Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 1559708352, Hardcover)

At 22, Dan Brown came to the Bronx's P.S. 85 as an eager,fresh-faced teacher. Unbeknownst to him, his assigned class, 4-217, was thedesignated "dumping ground" for all fourth-grade problem cases, and hisstudents would prove to be more challenging than he could ever anticipate.Intent on being a caring, dedicated teacher but confronted with unrulychildren, absent parents, and a failing administration, Dan was pushed tothe limit time and again: he found himself screaming with rage, punchinghis fist through a blackboard out of sheer frustration, often just wantingto give up and walk away. Yet in this seeming chaos, he slowly learnedfrom his own mistakes and discovered an unexpected well of inspiration todiscipline and teach and make a difference.The Great ExpectationsSchool is the touching journey of Class 4-217 and their teacher, Mr.Brown, but more than that, it is the revealing story of a brokeneducational system and all those struggling within and fighting against it.