One Child: The True Story of a Tormented Six-Year-Old and the Brilliant Teacher Who Reached Out

Torey Hayden is what I can only call a special ed teacher. At some less-politically-correct point in her career, she agreed to teach the "garbage class" (her words, not mine) that consisted of the abused, unteachable, unreachable kids. The class of eight students, a teacher's aide who lacked even a high school diploma, a high school student volunteer, and Torey made it through the first semester in decent shape. But in January, little Sheila joined them. She seemed to be more troubled and harder to reach than most and she set the class on its ears. But Torey made the effort to try to help this six-year-old child.

What a heart breaker. The five stars reflect the importance of the subject rather than the quality of the writing. The story show more is told in a straightforward manner and is very readable in and of itself, but it's really nothing special. But this little girl. Oh my gosh, little Sheila. What a survivor. I work in a hospital that has one floor dedicated to psychiatric patients. It has always blown my mind that we have an area in there dedicated to pediatric (as in not-a-teenager) patients. The few times I've been called to do a test there, I've left wondering how such a young child can get so broken. Is it just a bad hand, genetically? Or has someone made the effort to break them? What could break these young children? I always stop my thinking there, not really wanting to know, wanting to stay safe in my middle-class sheltered existence. But One Child showed me what can happen to these kids. It was not by any means an emotionally easy read. It's left me quite disturbed. But it's so important. We're losing too many kids this way, and they all have a part to play in this world, no matter how small. We need books like this to remind us of what we take for granted, and to remind us to take the time to care. And to show us that there is hope. Because, ultimately, despite the heart break we go through, the book is about hope and healing. Highly, highly recommended. show less

This book made a lasting impression on me when I first read it. It is the story of an abused and neglected child who showed up in Hayden's special education class one day. The child, Sheila, had been found tying another child to a tree and setting him on fire. She was six years old. She was supposed to go to a mental institution but there was no room, so in the meantime she got stuck in Hayden's classroom. At first Sheila was violent, destructive and mute. She caused a lot of tumult in a classroom of children who already had various developmental and emotional problems. Eventually Hayden won her trust and began helping her heal. Unfortuately, she was unable to prevent further tragedy happening to Sheila, but she certainly gave the child show more a big boost on her road to recovery. Sheila's feisty personality and intelligence shine through the pages and make it quite a memorable book. It is well-written, full of lively dialog and vividly emotional scenes. The story of what happened to Sheila would break anyone's heart.

Dog Ear Diary show less

This book.... Wow. I've said it before, but I have to say it again. Torey Hayden is a very special woman. How can you not admire her? How can anyone *not* see her as some kind of amazing saint, after all the children she has helped?

From things that she said, in this book and others, I have a feeling Sheila was a very special child to Torey, maybe her favorite. I can certainly see why. Throughout this book, no matter how frustrating the battle got, no matter how many obstacles were in the way, Sheila gives off this wonderfully charming character. Her stubbornness, her clingyness, everything about her made me want to hug her and hold her.

The subject matter of Hayden's books often leave me in tears, clutching the book and vowing never to show more read another one like it. That was the case here, as well, when I read what Sheila's uncle did to her. I literally threw the book across the room, and had to force myself to pick it up again. It's hard to swallow, knowing someone could actually do that to a child.... But that was a small part of the book, and as usual the majority of this book reminded me that there are people out there who care about these children. show less

This is one of Torey Hayden's best books. It follows the story of a Shelia who comes into her small group special needs class. Torey Hayden explains her struggles and triumphs to connect with this little girl.

Synopsis: Torey teaches special need children at a public school. Some suffer from neurological disorders, and some have been physically and sexually abused, causing them to act violently or suicidal. When Torey meets her class of eight at the start of the school year, although there are common and recurring problems, her class finally becomes a group of friends who work well with each other.
However, along came six year old Sheila. She had already attended two other schools, but was uncooperative, often mute and violent (such as when she tied a three year old to a pole and set him on fire) - the result of a hard life in the migrant camp after having been abandoned by her mother on a highway when she was four.
Although Torey and her other show more eight students were welcoming of Sheila, she was often unbearable many times due to her violent and unpredictable behaviour.
Although the road was tough, Sheila eventually warms up to her new school, showing an intelligent and high-spirited young girl who needed the love and attention that Torey was willing to give her.
My Opinion: Passionately written, it was amazing to see the change which Sheila experienced. I came close to tears many times at how strong she was at only six years old. This book is most definitely worth reading until 2:30am. show less

I was lucky enough to read this for class. It's an easy read, and yet so powerful that it made me cry multiple times, and stayed on my mind for days afterward. Readers will find themselves immediately pulled into Torey's situation with Sheila, and laugh and cry with them at their triumphs and setbacks. I know I will most certainly be picking up Torey Hayden's other books now.

One Child is the story of a teacher who takes on a classroom of the "other children," those who can't be placed in mainstream classes. Specifically, it tells the tale of one specific girl, Sheila, and how the teacher and student grew throughout the year. I think this novel would be an incredible one to share with a high school class, because of the perspective it would provide the students with. I've always thought it would be interesting to read a book on teaching with a group of students, and this is one of my favorites. I think students would be able to better appreciate what it is teachers are trying to accomplish, and I think it also explores humanity in its entirety, as well as empathy and how we form judgments of others. This show more novel is simply rich, and it's applicability as a true story only improves its stock among high schoolers. show less