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  • Published: 19 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473585997
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download

Let That Be a Lesson

A Teacher’s Life in the Classroom




Warm, witty and irresistible, Those Who Can is a book for teachers, parents, curious memoir readers and the ex-school pupil in all of us. We follow Ryan Wilson from childhood teaching ambitions to teacher training, through the corridors of an Essex state school to a rough inner-city school. From stumbling English teacher to Head of Sixth-form to burnout over the course of a decade.

His friendships with fellow junior teachers, the steady encouragement of old hands, the camaraderie of the staff-room and the frustrations of the latest government imperatives all shine through. And, of course, the pupils are the most amazing characters: horny, ridiculous, determined or disinterested and sometimes inspiring, they are brought to life so vividly and with real heart.

This is Going to Hurt in the classroom: a memoir of ten years in teaching

  • Published: 19 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473585997
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download

Praise for Let That Be a Lesson

An ode to teaching: hilarious, inspiring and so terrifyingly true

Lucy Kellaway

A hilarious love letter to teaching - and to teenagers. It throws open the doors to the staff room and our ears to the gossip inside. As someone who was a nightmare as a teen, it made me think of the teachers who championed me, regardless, and the influence they had on my adult life. A timely celebration of the importance of teachers

Christie Watson

A delightfully frank and funny book - with a very serious message

Jacqueline Wilson

If you want to know what the world of schools and classrooms is really like, this is your book. An unputdownable account of Ryan Wilson's teaching years that describes the absolute reality of teaching in UK schools including the good parts, the bad and all that is ugly. I was captivated by Wilson's honesty and vulnerability and loved reading and exploring every minute of this familiar world

Andria Zafirakou, 2018 Global Teacher Prize winner

A frank, funny and long overdue ode to teachers and teaching

Adam Kay

Laugh out loud funny - every teacher who reads it will cringe with empathy

Laura McInerney

This entertaining memoir of 10 eventful years at the chalkface further illuminates the debt of gratitude we owe teachers

The Bookseller

Not just funny and constantly surprising - but touching, poignant and personal too

Jeremy Vine

Funny, sensitive and clever

Victoria Derbyshire

Very funny

Natalie Bowen, Independent

Brilliant... It's funny, it's profound and it's a cautionary tale

Alastair Stewart

A genuinely joyful book and a celebration of teaching

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School & College Leaders

Ryan Wilson passes with flying colours and earns an A-grade for his debut book... If anyone has read Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt... Ryan's terrific tome strikes a similar funny, feel-good and frank tone

Thomas Stichbury, attitude

A pleasant and heartfelt account of one man's brief journey into and out of education... unquestionably funny... poignant and very personal

Emma Williams, Schools Week

Very funny, often inspiring, occasionally tragic - and a timely reminder of the unforgettable influence of great teachers

Daily Mail

A book spoken from the heart, the heart of a born teacher. In turns, honest, self-deprecating, enlightening, moving, and funny... This is a powerful and important book.

Michael Morpurgo