Background Information and Vocabulary
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Author: LouAnne Johnson
Previously published as “My Posse Don’t Do
Homework”
 The book is based on actual incidents involving
real people, but the names of all the people and
places have been changed.
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Dedication: For all the kids who hate
school…why?
Some characters are composed of two or
more real people.
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Not presented in chronological order
 Each chapter is a separate “snapshot.”
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Some students appear more than once.
Covers a four year period:
 Year 1= intern… taught two sophomore English
classes- 1 regular and 1 accelerated
 Year 2= Academy program launched- taught two
periods of Academy sophomore English and two
periods of Non-English Proficient students 9-11.
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Academy program:
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School within a school
Funded by U.S. government grant
Reduced class sizes (max 25 students)
Resource periods for teachers to provide personal
instruction and counseling
 Enrollment=voluntary and begins in tenth grade
 Must have average or above-average standardized test
scores to qualify
 Students stay with the same teachers and students for
their three years in the program.
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1. Dawned:
 As soon as I saw her sad face, it dawned on me that
something was wrong
 Verb
 Definition: Realized something for the first time
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2. Invariable:
 Mass, unlike weight, is invariable
 adjective
 Definition: always happening in the same way, at
the same time
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3. Astute:
 You must be an astute politician in order to win elections.
 Adjective
 Definition: able to understand situations or behavior very well and very
quickly, especially so that you can get an advantage for yourself
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4. Painstakingly
 The old painting was painstakingly restored.
 Adverb
 Definition: very careful and thorough
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5. Indignant:
 Liz was indignant at the way her child was put into time out.
 Adjective
 Definition: angry or surprised because you feel insulted or unfairly
treated
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6. Scapegoat:
 She believed she had been made a scapegoat for what happened just because
she was at the scene.
 Noun
 Definition: someone who is blamed for something bad that happens, even if it is
not their fault
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7. Mesmerize:
 The first time I saw Mary, I was mesmerized by her beauty.
 Verb
 Definition: cannot stop watching or listening to someone or something because
they are so attractive or have such a powerful effect
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8. Awry:
 My carefully laid plans already went awry when I showed up late.
 Adjective
 Definition: when something doesn’t happen the way it was planned.
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9. Quell:
 Police used live ammunition to quell the disturbances.
 Verb
 Definition: to end a situation in which people are behaving violently or
protesting, especially by using force
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10. Simulate:
 Interviews can be simulated in the classroom.
 Verb
 Definition: to make or produce something that is not real but has the
appearance or feeling of being real
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11. Transpire:
 Exactly what happened that day has yet to transpire.
 Verb
 Definition: to discover that something is true or happened.
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12. Leverage:
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13. Demolish:
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The entire east wing of the building was demolished in the fire.
Verb
Definition: to destroy or ruin something completely
14. Exorbitant:
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The kidnapper held the man’s daughter as leverage.
Verb
Definition: influence that you can use to make someone do what you want
The exorbitant rent prices made me look at other apartments.
Adjective
Definition: much higher than it should be
15. Stale:
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Other marriages might go stale, but not theirs
Adjective
Definition: not interesting or exciting anymore
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Ms. Johnson:
 35 years old
 9 years military experience- range of jobs (journalist,
editorial assistant, marines)
 Has a “firm hand”= strict, disciplined, won’t tolerate
nonsense
 “not too old too learn”
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Inference about Miss Sheppard: that she couldn’t
handle the students anymore
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“free reign”= you can do whatever you want
Ms. Johnson experience so far:
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No plans
No support from the English supervisor or VP
Not told the truth about the kids she is taking on
Not told the truth about why the teacher left
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Hal Gray = master teacher (help a new teacher)
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“Outshouting kids is like trying to teach a pig how to
sing.” (Hal’s advice)
 Simile
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Italicized lines = thoughts in character’s head
Miss Johnson’s rules:
 1. Respect (yourself and others)
 2. No racial, ethnic, and sexual slurs will not be
tolerated.
 3. Everyone starts off with an A, and it is up to the
student to keep it.
▪ Personal responsibility.
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1. Jaded:
 The concert should satisfy even the most jaded critic.
 Adjective
 Definition: when someone is no longer interested in or excited by something,
usually because they have experienced too much of it:
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2. Cynic:
 Even hardened cynics believe the meeting is a step towards peace.
 Noun
 Definition: someone who is not willing to believe that people have good, honest,
or sincere reasons for doing something
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3. Unnerve:
 He was unnerved by the way Sylvia kept staring at him.
 Verb
 Definition: to upset or frighten someone so that they lose their confidence or
their ability to think clearly
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4. Riveted:
 All eyes were riveted on her in horror.
 Verb
 Definition: being so interested or so frightened that you keep looking at
something
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5. Anonymity:
 One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the White House took
the threat very seriously.
 Noun
 Definition: when other people do not know who you are or what your name is
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6. Feign:
 Feigning a headache, I went upstairs to my room.
 Verb
 Definition: to pretend to have a particular feeling or to be ill, asleep etc
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7. Vigil:
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8. Repertoire:
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Ex: the behavioral repertoire of infants
Noun
Definition: the total number of things that someone or something is able to do
9. Recoup:
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Eva and Paul kept a constant vigil by their daughter's hospital bedside.
Noun
Definition: a period of time, especially during the night, when you stay awake in order to pray,
remain with someone who is ill, or watch for danger
The movie will have to be a huge hit to recoup its cost.
Verb
Definition: to get back an amount of money you have lost or spent
10. Appall:
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The way we kill animals appalls a lot of people.
Verb
Definition: to make someone feel very shocked and upset
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1. Misconception:
 Noun
 an idea which is wrong or untrue, but which people believe
because they do not understand the subject properly
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2. Preconception
 Noun
 a belief or opinion that you have already formed before you
know the actual facts, and that may be wrong
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3. Incensed:
 Adjective
 Very angry
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4. Inkling:
 Noun
 A slight idea about something
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5. Mutiny:
 Noun
 refuse to obey the person who is in charge of you, and try
to take control for yourself
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6. Erudite:
 Adjective
 showing a lot of knowledge based on careful study
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7. Elucidate:
 Verb
 to explain something that is difficult to understand by providing more
information
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8. Elude:
 Verb
 to escape from someone or something, especially by tricking them
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9. Diminutive:
 Adjective
 small
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10. Inadvertently
 Adverb
 without realizing what you are doing
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Despair (p.110): a feeling that you have no
hope at all
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Berserk (p.111): to become very angry and
violent
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Intriguing (p.115): something that is
intriguing is very interesting because it is
strange, mysterious, or unexpected
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Untidy (p.119): not neat
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Sulk (p.119): to be silently angry and refuse to be
friendly or discuss what is annoying or upsetting you used to show disapproval
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Self-indulgent (p.119): allowing yourself to have or do
things that you enjoy but do not need, especially if
you do this too often - used to show disapproval:
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Gullible (p.120): too ready to believe what other
people tell you, so that you are easily tricked
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Defiant (p.122): clearly refusing to do what someone tells
you to do:
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Hastened (p.123): to make something happen faster or
sooner
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Blunt (p.122): speaking in an honest way even if this upsets
people
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Retort (p.124): to reply quickly, in an angry or humorous way
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Fink (p.127): someone who tells the police, a teacher, or a
parent when someone else breaks a rule or a law; a person
who you do not like or respect