drugs and the Fugs were still some years away, the huge gap between what some distant honchos thought were the necessary elements of the curriculum and what the pupils needed could not be closed. Discipline was the major problem for harassed teachers, who dealt with it in a variety of ways. Some, like Sylvia Barrett, would deal with it by being sincere, serious, and taking the students as fellow human beings. They were the exceptions. A stifling, ridiculous bureaucracy, mountains of useless paper instructions, the vast distance between idealistic principals and cynical, underpaid teachers, lack of supplies, inappropriate books, no parental support, and the daily struggle of many kids outside school raised the bar to real education to unbelievable levels. It was a serious problem for American society and as far as I know, it has not been solved. Only the details have changed.
Bel Kaufman, the granddaughter of Sholom Aleichem, the famous Yiddish writer (“Fiddler on the Roof� and many more), continued his tradition of writing about serious things in a humorous way. Though the days of UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE have long passed, you will definitely get a few laughs from the idiocies of the bureaucracy and the heartfelt but misspelled compositions and notes of the kids. In the tradition of the 18th century French novel “Dangerous Liaisons�, Kaufman writes the entire book in letters, in school staff notices, student assignments, suggestion box notes, and the speeches of the principal. There is no “text� as such, but the effect is cumulative, entertaining, and ultimately powerful. I can see why it became a best seller in the US back in 1964 when it first came out. I’m not sure it’s a five star book in World Literature, but from my heart it is.
“I know that school is supposed to help me with life, but so far it didn’t.� Rusty (p.140)
Amen.
If you were born after 1960, you are not going to really grok this book in all its fullness, but as I went to high school in the Fifties, though in a small town, it really rings a bell. From 1945 to around 1965, American city high schools often resembled Calvin Coolidge High in New York (fictional place), the site of Sylvia Barrett’s introduction to American secondary education. Though slugs, drugs and the Fugs were still some years away, the huge gap between what some distant honchos thought were the necessary elements of the curriculum and what the pupils needed could not be closed. Discipline was the major problem for harassed teachers, who dealt with it in a variety of ways. Some, like Sylvia Barrett, would deal with it by being sincere, serious, and taking the students as fellow human beings. They were the exceptions. A stifling, ridiculous bureaucracy, mountains of useless paper instructions, the vast distance between idealistic principals and cynical, underpaid teachers, lack of supplies, inappropriate books, no parental support, and the daily struggle of many kids outside school raised the bar to real education to unbelievable levels. It was a serious problem for American society and as far as I know, it has not been solved. Only the details have changed.
Bel Kaufman, the granddaughter of Sholom Aleichem, the famous Yiddish writer (“Fiddler on the Roof� and many more), continued his tradition of writing about serious things in a humorous way. Though the days of UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE have long passed, you will definitely get a few laughs from the idiocies of the bureaucracy and the heartfelt but misspelled compositions and notes of the kids. In the tradition of the 18th century French novel “Dangerous Liaisons�, Kaufman writes the entire book in letters, in school staff notices, student assignments, suggestion box notes, and the speeches of the principal. There is no “text� as such, but the effect is cumulative, entertaining, and ultimately powerful. I can see why it became a best seller in the US back in 1964 when it first came out. I’m not sure it’s a five star book in World Literature, but from my heart it is.
“I know that school is supposed to help me with life, but so far it didn’t.� Rusty (p.140)
Amen.
January 29, 2020
Смішна і добра така книга😅 звісно, не все так ідеально у системі - бюрократії вагон, послух від дітей мінімальний. Але, незважаючи на дурні ситуації, книга все одно викликає посмішку. Цікавою є структура книги - це не пряма мова/розповідь, а все ми дізнаємося через листи, записки, папірці з смітників.
Я отримала справжнє задоволення читаючи її.
До речі, Бел Кауфман є онучкою Шолом-Алейхема!
Я отримала справжнє задоволення читаючи її.
До речі, Бел Кауфман є онучкою Шолом-Алейхема!
September 18, 2012
"Disregard bells!"
This is an epistolary novel of the first term teaching by a young woman in a NYC public high school. Kaufman already had 20 years teaching in NYC schools when she saw this first novel published. The main character, Sylvia, is a serious woman who is unprepared by her education for classes of SS students (Super-Slows) and ordinary kids facing trouble in over-filled poor facilities. None of this is new. She faces what many teachers face today: too many students, an over-worked, seemingly distant administration, nurses who can hand out only tea and sympathy, poor kids discouraged and lost. But unlike the authors of too many recent “inspiring� books about education, Kaufman stayed on the job. At 101 years, she’s still teaching, though most recently at her alma mater, Hunter College.
It's easy to be brilliant for a term or a year, much harder to find the heart to keep going, as Sylvia's co-worker and mentor, Bea has. Many of the events in the novel are based on actual experience, but I suspect there is as much of Bel Kaufman in Bea as in Sylvia.
“Whatever the waste, stupidity, ineptitude whatever the problems and frustrations of teachers and pupils,� her coworker tells her, “something very exciting is going on. . . . young people are exposed to education� (300-301).
ALL students matter and all deserve teachers who care like Syl and Bea and Bel. I loved this book when I first read it at age 15, and I love it still.
This is an epistolary novel of the first term teaching by a young woman in a NYC public high school. Kaufman already had 20 years teaching in NYC schools when she saw this first novel published. The main character, Sylvia, is a serious woman who is unprepared by her education for classes of SS students (Super-Slows) and ordinary kids facing trouble in over-filled poor facilities. None of this is new. She faces what many teachers face today: too many students, an over-worked, seemingly distant administration, nurses who can hand out only tea and sympathy, poor kids discouraged and lost. But unlike the authors of too many recent “inspiring� books about education, Kaufman stayed on the job. At 101 years, she’s still teaching, though most recently at her alma mater, Hunter College.
It's easy to be brilliant for a term or a year, much harder to find the heart to keep going, as Sylvia's co-worker and mentor, Bea has. Many of the events in the novel are based on actual experience, but I suspect there is as much of Bel Kaufman in Bea as in Sylvia.
“Whatever the waste, stupidity, ineptitude whatever the problems and frustrations of teachers and pupils,� her coworker tells her, “something very exciting is going on. . . . young people are exposed to education� (300-301).
ALL students matter and all deserve teachers who care like Syl and Bea and Bel. I loved this book when I first read it at age 15, and I love it still.
September 25, 2008
I learned that white people back in the sixties don't talk about racism much less the complexities of race. They also talk like Julie Andrews from the sound of music. This book wasn't funny like my friend said. I want my dollar back.
A lady and i were sitting next to each other in the bart station and she mentioned that she went to an inner city school in New York when this book came out in the sixties. I asked if she thought it was weird that the book never talked about the race issues of the time especially between whites and blacks in New York. I also asked if everyone spoke like Julie Andrews. She said that her experience was that people didn't mention the tension and severe discrimination of the times and that she didn't remember people talking like Julie Andrews.
One star motherfucker
A lady and i were sitting next to each other in the bart station and she mentioned that she went to an inner city school in New York when this book came out in the sixties. I asked if she thought it was weird that the book never talked about the race issues of the time especially between whites and blacks in New York. I also asked if everyone spoke like Julie Andrews. She said that her experience was that people didn't mention the tension and severe discrimination of the times and that she didn't remember people talking like Julie Andrews.
One star motherfucker
Read
January 12, 2022I read this so long ago that trying to assign a meaningful rating would be pure speculation. I remember exactly two things about this book: that it included the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem 'Prayer to Persephone' which I never forgot; and that the teacher/hero's nemesis was an officious bureaucrat who signed his memo's Adm. Asst., which the teacher translated as Admiral Ass. For those two things alone it's probably rates 3 stars. But I'll wait for a reread, whenever that might be.
August 11, 2016
103-годишната днес проф. Бел Кауфман публикува "Нагоре по стълбата, която води надолу" преди почти 50 години. Превеждана, преиздавана, екранизирана, превърнала се в многоседмичен бестселър, култово четиво и част от учебната програма, тя е можело да си остане незабележим разказ от три и половина страници, ако бдителна редактора не усетила потенциала на записките от учителското кошче.
Попадна ми в далечните гимназиални години, незнайно откъде и се превърна в една от книгите с главно К. В нея беше забраненият все още тогава свят, в който децата бяха същите като нас. В нея бяха и учителите, които исках да имам, да си говорим за книги, а не до припадък за "какво е искал да каже авторът", без да се отклоняваме от задължителните за заучаване сборници с литературни анализи на нечии авторитетно мухлясали мозъци. Това можеше да убие желанието за четене и зачатъците на мисъл у всеки.
Тогавашното издание на "Народна младеж" беше от ограничените тиражи на хубавите книги, продавани под щанда. За тях ти трябваше или позната книжарка, или часове опашка и вървяха с поне кило произведения на "правилните" автори. Запечатала се е ярко в съзнанието ми, помня цели глави. Дълги години търсих запазен екземпляр, почти неоткриваема е, въпреки солените цени. Издателство "Еднорог" обаче извърши едно добро дело и я преиздаде.
Пристрастна съм към старата жълта корица с мис Барет и все още се опитвам да възприема пъстротата на новата (за щастие забавните детински рисунки вътре са запазени като в първото издание). Сега прочетох книгата от позицията на родител, но със същото удоволствие и въздействието беше също толкова силно.
Дистанцията на времето и километрите не променя нито децата, нито учителите. Навсякъде са еднакви, както лозунгите („Учителя� е огледало на училището�), ученическите бисери, преподавателските изцепки и проблемите, които Бел Кауфман поднася с много болка (и за да бъдат по-лесно смилаеми - обилно поръсени с хумор): липса на мотивация и заинтересованост и при двете страни, на индивидуален подход, особено към т.н. трудни деца, слаба комуникация, уравниловка, бюрокрация, бягства от час и формално водени часове, поставяне на дисциплината пред знанията и още много, които резултират в разбити учителски нерви и полуграмотни ученици с почти нулева обща култура. Преди 50 години там и днес тук положението е едно и също.
Млада, симпатична и ентусиазирана да преподава, Силвия Барет се сблъсква с непонятни и комични училищни порядки и букет неуправляеми ученици, апатични, кротки, разсеяни, агресивни, самонадеяни, с бушуващи хормони и блуждаещи мисли. Училището е последното нещо, което ги интересува:
Преди нея и преди борбата й със системата и опита да опознае всеки от тях. Преди да успее да преобърне представите и характерите им.
Формата на книгата е много интересна. Съставена е основно от части от домашни работи и формуляри, извадки от официалната училищна кореспонденция и от кутията за предложения в класната стая, писма до приятелка и съобщения с бележки между учителите - всичко, трупано в кошчето на мис Силвия Барет.
Макар и така да изглежда странна и объркана, "Нагоре по стълбата, която води надолу" е много лека и приятна за четене книга, колкото забавна, толкова и мъдра. Бих я препоръчала на всеки, който независимо по каква причина има контакти с деца в крехката училищна възраст.
Попадна ми в далечните гимназиални години, незнайно откъде и се превърна в една от книгите с главно К. В нея беше забраненият все още тогава свят, в който децата бяха същите като нас. В нея бяха и учителите, които исках да имам, да си говорим за книги, а не до припадък за "какво е искал да каже авторът", без да се отклоняваме от задължителните за заучаване сборници с литературни анализи на нечии авторитетно мухлясали мозъци. Това можеше да убие желанието за четене и зачатъците на мисъл у всеки.
Тогавашното издание на "Народна младеж" беше от ограничените тиражи на хубавите книги, продавани под щанда. За тях ти трябваше или позната книжарка, или часове опашка и вървяха с поне кило произведения на "правилните" автори. Запечатала се е ярко в съзнанието ми, помня цели глави. Дълги години търсих запазен екземпляр, почти неоткриваема е, въпреки солените цени. Издателство "Еднорог" обаче извърши едно добро дело и я преиздаде.
Пристрастна съм към старата жълта корица с мис Барет и все още се опитвам да възприема пъстротата на новата (за щастие забавните детински рисунки вътре са запазени като в първото издание). Сега прочетох книгата от позицията на родител, но със същото удоволствие и въздействието беше също толкова силно.
Дистанцията на времето и километрите не променя нито децата, нито учителите. Навсякъде са еднакви, както лозунгите („Учителя� е огледало на училището�), ученическите бисери, преподавателските изцепки и проблемите, които Бел Кауфман поднася с много болка (и за да бъдат по-лесно смилаеми - обилно поръсени с хумор): липса на мотивация и заинтересованост и при двете страни, на индивидуален подход, особено към т.н. трудни деца, слаба комуникация, уравниловка, бюрокрация, бягства от час и формално водени часове, поставяне на дисциплината пред знанията и още много, които резултират в разбити учителски нерви и полуграмотни ученици с почти нулева обща култура. Преди 50 години там и днес тук положението е едно и също.
Млада, симпатична и ентусиазирана да преподава, Силвия Барет се сблъсква с непонятни и комични училищни порядки и букет неуправляеми ученици, апатични, кротки, разсеяни, агресивни, самонадеяни, с бушуващи хормони и блуждаещи мисли. Училището е последното нещо, което ги интересува:
„Заради преподавателите намразваме предметите.�
„Дайт� ми една разумна причина да остана (в училище).�
„Зна�, че училището трябва да ни подготви за живота, но досега то не е направило нищо.�
„Никог� през живота си не съм прочел нито една книга и няма тепърва да почвам.�
„Използва� само 10% или по-малко от това, което научавам. Жива загуба!�
Преди нея и преди борбата й със системата и опита да опознае всеки от тях. Преди да успее да преобърне представите и характерите им.
Формата на книгата е много интересна. Съставена е основно от части от домашни работи и формуляри, извадки от официалната училищна кореспонденция и от кутията за предложения в класната стая, писма до приятелка и съобщения с бележки между учителите - всичко, трупано в кошчето на мис Силвия Барет.
Макар и така да изглежда странна и объркана, "Нагоре по стълбата, която води надолу" е много лека и приятна за четене книга, колкото забавна, толкова и мъдра. Бих я препоръчала на всеки, който независимо по каква причина има контакти с деца в крехката училищна възраст.
„Дадо� им да напишат през часа съчинение на тема „Моя� най-добър приятел� и докато четях тетрадките, чудех се как да ги поправям и какво да поправям. Правописа ли? Препинателните знаци? Неизречената самотност, която се четеше между редовете? Не знам откъде да започна, да се смея ли, да плача ли. Може би и двете.�
„Моя� най-добър приятел е телевизорът и ако нещо се развали не зная какво да правя със себе си.�
„Н� се грижи за каймака � той винаги ще изплува на повърхността. Обезмасленото мляко се нуждае от добри учители.�
„А� изуставам защото знанията вървят много бързо та да науча всичко. Може ли да вървите по-бавно с четенето?
Пофтаряч�
„А� заспах в метрото защото цяла нощ стоях да си пиша домашното и когато спря на спирката аз изтичах към вратата за да не закъснея и съм го оставил на седалката�.
„Същ� давайте по-модерни книги отколкото Одисеята. Трябва да напишат отново Одисеята с повече съвременни събития.� �...не бих я дал и на куче да я чете.�
„Мож� ли да направите така че тебеширът при писане да не скърца.�
„На�-много ме тревожи това, че те приемат без каквито и да било въпроси всичко, каквото им се преподава, от когото и да е, застанал пред дъската...никак не им идва наум да мислят.�
„Н� аз не искам да се откажа, преди да опитам. Мисля си, че учениците заслужават по-добра участ от тази, която имат. Също и учителите.�
„Мисл�, че той никога вече няма да бъде същият.
Ето това е. Затова искам да преподавам, ето къде е единственото удовлетворение за труда � да въздействаш, да предизвикаш трайна промяна в живота на детето.�
„„Тез�, които умеят, вършат нещо; тези, които не умеят, учат другите� (Б. Шоу, „Чове� и свръхчовек�) Както повечето прочути фрази, и тази е вярна наполовина. Тези, които умеят, учат и другите; тези, които не умеят � огорчените, заблудените, неудачниците в други полета на действие � намират в образователната система извинение за положението си или убежище.�
„Мож� би това е единственият начин да ги запознаеш с трагедията � чрез комедията.
Хуморът е единственото, което ни остава.�
„А� държа на моето чувство за хумор, което всъщност е чувство за мярка. „Ви� виждате нещата от комичната страна, което прави всичко по-лесно�, ми каза един ученик.
Много по-лесно. Как мога да приемам сериозно такива безсмислици като: „Закъснени� поради отсъствие�, „На�-добър изоставащ� и „Бланк� за съгласие за детски паралич�, „Късн� закъснял�.
Също и: „Мол�, не обръщайте внимание на долуказаното.�, „Неизвинен� закъснение � твърди, че се е изгубил при пътуването.�
„Важнот� е да ги накараш да почувстват страданието на крал Лир, а не дали правят добро или лошо контролно върху Шекспир. Важното е да опознават и да откликват, а не да зазубрят няколко реда от текста.
Аз искам да им посоча пътя към нещо, което винаги ще ги примамва, когато телевизорът е развален, когато филмът е свършил и училищният звънец е избил за последен път.�
„Зна� ли Министерството на образованието, че вие позволявате на вашите деца да четат извън училище такива непристойни книги като „Спасителя� в ръжта�? Вместо нея трябваше да ги заставите да четат Библията, но те я забраниха.�
„Может� ли да познаете по почерка бял ли съм или черен?
Срамежливият никой�
„Предлагам по-тихи класни стаи, защото много обичам да спя.�
„Н� какво да си пожелаеш на ядеца от печената пуйка с човек, способен да поправя грешките в едно любовно писмо?�
„Съотношениет� между тъпи и будни деца навсякъде е едно и също. А когато децата идват със собствени коли на училище, то и те, и техните родители са склонни да гледат на учителя пренебрежително, само защото няма пари и високо обществено положение.�
December 30, 2016
In one high school, in a special annex for boys, two tall boys served as my bodyguards when I walked down the hall. One walked in front, the other behind me. One morning a boy came to class three months late. I greeted him with a feeble joke: “Welcome back! What happened? Did you rob a bank?� “No,� he said. “A grocery store.�
הספר מתאר את חוויותיה של מורה בשם סילביה בבית ספר ציבורי אמריקאי. היא בעיקר נתקלת בילדים ממשפחות מעוטות יכולת, היספנים, פורטוריקנים, אפרו אמריקאים ואיטלקים.
הילדים עסוקים בבעיות החיים האמיתיים כמו הצורך לעזור בפרנסת הבית, הורים אסירים, אלימים, הריונות לא רצויים כך שהם לא רואים במערכת החינוך הזדמנות אלא מקום לצאת ממנו.
מאידך מערכת החינוך עסוקה בבירוקרטיה, מילוי טפסים שונים ומשונים, בחוסר אמונה בילדים. היא לא ערוכה לטפל בכל כך הרבה ילדים וחסר ציוד, האכילה מתבצע במשמרות של 20 דקות בקפיטריה כי פשוט אין כיסאות ואין שולחנות. הציוד שישנו שבור ולא מתוחזק. חומרי הלימוד אינם מספיקים לכל הילדים, נאסר עליהם להשתמש בספריה שבה המורים יושבים לבצע את מטלותיהם במילויי ניירת.
אחד האבסורדים בספר הוא שבשלב מסויים נאסר על הילדים להשתמש במדרגות המובילות למרתף, אבל כל גרמי המדרגות מובילים לשם למעט אחד.
בנוף הזה סילביה היא מורה לאנגלית מזן חריג. היא מאמינה בילדים ומנסה ללמד אותם אנגלית תקנית, מנחילה להם את אהבת הקריאה ומעבירה להם את היתרונות שבחינוך. היא באמת מתעניינת בילדים ובמה שיש להם לאמר לה.
סילביה נאבקת בפקפוקים העצמיים שלה בבחירה שלה ללמד בבית הספר הזה. עם מנהל בית הספר והגישה החינוכית שלו. עם הילדים שלא מאמינים בה ובעצמם.
כתבו בהרבה מקומות שיש לסופרת חוש הומור אבל הספר בעיקר עצוב מאוד ומשקף חברה לא שיוויונית שלא מאפשרת לילדים הזדמנות אמיתית לצאת משולי החברה והעוני.
הספר כתוב צורה לא ליניארית, פרקים שכוללים התכתבויות, אירועים שונים, פתקים. את העלילה מסיקים מקרעי מחשבות שסילביה שולחת לחברה שלה במכתבים. יחד עם זאת מתרגלים אחרי הפרקים הראשונים.
למרות שהספר נכתב בשנות ה 60 של המאה שעברה, הוא רלוונטי גם היום.
אבל, לפחות היום מערכת החינוך מעמידה פנים שאכפת לה מהצלחה. לא מהתלמידים. זה נשאר מוטיב שנכון גם היום.
הספר מתאר את חוויותיה של מורה בשם סילביה בבית ספר ציבורי אמריקאי. היא בעיקר נתקלת בילדים ממשפחות מעוטות יכולת, היספנים, פורטוריקנים, אפרו אמריקאים ואיטלקים.
הילדים עסוקים בבעיות החיים האמיתיים כמו הצורך לעזור בפרנסת הבית, הורים אסירים, אלימים, הריונות לא רצויים כך שהם לא רואים במערכת החינוך הזדמנות אלא מקום לצאת ממנו.
מאידך מערכת החינוך עסוקה בבירוקרטיה, מילוי טפסים שונים ומשונים, בחוסר אמונה בילדים. היא לא ערוכה לטפל בכל כך הרבה ילדים וחסר ציוד, האכילה מתבצע במשמרות של 20 דקות בקפיטריה כי פשוט אין כיסאות ואין שולחנות. הציוד שישנו שבור ולא מתוחזק. חומרי הלימוד אינם מספיקים לכל הילדים, נאסר עליהם להשתמש בספריה שבה המורים יושבים לבצע את מטלותיהם במילויי ניירת.
אחד האבסורדים בספר הוא שבשלב מסויים נאסר על הילדים להשתמש במדרגות המובילות למרתף, אבל כל גרמי המדרגות מובילים לשם למעט אחד.
בנוף הזה סילביה היא מורה לאנגלית מזן חריג. היא מאמינה בילדים ומנסה ללמד אותם אנגלית תקנית, מנחילה להם את אהבת הקריאה ומעבירה להם את היתרונות שבחינוך. היא באמת מתעניינת בילדים ובמה שיש להם לאמר לה.
סילביה נאבקת בפקפוקים העצמיים שלה בבחירה שלה ללמד בבית הספר הזה. עם מנהל בית הספר והגישה החינוכית שלו. עם הילדים שלא מאמינים בה ובעצמם.
כתבו בהרבה מקומות שיש לסופרת חוש הומור אבל הספר בעיקר עצוב מאוד ומשקף חברה לא שיוויונית שלא מאפשרת לילדים הזדמנות אמיתית לצאת משולי החברה והעוני.
הספר כתוב צורה לא ליניארית, פרקים שכוללים התכתבויות, אירועים שונים, פתקים. את העלילה מסיקים מקרעי מחשבות שסילביה שולחת לחברה שלה במכתבים. יחד עם זאת מתרגלים אחרי הפרקים הראשונים.
למרות שהספר נכתב בשנות ה 60 של המאה שעברה, הוא רלוונטי גם היום.
אבל, לפחות היום מערכת החינוך מעמידה פנים שאכפת לה מהצלחה. לא מהתלמידים. זה נשאר מוטיב שנכון גם היום.
February 10, 2008
I just prayed that I wouldn't waste another week or two of summer courses for my Master's Degree with another doozy of a book like "Oh the Glory of It All." I didn't. Thank God this book was required for class. At that point, I'd been a teacher for three years, now it's five, and in ten years, I'll be able to say i'm a third of the way through my career and forty years into life. And everything that happens on every page of "Up the Down Staircase" will still be 100% true of public education and all the shit we teachers have to endure.
June 1, 2016
I loved this book. I can’t remember if I read it for the first time in high school or a year or two before, but it’s about a first year teacher with high school students and it all rang fairly true, at least for its time. Anyway, it was interesting, hilarious and very sad in parts as well. One I reread a few times.
November 26, 2022
я з тих учнів, які підіймалися вгору сходами, що ведуть униз (і таки підіймуться!) у мене було вісім шкіл. була й Головна школа, та зовсім не така, як у книзі (приватна, дорога, нічим не краща по суті). але авторка нагадала мені про трьох моїх Головних учителів. мені повезло. в мене їх аж три було (дякую, що про усіх так яскраво згадала) молюся джа, щоб кожному у житті хоча б один такий стрівся.
June 21, 2016
I've no idea how many times I've read this one. It's a fast read, and it's a blast, and I love the structure, so original! (One of my favorite genres is college/school/academia anyway, so this one has held me in its grasp since the 1960s.) One of my favorite books ever.
October 8, 2023
mul on kuskilt varajasest teismeeast väga head mälestused sellest raamatust - et oli huvitav ja naljakas ja mõtlemapanev. õnneks ei ole ta vahepealsete aastakümnetega üldse muutunud ja on endiselt hea... ja ongi vist üsna aegumatu tekstiga tegu. veel enam - kui ma esimesel lugemisel väga täpselt ei suutnud ette kujutada, kuidas kõiki neid tsirkulaare ja õpetajate omavahelisi kirjakesi niiviisi tunni ajal pidevalt saadetakse, siis praegu ei pilgu silm ka. internet!
aegumatult heaks kiidan ka tõlke (Heino Rajandi) - täiesti suurepärane, ja siin on ju vaja tõlkida kirjavigu ja slängi ja kantseliiti ja luulet, kõike segamini. ainus koht, mis pani hetkeks kulmu kergitama, oli Eefeuliiga (Ivy League) - kas eesti keeles on kunagi selline mõiste kasutusel olnud päriselt? aga pole ju paha. nojah, ja aastal 1968 pidi tõlkija kirjutama joonealuse märkuse selle kohta, millele viidatakse liiminuusutamisega. seda pole praegu enam tarvis vast.
pean küll tunnistama, et kuigi raamat oli nii hea kui naljakas, oli mul sellest mammutkooli õpetajast päris kahju ja kuna ma ei mäletanud, mis lõpuks saab (kas ta jääb sinna kooli või läheb tööle glamuursesse erakolledžisse?), siis hoidsin kõvasti pöialt, et ta lõpuks ikka pääseks. mis vist ei olnud päris see, kuidas autoril see plaanis oli, aga mis ta ikka teha saab.
kindlasti soovitan lugeda kõigil õpetajatel ja kõigil, kel on kunagi korrakski tulnud pähe mõte õpetajaks hakata.
aegumatult heaks kiidan ka tõlke (Heino Rajandi) - täiesti suurepärane, ja siin on ju vaja tõlkida kirjavigu ja slängi ja kantseliiti ja luulet, kõike segamini. ainus koht, mis pani hetkeks kulmu kergitama, oli Eefeuliiga (Ivy League) - kas eesti keeles on kunagi selline mõiste kasutusel olnud päriselt? aga pole ju paha. nojah, ja aastal 1968 pidi tõlkija kirjutama joonealuse märkuse selle kohta, millele viidatakse liiminuusutamisega. seda pole praegu enam tarvis vast.
pean küll tunnistama, et kuigi raamat oli nii hea kui naljakas, oli mul sellest mammutkooli õpetajast päris kahju ja kuna ma ei mäletanud, mis lõpuks saab (kas ta jääb sinna kooli või läheb tööle glamuursesse erakolledžisse?), siis hoidsin kõvasti pöialt, et ta lõpuks ikka pääseks. mis vist ei olnud päris see, kuidas autoril see plaanis oli, aga mis ta ikka teha saab.
kindlasti soovitan lugeda kõigil õpetajatel ja kõigil, kel on kunagi korrakski tulnud pähe mõte õpetajaks hakata.
October 8, 2024
4.5 Stars
I love it when I pick up a book that perfectly fits my mood, and that’s exactly what happened with Up the Down Staircase.
I first read Staircase as a teenager, 50-ish years ago. I think it was just lying around the house (Thanks, mom and dad, for having a home filled with books!) and remembered liking it. Now, as I prepare to retire from education at the end of this school year, this book for some reason has repeatedly popped into my ever-more-feeble brain. So, when I recently happened upon a copy at Half Price Books, it seemed like fate; I bought it and started reading it that day.
And I’m so glad I did! What a lovely and moving chronicle of the experiences of new teacher Sylvia during her first semester in an urban high school. Told entirely through interoffice memos, letters, and student notes/writing, the accumulating paper artifacts wonderfully capture the voices, relationships, and needs of administrators, teachers, and, most importantly and beautifully, the students.
Though I work in a suburban high school sixty years after this book came out, its depictions of education and the human condition experienced there still ring true: the administrative bureaucratese; the myriad challenges and joys teachers experience each day; the encouragement educators constantly offer one another to keep their spirits up; and -- again most importantly -- the humanity, humor, and pathos of the students.
Yes, there were a few subplot moments that may have bordered on the schmaltzy and some student notes that, while they captured the true heart and soul of the teenagers, also had clearly been filtered through the pen of the adult author.
But these are minor nits. Any book that can make me smile, laugh, sigh, tear up, and reflect as much as this did, I happily deem “great�!
P.S. I also found myself wondering if this book was in any way an inspiration for the popular 70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which first aired eleven years after this book came out. A quick Google search revealed nothing, so probably not, but their themes and tones are similar, so I had to ask 🙂
I love it when I pick up a book that perfectly fits my mood, and that’s exactly what happened with Up the Down Staircase.
I first read Staircase as a teenager, 50-ish years ago. I think it was just lying around the house (Thanks, mom and dad, for having a home filled with books!) and remembered liking it. Now, as I prepare to retire from education at the end of this school year, this book for some reason has repeatedly popped into my ever-more-feeble brain. So, when I recently happened upon a copy at Half Price Books, it seemed like fate; I bought it and started reading it that day.
And I’m so glad I did! What a lovely and moving chronicle of the experiences of new teacher Sylvia during her first semester in an urban high school. Told entirely through interoffice memos, letters, and student notes/writing, the accumulating paper artifacts wonderfully capture the voices, relationships, and needs of administrators, teachers, and, most importantly and beautifully, the students.
Though I work in a suburban high school sixty years after this book came out, its depictions of education and the human condition experienced there still ring true: the administrative bureaucratese; the myriad challenges and joys teachers experience each day; the encouragement educators constantly offer one another to keep their spirits up; and -- again most importantly -- the humanity, humor, and pathos of the students.
Yes, there were a few subplot moments that may have bordered on the schmaltzy and some student notes that, while they captured the true heart and soul of the teenagers, also had clearly been filtered through the pen of the adult author.
But these are minor nits. Any book that can make me smile, laugh, sigh, tear up, and reflect as much as this did, I happily deem “great�!
P.S. I also found myself wondering if this book was in any way an inspiration for the popular 70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which first aired eleven years after this book came out. A quick Google search revealed nothing, so probably not, but their themes and tones are similar, so I had to ask 🙂
August 27, 2015
I can't believe I've never rated this book before. I come back to it occasionally because it's easy to read and yet quite powerful in what it has to say about teens, teachers, and education in general. Told through letters, memos, circulars, and, in one very painful moment, the notebook of one of the students, it describes the life of one new teacher through the course of a single semester in a New York high school. This is not an elite school, and these are not high achievers: Sylvia Barrett, as a raw beginner, is given the classes referred to by all sorts of euphemisms for "dumb." But they aren't dumb, and all of them have personality and dreams. My favorite of the students is shy Jose Rodriguez, who comes into his own when Sylvia assigns him to play the role of judge in a reenactment she does of a story. (He comes to school dressed for the part, with a gavel, and proceeds to play his role with perfect seriousness, telling a fellow classmate who challenges his point of court etiquette "I ought to know. I been." And then proceeds to become one of those kids every teacher dreams of having--someone her efforts made a difference for.)
The book is now more than fifty years old, and it's as relevant today as ever, despite changes made to (it's hoped) alleviate some of the physical conditions children should never have to endure. Given what's described in the book, that relevance is either hopeful or extremely depressing. I choose to see it as hopeful that teachers can, and always have, make a difference in many students' lives.
The book is now more than fifty years old, and it's as relevant today as ever, despite changes made to (it's hoped) alleviate some of the physical conditions children should never have to endure. Given what's described in the book, that relevance is either hopeful or extremely depressing. I choose to see it as hopeful that teachers can, and always have, make a difference in many students' lives.
January 23, 2020
Смішно, нуднувато і дуже життєво. Сподобається тим, хто вчителює. Або мав такий досвід.
March 13, 2008
I am admittedly biased. Up the Down Staircase delves into the realm of teaching and education, which, as a future teacher, has me mesmerized. While studying it, as I'm sure any other reader would do, I repeatedly asked myself "What difference can one teacher make in an inner-city world of pupil complacency and administrative beauracracy?" Kaufman examines the topic through a variety of written documents: memos from the principal, comments from a suggestion box, letters to an old friend, notes from students, etc. The themes and storyline of the book are enough to generate interest on their own, but this ingenious method of style makes the book such an enjoyment to read.
I would recommend it to anyone, but especially someone who is, like me, hungering for more and more insight into the world of education. I feasted and came away more than satisfied.
I would recommend it to anyone, but especially someone who is, like me, hungering for more and more insight into the world of education. I feasted and came away more than satisfied.
October 30, 2018
Книжка про вчителювання в дусі "щоб не плакать я сміялась" - випускниця філфаку, сповнена теорії і любові до Чосера потрапляє в звичайну американську школу 1960-х, де немає скріпок, парти поламані, а учениці помирають від нелегальних абортів.
Романів про вчителя, який приходить і своєю любов'ю міняє клас є багато (а фільмів ще більше). Цей варто читати бо:
- він круто і вправно написаний - це не наратив, а підбірка листів, діалогів і вчительських звітів
- це дуже смішно, такий стресовий сміх над своїми проблемами
- реальність американської школи 1960-х не так уже подібна на українську (ані тодішню, ані теперішню). Кожен крок кожної особи регламентований документом - включно з тим, в якому напрямку йти по коридору, така собі антиутопія, яка в реальності тріщить по швах
-Бел Кауфман - внучка Шолом-Алейхема!
Романів про вчителя, який приходить і своєю любов'ю міняє клас є багато (а фільмів ще більше). Цей варто читати бо:
- він круто і вправно написаний - це не наратив, а підбірка листів, діалогів і вчительських звітів
- це дуже смішно, такий стресовий сміх над своїми проблемами
- реальність американської школи 1960-х не так уже подібна на українську (ані тодішню, ані теперішню). Кожен крок кожної особи регламентований документом - включно з тим, в якому напрямку йти по коридору, така собі антиутопія, яка в реальності тріщить по швах
-Бел Кауфман - внучка Шолом-Алейхема!
March 30, 2012
I've mentioned several books here that I only read because my girl friend of the 60s wanted me to, or at least introduced me to them. This may be another, I can't remember, but I did read it about that time.
While the book tended (and for all I know still tends) to be thought of as more a "female" read. This is a misnomer and if you allow yourself to miss this book because you think it's not for "men" you'll miss a "good read".
The novel is an epistolary tale of the struggle a dedicated young teacher has not only with her students but also with the petty political obstacles thrown in her path by the system she's supposed to be working for.
This is a well written book and I recommend it.
While the book tended (and for all I know still tends) to be thought of as more a "female" read. This is a misnomer and if you allow yourself to miss this book because you think it's not for "men" you'll miss a "good read".
The novel is an epistolary tale of the struggle a dedicated young teacher has not only with her students but also with the petty political obstacles thrown in her path by the system she's supposed to be working for.
This is a well written book and I recommend it.
May 6, 2012
Bel Kaufman, the author of this book will turn 101 this week. She is the grand daughter of the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. It shows in the book, which is written as a series of letters in the style of Sholem Aleichem (see The Adventures of Menachem Mendel.)
It relates the experiences of a young English teacher in Calvin Coolidge High School, a fictional but typical New York City public school.
I'm sure this book speaks to anyone who has taught high school with its problem kids, little victories and maddening bureaucratic obligations. Even though it was published in 1965, I don't think "Up the Down Stair Case" is dated at all.
There's a story where the teacher, Sylvia Barrett, gets in big trouble because she lets one of her students leave an exam she was proctoring to use the toilet without waiting for a hall proctor to escort him there. The boy is accused of cheating. A big brouhaha ensues. She almost gets fired for letting him go to the bathroom without a hall proctor. Almost
everybody who went to a big public high school has a story like that where bureaucracy trumps common sense.
I buy most of my books from the used book sale shelves at the Evanston, Illinois Public Library. People donate books to the library. The library puts them on a shelf and charges fifty cents a piece. They get a lot of best sellers from decades ago. Up the Down Staircase was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 64 weeks in 1965 and 1966.
In the inside flap of this volume in perfect 1950's public school script is this inscription:
"Oct. 16, 1965
Hi Beautiful,
Even though I can't be with you on this birthday I hope with all my heart, that this will be a very, very, happy occasion!
May God bless you always & Happy Birthday, darling!
Love-
Gary"
I don't know who Beautiful or Gary are, but I will treasure this book as they did for a few more years until somebody donates it back to the Evanston Public Library to be discovered by a reader of another generation. Hopefully by then public high schools will have improved. I tend to doubt it.
It relates the experiences of a young English teacher in Calvin Coolidge High School, a fictional but typical New York City public school.
I'm sure this book speaks to anyone who has taught high school with its problem kids, little victories and maddening bureaucratic obligations. Even though it was published in 1965, I don't think "Up the Down Stair Case" is dated at all.
There's a story where the teacher, Sylvia Barrett, gets in big trouble because she lets one of her students leave an exam she was proctoring to use the toilet without waiting for a hall proctor to escort him there. The boy is accused of cheating. A big brouhaha ensues. She almost gets fired for letting him go to the bathroom without a hall proctor. Almost
everybody who went to a big public high school has a story like that where bureaucracy trumps common sense.
I buy most of my books from the used book sale shelves at the Evanston, Illinois Public Library. People donate books to the library. The library puts them on a shelf and charges fifty cents a piece. They get a lot of best sellers from decades ago. Up the Down Staircase was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 64 weeks in 1965 and 1966.
In the inside flap of this volume in perfect 1950's public school script is this inscription:
"Oct. 16, 1965
Hi Beautiful,
Even though I can't be with you on this birthday I hope with all my heart, that this will be a very, very, happy occasion!
May God bless you always & Happy Birthday, darling!
Love-
Gary"
I don't know who Beautiful or Gary are, but I will treasure this book as they did for a few more years until somebody donates it back to the Evanston Public Library to be discovered by a reader of another generation. Hopefully by then public high schools will have improved. I tend to doubt it.
September 14, 2019
Loved this one!!
April 25, 2019
I can now understand why they say Up the Down Staircase is a timeless classic because it has withheld the test of time. More than fifty years later, Up the Down Staircase is as relevant today as when originally published in 1964. I came across only a few words that might be unfamiliar to some � phonograph, mimeos and mimeographs, FTG (translation - Friday Thank God) and possibly pupils (not the eye variety).
Up the Down Staircase is an entertaining and very creative read that’s entirely comprised of school memos, student assignments, letters, teacher-to-teacher communication, etc. It tells the story of Sylvia Barrett, a brand new teacher in an urban NYC school. This Chaucer scholar finds teaching to be very different compared to what she expected. Her idealism and starry-eyed naiveté clashes with reality � apathetic inner-city kids behind the curve. Specifically, she teaches separate classes of “Special Slows,� “Slow Non-Readers� and “Low-Normal� students.
The book begins on Sylvia’s first day and the student banter, while she tries to gain control of the class, is highly relatable and amusing. She quickly learns that a lot more of her time is spent on clerical work rather than teaching. In fact, on her first day, she is only able to check two of twenty off the list of items she’s expected to complete for her home room class. Adding to her frustration, is the lack of assistance and support she gets from the administration. For example, she gets this response to her supply requests �
“Why do you need so many paperclips? Supplies are running low. All out of desk blotters. All out of rubber bands. All out of board erasers. No red pencils - only blue. Can let you have half envelope of chalk - all out of boxes.�
Sylvia’s letters to her friend Ellen reveal a lot of the story as she recounts her trials and tribulations and explains how she is feeling about it. For instance, she explains in one letter about the teacher-student relationship and how it’s a tightrope and balancing act. Sylvia ponders what to do about a challenging student who wants to drop out.
One of my favorite parts is the student responses to Sylvia’s prompts. There is one in which she asks them to write about their best friend. One student says it’s T.V. And another says it’s a good book and cites Anthony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare and the favorite part is when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.... (Someone watched the movie instead of reading the book!) Also, the notes from the suggestion box are funny - e.g. Can you make the chalk stop squeaking? Another complains about the rotten books they’re given to read and how they wouldn’t give it to a dog to read.
Sylvia struggles with the voluminous paperwork, unmotivated students and whether she is making a difference in their lives. The reader will walk away with a new appreciation for teachers, both what they must cope with as well as how influential they can be in a student’s life.
Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Up the Down Staircase is an entertaining and very creative read that’s entirely comprised of school memos, student assignments, letters, teacher-to-teacher communication, etc. It tells the story of Sylvia Barrett, a brand new teacher in an urban NYC school. This Chaucer scholar finds teaching to be very different compared to what she expected. Her idealism and starry-eyed naiveté clashes with reality � apathetic inner-city kids behind the curve. Specifically, she teaches separate classes of “Special Slows,� “Slow Non-Readers� and “Low-Normal� students.
The book begins on Sylvia’s first day and the student banter, while she tries to gain control of the class, is highly relatable and amusing. She quickly learns that a lot more of her time is spent on clerical work rather than teaching. In fact, on her first day, she is only able to check two of twenty off the list of items she’s expected to complete for her home room class. Adding to her frustration, is the lack of assistance and support she gets from the administration. For example, she gets this response to her supply requests �
“Why do you need so many paperclips? Supplies are running low. All out of desk blotters. All out of rubber bands. All out of board erasers. No red pencils - only blue. Can let you have half envelope of chalk - all out of boxes.�
Sylvia’s letters to her friend Ellen reveal a lot of the story as she recounts her trials and tribulations and explains how she is feeling about it. For instance, she explains in one letter about the teacher-student relationship and how it’s a tightrope and balancing act. Sylvia ponders what to do about a challenging student who wants to drop out.
One of my favorite parts is the student responses to Sylvia’s prompts. There is one in which she asks them to write about their best friend. One student says it’s T.V. And another says it’s a good book and cites Anthony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare and the favorite part is when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.... (Someone watched the movie instead of reading the book!) Also, the notes from the suggestion box are funny - e.g. Can you make the chalk stop squeaking? Another complains about the rotten books they’re given to read and how they wouldn’t give it to a dog to read.
Sylvia struggles with the voluminous paperwork, unmotivated students and whether she is making a difference in their lives. The reader will walk away with a new appreciation for teachers, both what they must cope with as well as how influential they can be in a student’s life.
Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 20, 2015
Maybe I should give it 3 stars, but I'm not entirely sold with this book. I decided to read it as part of the 2015 Reading Challenge, because of the antonyms in the title.
But despite it's good sides, something in this book was lost to me. I liked how resourceful the author was when it comes to places from which the notes, letters and so on, are taken. That was definitely fun to follow. I appreciated Sylvia's efforts to reach to the kids. But I feel like this is one of those books: something is said to have happened, characters are said to have certain characteristics and abilities, but as far as the reader is concerned, none of that is proven. Since this is an epistolary novel, one cannot really follow the way the events go, but through someone's account for it. Therefore, we are told that she is a good teacher, but we never see her as a good teacher. Time and again the characters say how much they like her, but her actions cannot speak for themselves. The only instance for us to somewhat feel her teaching is when court is held in class. So I was not really convinced. Sorry.
The other thing that bugged me was the fact that I do not feel close to the setting and problems of the book. I was never in a school with a problem with minorities, neither is 60's America in any way close to me as far as ideals and ideas go. Overall, I can say that American novels prior to the 21st century are very alien and unpleasant to me. There are less than a handful of American classics that I like.
But despite it's good sides, something in this book was lost to me. I liked how resourceful the author was when it comes to places from which the notes, letters and so on, are taken. That was definitely fun to follow. I appreciated Sylvia's efforts to reach to the kids. But I feel like this is one of those books: something is said to have happened, characters are said to have certain characteristics and abilities, but as far as the reader is concerned, none of that is proven. Since this is an epistolary novel, one cannot really follow the way the events go, but through someone's account for it. Therefore, we are told that she is a good teacher, but we never see her as a good teacher. Time and again the characters say how much they like her, but her actions cannot speak for themselves. The only instance for us to somewhat feel her teaching is when court is held in class. So I was not really convinced. Sorry.
The other thing that bugged me was the fact that I do not feel close to the setting and problems of the book. I was never in a school with a problem with minorities, neither is 60's America in any way close to me as far as ideals and ideas go. Overall, I can say that American novels prior to the 21st century are very alien and unpleasant to me. There are less than a handful of American classics that I like.
May 4, 2016
Humorous novel with many grains of truth--just as true today as when written 50 years ago. I laughed and cried. Neophyte idealistic teacher, Sylvia Barrett's first semester teaching at an inner-city NYC high school, contending with the horrendous bureaucracy, paperwork, and red tape and trying to instill the love of learning in her students, persisting despite setbacks. The author is the granddaughter of the noted Yiddish humorist of the Tevye the Dairyman stories.
June 3, 2018
Why I picked it up:When I read this book for the first time, I was planning on becoming a music teacher, and this book is about a young, inner-city teacher. I also adore books told completely through notes, letters, memos, and such, which makes it perfect.
Why I finished it:Kaufman's characters are so very real, and so is the main character's journey. Messed-up bureaucracy, disengaged students, a teacher on the fast track to burnout--a book written decades before I was born still rings true now.
Why I finished it:Kaufman's characters are so very real, and so is the main character's journey. Messed-up bureaucracy, disengaged students, a teacher on the fast track to burnout--a book written decades before I was born still rings true now.
March 6, 2015
Neįstengiau pabaigt. Siaubingai nepatiko. Skaitai, ir prieš akis iškyla chaosas, triukšmas, betvarkė, biurokratija ir krūva abejingų idiotų - viskas, dėl ko nekenčiau mokyklos.
Pati knygos forma irgi siaubinga, kažkoks cirkuliarų, raštelių, laišku, klausimų ir atsakymų kratinys be jokios aiškios ir logiškos struktūros.
Žodžiu, šita knyga - ne man. Sėsk, kuolas. :)
Pati knygos forma irgi siaubinga, kažkoks cirkuliarų, raštelių, laišku, klausimų ir atsakymų kratinys be jokios aiškios ir logiškos struktūros.
Žodžiu, šita knyga - ne man. Sėsk, kuolas. :)
Read
July 31, 2016Another one of those books I read decades ago. Actually I was in my high school production of this as one of the students--I still remember saying "liberry".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 837 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.