Let That Be A Lesson – Ryan Wilson

The malodorous horrors of Sports Day.
Bracing yourself for Parents’ Evening.
Refereeing teenage relationship dramas.

This is not what you see in the adverts.

From the age of eight, Ryan Wilson dreamt of being a teacher. This is the inside story of his time at the chalkface, from fresh-faced trainee with grand ideals to exhausted assistant head battling ever-changing government demands. It is a tribute to the colleagues who befriended him and to the chaotic, brilliant, maddening students who inspired and enraged him. From Sean, the wannabe gangster with a soft heart, to David, the king of innuendo, and terrifyingly clever Amelia. And, above all, it’s about the lessons they taught him: how to be patient and resilient, how to live authentically and how to value every day.

 

I received a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley

 

As Christmas approaches I like to look beyond the crime/thriller and horror books I normally read and I enjoy some new voices, different subject matter and I like to share my thoughts on books which I feel would make great gifts.

Let That Be A Lesson by Ryan Wilson is a fun look at what a new teacher goes through as they first venture into schools and find themselves face to face with a room full of hormomal teenagers who just do not care what you have to say to them. Ryan was that teacher and this is his telling of how he found his place in the classrooms, the teachers he would lean upon for guidance and, of course, the kids under his care.

Having been in Ryan’s position (a trainee teacher hoping to get his students to engage) I was fascinated to see if Ryan’s experiences were anything like my own. Hat’s off to him – Ryan is clearly a far better teacher than I ever was and I really enjoyed watching his confidence grow through the book.

Let That Be A Lesson would be a great read for someone considering taking on teaching in the future as there will be more covered in this book than you could possibly hope to learn in any teacher training classroom. Trust me when I say every lesson discussed there goes smoothly! But Ryan Wilson will help readers understand that nothing ever goes quite to plan as kids are unpredictable and even more so when in a crowd.

But there are lessons to plan, meetings to attend, trips to supervise and colleagues to bond with. The staffroom doors are thrown open in this book and it does make for interesting reading. The book is written in an easy companiable style and mixes up some of Ryan’s own life with those of his school and colleagues. It wasn’t the compilation of funny anecdotes in the style of “Kids Do The Funniest Things” which had been sort of what I had originally been expecting. However, the depth of issues which are touched upon makes for a more interesting narrative than a collection of funnies.’

 

Let That Be A Lesson is published by Vintage and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format.     You can order a copy here:   https://www.waterstones.com/book/let-that-be-a-lesson/ryan-wilson/9781784744014