Umm. You're going to teach a group of troubled teens who've already been tossed out of the "regular" school system because they have severe behavioral issues all about the Greek concept of vengeance and the role of the Furies ... really??
I thought it was a ridiculous concept especially as the teacher had no real qualifications...and only got the job because of a friend. However, with a bit of suspension of disbelief, I really liked other elements of the story.
Yes - that was the first big problem. The MC is also ridiculously naive/clueless when dealing with these kids. The boss doesn't give a hoot when she tells him she is out of her depth. The Greek Plays selection I was ok with - mostly because that happened by accident and at this age you are supposed to know the difference between fiction, history and what is currently socially acceptable. Shakespeare was apparently too boring. I've been reading Norse and Greek myths since I was a kid and never felt inclined to "wreck vengeance" on people who have pissed me off. BTW - they teach Shakespeare in highschool and no one blamed him for any delinquent kids getting funny ideas. Mcbeth isn't exactly bloodless. Romeo & Juliet also isn't exactly tame in terms of giving love lorn teenagers other "funny" ideas.
Same here re: having known Greek mythology from early childhood on, but we both come from a social environment where it's clear that we do not resolve problems by resorting to violence. I'm not at all sure that's the same for kids from an environment where violence is actually your first and preferred response -- NOT because you're out of depth, but simply because it's understood as asserting yourself.
By which I obviously don't mean these kids shouldn't be taught the classics (regardless whether Shakespeare, Greek tragedies, whatever). But it should be done by (1) teachers who know what they're doing, both topically and psychologically (and this MC teacher sounds like neither of the above to me), and (2) not as a stop-gap, but as part of a properly designed class that also includes the relevant cultural background, etc. I haven't read the book, but the way the premise / blurb makes it sound, it comes across as a perfect recipe for disaster.
Btw, have you ever head about "The Wave"? That, to me, is a perfect example of a teacher doing a "wizard's apprentice" stunt and ultimately completely losing control of the spirits he's conjured up. (And arguably, this *was* a teacher who believed he knew what he was doing. Turns out, he didn't -- at all.)
But both of those are sugarcoated to a certain extent -- the real-life thing very nearly went completely out of control. (Quod erat demonstrandum in the era of The Orange; among adults as well, of course.) It's frightening, really.
By which I obviously don't mean these kids shouldn't be taught the classics (regardless whether Shakespeare, Greek tragedies, whatever). But it should be done by (1) teachers who know what they're doing, both topically and psychologically (and this MC teacher sounds like neither of the above to me), and (2) not as a stop-gap, but as part of a properly designed class that also includes the relevant cultural background, etc. I haven't read the book, but the way the premise / blurb makes it sound, it comes across as a perfect recipe for disaster.
Btw, have you ever head about "The Wave"? That, to me, is a perfect example of a teacher doing a "wizard's apprentice" stunt and ultimately completely losing control of the spirits he's conjured up. (And arguably, this *was* a teacher who believed he knew what he was doing. Turns out, he didn't -- at all.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(experiment)
There's also a book and a TV dramatization:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(novel)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(1981_film)
But both of those are sugarcoated to a certain extent -- the real-life thing very nearly went completely out of control. (Quod erat demonstrandum in the era of The Orange; among adults as well, of course.) It's frightening, really.