The Unteachables by Gordon Korman, is a humorous and sweet novel that follows a group of middle school misfits and their unconventional teacher. The story follows the students of room 117, a class of students that have been named “unteachable” by their school. Each student is dealing with struggles or behavioral issues, from an obsessions with video games to bad attitudes or academic struggles. The class is led by Mr. Korman, a teacher who hates his life has been assigned to teach room 117 as his last job before retirement. The class calls him “Mr. Kermit” just like the frog. As the story goes on, Mr. Korman starts to connect with the students, discovering their unique talents and personalities.
“Justice and fairness aren’t, and never will be apart of the social studies curriculum; you know their building blocks of our entire society. Just because you’ve got anger management problems doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to be ticked off about. Let me tell you about spirit.” (p. 42)
This quotation said by Mr. Korman, to the class after the principal came to tell the class they cant go on the field trip, because of their behavior. Mr. Korman is acknowledging that while concepts like justice and fairness may not always be taught, they are essential principles for society to function.