Book Review: Some Kids I Taught And What They Taught Me

By Donna Boam

Some Kids I Taught And What They Taught Me by Kate Clancy is a non-fiction book whereby the author, who has been teaching for 30 years, uses a series of vignettes to make insightful - and at times very moving - reflections about the UK state education system.

This isn't a book that will tell you how to mark more efficiently, plan lessons that are perfectly differentiated or manage your trickiest class on a Friday period 5. But, it is a book that reminds you of the transformative power of teaching, but how we cannot solve all the problems without some fundamental changes to how education is viewed and managed by policymakers. 

One moment in the book focuses on Cheyenne, a Year 10 student who is gifted numerous consumer items by her absent father "in a black bag" at Christmas time. Clancy, a self confessed "liberal leftie", muses on this girl's upbringing, her aspirations, and how already at 15 her path in life seems so determined. As Clancy writes "Cheyenne has more consumer items than my children... Yet she has noticed that something is amiss here, that they have something she does not, that my second hand bicycle has a quality which makes it a rich person's present, while her black bag of goods is a poor present." This chapter really resonated with me, about the gap that exists between rich and poor, the gap that often exists between us teachers and our students, and how we need to be constantly aware and tuned into the difficulties that some of our students face. 

Her observations are at times uncomfortable as they are so truthful, along with the reality that there is no magic wand we can wave to ensure that all children have a fair chance in life. Schooling can only do so much, and parts of it are flawed, as a result of government policy and endless interventions by people that are not experts. 

However, she reminds the reader of the potential that one single teacher can inspire, the amazing things that can happen when colleagues work together, and how the best schools do all they can to make their education both inclusive and empassioned. It gave me food for thought and it also made me proud to be a teacher. And it definitely made me cry.

Some Kids I Taught And What They Taught Me by Kate Clancy is available to borrow from the WA Professional Library. See a list of the titles available here and you can place a book request by filling in this form here.