Scan barcode
A review by inkdrinkerreads7
Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
4.0
In a series of short anecdotal essays, Kate Clancy (poet-teacher, teacher-poet) recounts experiences she had teaching English, predominantly in large multi-cultural comps in the UK. Whilst the essays reflect on educational issues such as the presence of religion, class divisions, the right way to group classes and the ethics of exams, the real focus of this collection is on the power of writing, specifically poetry, as a tool for empowerment. Clanchy’s achievements with her student poets are remarkable and I wish exam boards and curriculum-setters would look and listen so that we could all adopt a more creative approach to the subject.
The book simultaneously made me miss teaching in the UK whilst also reminding me how lucky I am to not be anymore. It reminded me that though the challenges there are much higher, the rewards too are likewise. Clanchy discusses students who desperately needed her instruction, intervention and support, a world removed from the expectation and entitlement often at the heart of international education.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder about all the kids that she inevitably didn’t reach, inspire or transform. It felt, at times, like Clanchy was being a little smug and self-congratulatory about the work that she has done and, though she has every right to be, I was expecting a little more self-doubt and anguish and self-deprecating charm (which to me seem to be common traits amongst many of my teacher friends). The fact that I saw this book being regularly compared to ‘This Is Going to Hurt’, which I read last year, led me towards that expectation so it’s more a criticism of the marketing than of Clanchy herself. That book was a hilarious, sometimes poignant look at the front-line of the NHS, with the author regularly journaling the feeling he has of being woefully out of his depth. Clanchy is far more self-assured and confident in her approach and though there are funny moments, the tone is a little more sincere and academic than that and so the comparisons are a bit misleading.
Taken with its intentions in mind then, Clanchy’s book is a compassionate and thoughtful exploration of our education system, those it fails, and the ways in which dedicated, expert teachers can make a difference. It is also a beautiful celebration of multi-cultural Britain and a reminder of the humanity at the centre of any discussion about immigration. It’s just a massive shame that the people who most need to read it never will. But then that could be said for most books, couldn’t it?
The book simultaneously made me miss teaching in the UK whilst also reminding me how lucky I am to not be anymore. It reminded me that though the challenges there are much higher, the rewards too are likewise. Clanchy discusses students who desperately needed her instruction, intervention and support, a world removed from the expectation and entitlement often at the heart of international education.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder about all the kids that she inevitably didn’t reach, inspire or transform. It felt, at times, like Clanchy was being a little smug and self-congratulatory about the work that she has done and, though she has every right to be, I was expecting a little more self-doubt and anguish and self-deprecating charm (which to me seem to be common traits amongst many of my teacher friends). The fact that I saw this book being regularly compared to ‘This Is Going to Hurt’, which I read last year, led me towards that expectation so it’s more a criticism of the marketing than of Clanchy herself. That book was a hilarious, sometimes poignant look at the front-line of the NHS, with the author regularly journaling the feeling he has of being woefully out of his depth. Clanchy is far more self-assured and confident in her approach and though there are funny moments, the tone is a little more sincere and academic than that and so the comparisons are a bit misleading.
Taken with its intentions in mind then, Clanchy’s book is a compassionate and thoughtful exploration of our education system, those it fails, and the ways in which dedicated, expert teachers can make a difference. It is also a beautiful celebration of multi-cultural Britain and a reminder of the humanity at the centre of any discussion about immigration. It’s just a massive shame that the people who most need to read it never will. But then that could be said for most books, couldn’t it?