Crazy is Normal: a classroom exposé by Lloyd Lofthouse is a highly recommended memoir from an experienced teacher recounting in detail the year 1994-95.

After 30 years of teaching Lloyd Lofthouse decided to write a brutally honest, detailed memoir of his year of classroom teaching in 1994. At that time Lofthouse had already had 20 years of experience teaching English and Journalism. He recorded in a journal his experiences from the year 1994 while teaching at the Nogales High School in La Puente, California (L.A. suburb) and brought the year to life in rich detail in Crazy is Normal. Nogales High School is in a poverty stricken urban barrio ruled mainly by gangs. Drop outs and drive-by shootings are both common. He taught a variety of English classes, but his star class was the journalism class which had motivated students and an outstanding editor, Amanda.

The narrative is set up following his year of teaching, week by week, for the entire year. Lofthouse has also included excerpts from studies and articles concerning teaching. There is a youtube video interview with Lofthouse that will show you the passion and concern he has for students. He also explains why an exposé detailing a year of teaching from 1994-95 is still pertinent today: the students and the parents haven't changed. He goes on to make several very passionate points about the state of education today. Since I work in an elementary school I clearly see the need to have students coming in to school with the desire to learn to read - after being read to by parents. But, as most of us know, that is not always the case and impoverished parents mean impoverished children.

While the memoir is certainly worth reading, I'd have to agree with others that a strength and weakness is the way it is presented in weekly segments. At times the daily repetition can be tedious, much as a school year can be, with the same problems with the same students, but it also clearly shows the commitment a teacher must have toward a profession to continue teaching and facing many of the same struggles year after year. The year ends because it's done, not with any great climatic moment. Lofthouse does clearly and successfully capture his frustration, but also his commitment. I enjoyed this memoir and found myself sympathizing with Lofthouse for most of it.

I will admit I was a bit put off and perhaps it was too honest when he admitted he was attracted to one of his students (no action on his part.) I can't quite envision that, although I do know students get crushes on teachers. Currently, I'm in the position where I'm in an elementary school by day and some evenings I work with a group of high school and college kids. I find them funny, lively, cute, sometimes foul-mouthed and annoying, and any number of other things, but never feel any attraction for them. They all are like my "kids." Several years ago when I was the adult supervisor for publishing a newsletter and yearbook with a group of teens I felt the same way. Perhaps it's a male/female thing, but I just can't quite swallow that one. It is just a small part of the whole narrative, however, and doesn't overshadow the totality of the memoir. ( )

Crazy is Normal by Lloyd Lofthouse that tells the story of a year in a school in his life as a teacher. He was teaching college prep English and a journalism class that worked on the school newspaper. Mr.Lofthouse kept a detailed journal for this year at Nogales High School in California. We learn his methods of teaching, what he will tolerate and what he won't in class. We the reader are introduced to many students, both the at risk kids and the achievers who will go on to better their lives. Mr.Lofthouse felt that each child has a chance and that they also have to want to take that chance to get out of the neighborhoods they live in and succeed. He was intolerant of kids who mouthed off in class and treated others unkind. Off to detention they would go and their parents would be called. It seems that there were a lot of parents who didn't care or think education was important.

I imagine that it was extremely hard to teach anything at this school, as it was in less than desirable neighborhoods, with the drive by shootings and other crimes that happened in the area, sometimes right on the school grounds. It appeared to me that Mr. Lofthouse was a dedicated teacher who excelled when his students did well, while still trying to encourage those who were at risk. The book as a memoir was well written and gives the reader a sense of who he is, not only a teacher but an established author as well. I have read one of his novels, My Splendid Concubine and I have enjoyed both books. I highly recommend both of these books.

The author definitely does a great job of recording his year of teaching in this book. I found it very interesting to read. Being a teacher myself, I can relate to a lot of what was in this book. The only problem I had was that I found it very repetitive. But its a true story, a documentary. It is about what really goes on in a classroom all year long. So, even though I would have liked a little more variety, I don't believe it would be possible without making it a fiction novel. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. ( )

After teaching for 20 years, Lofthouse decided to keep a journal sharing the ups and downs of teaching freshman English and journalism. He kept this journal during the school year of 1994-1995. Twenty years later in 2014, his experiences teaching in the California public school system are still seen in classrooms all over the country today.

CRAZY IS NORMAL is a great way to describe the setting in his classrooms. It was rare to have an entire class that listened, did their work, and followed through on their homework. The bright light in his day was his time with his journalism students. These students were motivated to work, intelligent, and made him laugh, unlike most of his freshman English students.

Nogales High School in La Puente, CA is located in a prime gang community. Drive-by shootings and acts of vandalism occurred on a regular basis. Mr. Lofthouse had to work with students from the gang community that didn't care about school, to students who had a second-grade reading level and were continually given a passing grade, to students who truly wanted to learn and do their best to succeed. These different groups of students brought daily challenges which the author shares through his weekly journal notes. The reader will be able to feel frustrated right along with the author as he sends the same students again and again to what he calls BIC, which is basically an in-school suspension. It became quite monotonous to read the same type of situations day in and day out, but it was reality for Mr. Lofthouse.

Because this book basically consists of journal entries, there is little plot or story construction. As you read through the year, you read about the same students and you want to know how the school year ends for them, good or bad. But there is little to draw you in and keep you reading. I was uncomfortable with his attraction to his "star journalism student", Amanda. Even though he was attracted to her, I believe it was inappropriate for him to write about it, although, thankfully, he didn't act on his feelings. I appreciated that he made sure he wasn't in a situation with a student that could have caused concern, such as being alone in a room with a female student. But, it still made me cringe. I also took offense to his frustration with substitute teachers. As a substitute teacher, I take my job seriously and do my best to carry out the plans left by the teacher. I would much rather teach something than sit and read all day. Not all subs are in the classroom to have a good time or mess up the teacher's plans as he discussed. Some of us really care about the students and their learning.

His frustrations with teaching, his feelings of burnout, and annoyance with out-of-touch administrators are common themes in schools today. Fellow teachers will empathize with Mr. Lofthouse and respect his convictions to teach students the proper way to read and write. I watched a YouTube interview with the author, Lloyd Lofthouse. In the interview he gives his opinion on how his book, based on a year in his classroom in 1994, is worth reading today, even twenty years later. He also shares his opinion on No Child Left Behind and the solution to education reform today. I have to say that I actually agree with his solution. The importance of reading to your children at the beginning of their life and continuing to reinforce the values of reading will have a substantial impact on your child's educational future. ( )