Searching for Hope : Life at a Failing School in the Heart of America

Cover CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PROLOGUE 1 WHY ARE YOU HERE? 2 I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE A DANDELION. 3 CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? 4 WE DO A GOOD JOB WITH THE KIDS WHO SHOW UP. 5 I HATE THIS SCHOOL. 6 GO TO CLASS, ZACH. 7 WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE AVERAGE HERE. 8 WHERE’S THE SCHOOL SPIRIT? 9 I DON’T LIKE BEING CALLED STUPID. 10 YOU HAVE TO CRAWL FIRST. 11 WE’RE DROPPING OUT. 12 I GET HIT ALL THE TIME. 13 WE JUST COULDN’T GET ANYTHING STARTED. 14 WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN, MR. GRISMORE? 15 COULD YOU IMAGINE IF WE FILLED THE HOUSE? 16 IT FEELS LIKE I’M A SOMEBODY. 17 I USED TO BE BAD. 18 I KNEW I DIDN’T WANT THAT. 19 THERE’S NOBODY THAT CAN’T DO SOMETHING. 20 IT NEVER STOPS AROUND HERE. 21 I LIKE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. 22 I’M THE KID WHO DOESN’T EXIST. 23 TROUBLE FOLLOWS ME. 24 I’M WILLING TO RUN THESE SCHOOLS. 25 NOW I KNOW WHY I’M TALL. 26 WOW, THIS IS AMAZING! 27 WE’VE ACTED LIKE THIS IS OKAY. 28 YOU ARE SURVIVORS. EPILOGUE Illustrations Earching For Hope Is A Gripping Account Of Life In A Once-great High School In A Rough Indianapolis Neighborhood. Granted Unfiltered Access To Manual High Throughout An Entire School Year, Award-winning Journalist Matthew Tully Tells The Complex Story Of The Everyday Drama, Failures, And Triumphs In One Of The Nation's Many Troubled Urban Public High Schools. He Walks Readers Into Classrooms, Offices, And Hallways, Painting A Vivid Picture Of The Profound Academic Problems, Deep Frustrations, And Apathy That Absorb And Sometimes Consume Students, Teachers, And Administrators. Yet This Intimate View Also Reveals The Hopes, Dreams, And Untapped Talents Of Some Amazing Individuals. Providing Insights Into The Challenges Confronting Those Who Seek To Improve The Quality Of America's Schools, Tully Argues That School Leaders And Policy Makers Must Rally Communities To Heartfelt Engagement With Their Schools If The Crippling Social And Economic Threats To Cities Such As Indianapolis Are To Be Averted. --publisher Description. Prologue -- Why Are You Here? -- I Never Thought He Would Be A Dandelion -- Can You Believe This? -- We Do A Good Job With The Kids Who Show Up -- I Hate This School -- Go To Class, Zach -- We're Not Going To Be Average Here -- Where's The School Spirit? -- I Don't Like Being Called Stupid -- You Have To Crawl First -- We're Dropping Out -- I Get Hit All The Time -- We Just Couldn't Get Anything Started -- What's Gonna Happen, Mr. Grismore? -- Could You Imagine If We Filled The House? -- It Feels Like I'm A Somebody -- I Used To Be Bad -- I Knew I Didn't Want That -- There's Nobody That Can't Do Something -- It Never Stops Around Here -- I Like To Solve Problems -- I'm The Kid Who Doesn't Exist -- Trouble Follows Me -- I'm Willing To Run These Schools -- Now I Know Why I'm Tall -- Wow, This Is Amazing -- We've Acted Like This Is Okay -- You Are Survivors -- Epilogue. Matthew Tully. “A gritty, wonderfully honest investigation of life in an urban American high school in the 21st Century.” —Jay Mathews, Washington Post education columnist Searching for Hope is a gripping account of life in a once-great high school in a rough Indianapolis neighborhood. Granted unfiltered access to Manual High throughout an entire school year, award-winning journalist Matthew Tully tells the complex story of the everyday drama, failures, and triumphs in one of the nation's many troubled urban public high schools. He walks readers into classrooms, offices, and hallways, painting a vivid picture of the profound academic problems, deep frustrations, and apathy that absorb and sometimes consume students, teachers, and administrators. Yet this intimate view also reveals the hopes, dreams, and untapped talents of some amazing individuals. Providing insights into the challenges confronting those who seek to improve the quality of America's schools, Tully argues that school leaders and policy makers must rally communities to heartfelt engagement with their schools if the crippling social and economic threats to cities such as Indianapolis are to be averted. “[W]hile the book offers no unfamiliar insight into the plight of urban schools, it does give a powerful, ultimately genuine voice to the complicated, imperfect individuals whose victories and hopes are often unreported.” —Publishers Weekly “[T]his keen observation of teens at a troubled high school makes for fascinating reading.” —Library Journal