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38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking, disturbing and entertaining, 11 Jul 2004
I will admit to not buying this book. I managed to finish it in the bookshop in a day... it was that riveting!This teaching biography should be required reading for all trainee teachers contemplating whether or not to teach in the more challenging schools. Francis Gilbert tells it like it is and this book will either inspire you or turn you off the idea of teaching in the more challenging inner city schools. I did note a sense of ambiguity at the end of the book, as to whether or not making the move from inner city School X to an outer London school was actually the right move. It was notable that Mr Gilbert's teaching at School X made significant positive strides once he had handed in his resignation. The sense of relief probably led to a more human, relaxed mode of teaching... and to more effective teaching. Had he adopted such an approach from the beginning, one wonders if he would have felt compelled to leave School X. If there is one key theme running through this book it is class and behaviour management. I would suggest that this valuable biography be read prior to Sue Cowley's excellent "Getting the buggers to behave". Francis Gilbert has written an excellent first book, and I look forward to a sequel covering his experiences at his second school, where he will (hopefully) compare and contrast both sets of experiences.
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by Francis Gilbert
by Sue Cowley
by Gary Boothroyd
by Phil Ball
