Watching children learn is a beautiful and extraordinary experience. Their bodies transform, reflecting inner changes. Teeth fall out. Knees scab. Freckles multiply. Throughout the year they grow in endless ways and I can almost see their self-esteem rising, their confidence soaring, their small bodies now empowered. Given wings.
They fall in love with learning.
It is a kind of magic, a kind of loving, a kind of art.
It is teaching.
Just teaching.
Just what I do.
What I did.
Past tense.
In 2014, Gabrielle Stroud was a thirty-something dedicated teacher with over a decade of experience. Months later, she resigned in frustration and despair when she realised that NAPLAN education model was stopping her from doing the very thing she was best at: teaching individual children according to their needs and talents. When she wrote the essay 'Teaching Australia' for the January 2016 Griffith Review, she lifted the lid on a scandal that is yet to properly break - that our education system is unfair to our children and destroying their teachers.
In a powerful memoir inspired by her original essay, Gabrielle tells the full story: how she came to teaching, what great teaching is, how a teacher works and what it was that finally broke her.
Untitled
Teacher is a gripping memoir full of the craziness that comes with teaching. The grounded view Gabbie takes towards her career serves to provide insight into one of the most important jobs in the world. Seeing Gabbie wrestle the desire to teach her students with heart vs the weight of NAPLAN and standards
was gripping and led me to devour this book in one night! A must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Rory (QBD)
Guest, 09/05/2019
Untitled
Teacher is a gripping memoir full of all the happiness, sadness, and absolute craziness that comes with being a primary school teacher. The incredibly realistic and grounded view Gabbie takes towards her career serves to provide valuable
insight into one of the most important and yet underappreciated jobs in the world. Seeing Gabbie desperately wrestle the desire to teach her students with love and care versus the ever present weight of NAPLAN and stringent standards
was incredibly gripping and led me to devour this book in a single night! A must read for all teachers, potential teachers, and everyone who enjoys a fantastic read full of heart, humor, and a healthy dose of cynicism. - Rory (QBD)
Guest, 09/05/2019
