mmed into spaces not intended as classrooms, such as stair landings, gymnasiums, bathrooms and even coat closets. These large class sizes make it difficult for students to concentrate on their work and often result in increased disciplinary problems. Teachers therefore find that their effectiveness as a teacher diminishes exponentially as they spend more time trying to maintain order in an overcrowded classroom. Another hindrance to the students' educational process is the physical conditions of these schools and the insufficient supply of proper materials. Most of the students are using outdated textbooks and do not have access to the kinds of materials or equipment that would enhance the learning experience and/or create the opportunity to explore subjects such as science. As for the physical attributes, these school buildings are in horrible condition with "barrelsfilling up with rain in several rooms Green fungus molds... growing in the corners of the room in which the guidance counselor met kids who were depressed." (p. 151-152) Qualified teachers are also in dire need. "students seldom see a certified teacher but are instructed, for the most part, by 'provisionals,' or permanent subs" (p. 155) while the more experienced teachers are choosing to work in schools located in better neighborhoods that receive better funding. You would think that with all these negative influences surrounding this community that everyone would lose hope. Fortunately this is not true for many of the children that Kozol both talked to and befriended during his numerous journeys into their neighborhood. The children speak of their problems with a great deal of maturity. Many of them seem far older than their age, for they have felt true abandonment by our city. Many of the issues they have had to deal with are not ones in which we would think of as children's issues. AIDS for example, is not something that we think children would talk about...
