FREE ESSAY ON ONECHILD

ONECHILD

"One Child" is a true story about a girl named Sheila who had an alcoholic father who
abused her. She was placed in a classroom for people with behavior problems. All of her
previous teachers thought that she was lost, that no one could reach her, until her
teacher Torey Haden (the author) reached out and cared for her. This book may give you
many emotions, but you will find this book very touching.
Torey is a teacher for children with behavior problems. She had nine children, and one
assistant named Anton, he had not wanted the job, but the people at welfare told him he
had to take the job. There were some children with some very serious problems. There was
a beautiful child with long blonde hair, she looked almost perfect, and her name was
Susannah Joy. She was a child schizophrenic, she hallucinated, and she heard voices.
There was Taylor, who was a suicidal child, she had drunk toilet cleanser, and it had
eaten away at her esophagus. There were other children with other very serious problems.
They had problems adjusting at first, but as the time went on, they became a real class.

It seemed to good to be true, when the principal told them that they were going to have
another student named Sheila. Earlier Torey had read about this child, she had taken a
three year old boy, tied him to a tree, and burned him. He survived, but he was in
critical condition. Sheila was going to be taken to the state hospital for psychological
treatment, but they had to wait for an opening. Until then, she had to go to school. When
Torey found out she was going to be in her class, she didn't know what to expect. She was
a very wild child. She had terrible tantrums; she would destroy every thing in her way.
Until one day, she ran into a corner, and she was terrified. Torey talked to her. The
reason she was such a bad child was because her mother had abandoned her on the side of
the street. Torey told her, that she didn't whip kids, and she had had nothing to worry
about. After that, Sheila and Torey became friends, after every fight, or bad thing that
happened to Sheila seemed to make their relationship even stronger. 
This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. It gives you an appreciation of
life and love. It is a sad, happy and at times will make you angry, but whatever feelings
you have about it, in the end you will have found it very touching.