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    Beautiful Child: The story of a child trapped in silence and the teacher who refused to give up on her
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Child: The story of a child trapped in silence and the teacher who refused to give up on her
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Child: The story of a child trapped in silence and the teacher who refused to give up on her
    Ebook412 pages5 hours

    Beautiful Child: The story of a child trapped in silence and the teacher who refused to give up on her

    By Torey Hayden

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    A stunning and poignant account of an extraordinary teacher's determination never to abandon a child in need from the internationally bestselling author of ‘One Child’ and No. 1 bestseller ‘Ghost Girl’.

    Seven-year-old Venus Fox never spoke, never listened, never even acknowledged the presence of another human being in the room with her. Yet an accidental playground 'bump' would release a rage frightening to behold.

    The school year that followed would prove to be one of the most trying, perplexing, and ultimately rewarding of Torey's career, as she struggled to reach a silent child in obvious pain. It would be a strenuous journey beset by seemingly insurmountable obstacles and darkened by truly terrible revelations. Yet encouraged by sometimes small, sometimes dazzling breakthroughs, as a dedicated teacher, Torey remained committed to helping a 'hopeless' girl, and patiently and lovingly leading her toward the light of a new day.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateJan 29, 2013
    ISBN9780007370818
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Child: The story of a child trapped in silence and the teacher who refused to give up on her
    Author

    Torey Hayden

    Torey Hayden is an educational psychologist and a former special education teacher who since 1979 has chronicled her struggles in the classroom in a succession of bestselling books. She lives and writes in the U.K.

    Read more from Torey Hayden

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    Reviews for Beautiful Child

    4/5

    165 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book had me riveted the entire time. Makes me wonder what situations I will encounter as a teacher.
    • 4/5
      The true story is about a teacher and her efforts to reach a child. I loved it.
    • 4/5
      An interesting description of working with children with a wide range of developmental problems.
    • 4/5
      This book had me riveted the entire time. Makes me wonder what situations I will encounter as a teacher.
    • 4/5
      My third Torey Hayden book. Another great read. Planning to get my hands on her other books cause it seems all her books are good. They are intriguing reads.Read it in one afternoon. Could not stop.
    • 5/5
      I really loved this book. I teared up each time Venus made progress, and each time the boys bonded and grew. Venus is definitely unique, she really stood out to me, maybe more so then any others I've read about. But I have to comment on this Julie woman. I've got to admit I've never known anyone like her, and I'm glad. It's just not normal.... not right! She has this very strong belief that the kids always be praised, shown love, etc.... Which is great, but inappropriate at times. When someone breaks something or hits someone, they need to be shown that it's not okay and there are consequences. Saying stuff like "it's alright, I'm sure you didn't mean it" doesn't help those children at all. How is that supposed to teach them right and wrong?? Anyways. These types of books, especially the fact they are true stories, make me so aware of how.... restricted.... people are when suspecting child abuse. I mean, it was painfully obvious, from fairly early on, that something was not right. And when Torey first visited Venus's house, it became even more obvious. But without concrete proof, there was nothing she could do, and beyond that, even when the proof was there and the police were involved, she couldn't really talk to Venus at all because it might "influence" what she said. I can't even imagine how horrible that must feel, to *know* that something is going on and not being able to do anything.
    • 4/5
      Venus is completely non-reactive, and we can't begin to tell what is wrong with her because she won't even indicate that she can speak and hear. It is only after Hayden is extremely persistant that she begins to slowly open up to become a normal, giggling girl at the end. Meanwhile, Hayden is dealing with a crazy class (although I imagine that Billy is one of those troublemakers that are crazy to deal with, but you remember also because you really like them and want to help them) and an assistant who, well, doesn't really assist. She has a falling-out with the assistant that makes her examine her philosophy. This is definitely an interesting read.