Hazel
21st May 2007, 11:39 AM
Amazon Synopsis - 'Ask me my three main priorities for government, and I tell you: Education, education, education.' Those were the bold words of Tony Blair, before he became Prime Minister. A decade on, has he succeeded in making our schools the envy of the world? For FRANK CHALK, there's only one answer. Chalk has spent his adult life in the modern education system, so - unlike the Prime Minister - he knows what he's talking about. He is an ordinary teacher in an ordinary British school... a school where the kids get drunk, beat up the teachers and take drugs - when they can be bothered to turn up. 'IT’S YOUR TIME YOU'RE WASTING' is the blackly humorous diary of a year in his working life. Chalk confiscates porn, booze and trainers, fends off angry parents and worries about the few conscientious pupils he comes across, recording his experiences in a dry and very readable manner. He offers top tips for dealing with unruly children, muses on the shortcomings of the staff (including his own) and even spots the occasional spark of hope amid all the despair. His book will horrify (and amuse) millions of parents and will become a must-read for many of the country‘s 400,000 teachers.
This book is a year in the life of a supply teacher in a inner city comprehensive. In fact, after this year the author gets out of teaching. The picture he paints is really quite grim, and he does state in his foreword that he has been very careful not to exaggerate anything, but you can't help feeling that a lot has been played up for comic effect.
It is a terribly funny book, the names of the pupil are hysterical and Chalk points out that if you take 10 names from the bottom set of the year and 10 from the top set, anyone can spot the bottom set straight away simply by the names; Chevaunne, Shaznay, Stella, Sherry, Coyne etc. versus John, Elizabeth, Scott, Victoria etc. You get the picture.
He paints classroom full of simpletons who consistently shout out "I don't geddit" and wanton, would-be drug barons operating in the playgrounds. He admits he isn't a very good teacher. That's an understatement - he gets the kids to draw pictures if he doesn't know what to do with them that lesson. He openly admits to long drawn out procedures in settling the kids down just so half the lesson is over before they even start.
But amongst the horrors of the kids and teachers are nuggets of utter common sense, pleas to parents to be more involved in their childrens' lives, and glimmer of hope that teaching is a worthwhile vocation that is occasionally rewarded with a gem of a student.
I highly recommend this book - it is very funny, and has something important to say behind all the horrific anecdotes.
This book is a year in the life of a supply teacher in a inner city comprehensive. In fact, after this year the author gets out of teaching. The picture he paints is really quite grim, and he does state in his foreword that he has been very careful not to exaggerate anything, but you can't help feeling that a lot has been played up for comic effect.
It is a terribly funny book, the names of the pupil are hysterical and Chalk points out that if you take 10 names from the bottom set of the year and 10 from the top set, anyone can spot the bottom set straight away simply by the names; Chevaunne, Shaznay, Stella, Sherry, Coyne etc. versus John, Elizabeth, Scott, Victoria etc. You get the picture.
He paints classroom full of simpletons who consistently shout out "I don't geddit" and wanton, would-be drug barons operating in the playgrounds. He admits he isn't a very good teacher. That's an understatement - he gets the kids to draw pictures if he doesn't know what to do with them that lesson. He openly admits to long drawn out procedures in settling the kids down just so half the lesson is over before they even start.
But amongst the horrors of the kids and teachers are nuggets of utter common sense, pleas to parents to be more involved in their childrens' lives, and glimmer of hope that teaching is a worthwhile vocation that is occasionally rewarded with a gem of a student.
I highly recommend this book - it is very funny, and has something important to say behind all the horrific anecdotes.