One child by Torey Hayden is a fascinating story about Torey’s experiences while teaching a “special” class. The class is for children who need special needs and do not fit into the normal education classes. The class was referred as a “garbage” class.

This book particularly concentrates on a girl called Sheila, a six-year-old child who took a neighborhood child, tied him to a tree, and set him on fire. She was taken into custody and would be sent to the state mental hospital. However, until there was an opening there, she would remain in Torey’s class.

Over the first few days in Torey’s class, Sheila caused quite a bit of uproar. There were tantrums and violent attacks. Soon, Sheila started to improve and she began to talk to Torey and the class. Initially, she didn't do any schoolwork but eventually she did some math problems with blocks and revealed her high ability. After further investigation, it was discovered that she had an IQ of around 180, which is extremely high.

By the end of school year, Sheila was a completely a different person than when she first arrived in the class. She and Torey had formed more than a teacher-student relationship, they were true friends. Sheila had gone from being an untamed, unpredictable "problem" child to a brilliant, kind young girl.

Basically the book discusses how Sheila improved over the years with Torey’s patience and sincerity. Torey Hayden writes with a wealth of compassion and reading her book is a true enjoyment. The reader immediately senses how much she enjoys her work, despite the intensity of working with such a range of disabled children. I truly enjoyed reading this book in fact I loved it. While reading it, I couldn't put it down.

Grab a copy now and enjoy the book =)

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