Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-185) and index.

Introduction -- Chapter 1. Toni: absolutes and teachable moments -- Chapter 2. Charlie and Dean: Creative transitions -- Chapter 3. Rosa: Sitting together in silence -- Chapter 4. Marcus: Adults always have ulterior motives -- Chapter 5. Paul: His chaos, staff patience -- Chapter 6. Cedric: Performing but not learning -- Chapter 7. Amanda: Guess what the teacher is thinking -- Chapter 8. Jay and Tito: Decision making and the secondary curriculum -- Chapter 9. Jasmine: The teacher stands still -- Chapter 10. Lou: Perfectionism and ambivalence -- Chapter 11. Katerina: Will this lesson be fun? -- Chapter 12. Derek: Slow processing -- Chapter 13. Leah: The total school environment -- References -- Index -- About the author.

"Many students arrive at school with unique mixtures of family histories, traumatic experiences, and special needs that test our skills and try our patience. In "Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students who Challenge us Most," veteran educator Jeffrey Benson shows educators the value of tenacity and building connections in teaching the students who most need our help. This essential guide includes: Detailed portraits based on real-life students whose serious challenges inhibited their classroom experience--and how they eventually achieved success; Strategies for how to analyze your students' challenges and develop individualized plans to help them discover a sense of comfort with learning--with in-depth examples of plans in action; Recommendations for students' teachers, therapists, and social workers on how to gain skills and support and not lose hope through the ups and downs of the work; and Specific advice for administrators on constructing systems and procedures that give all our students the best chance for success."--Publisher's description.