Biggsy is an idealistic 50-year-old English teacher in a West London boys’ secondary school. A maverick head of department who battled against the educational establishment for twenty-five years, he’s beginning to crack. His departmental colleagues love him, but he suspects that the school’s management team is out to get rid of him.His wife, Myra, a medical secretary, is his mainstay. She patiently endures his total commitment to his calling without complaint. However, when she realises that his work is taking an inordinate emotional toll on his personality, her patience wears thin.Through his exchanges with teenage Ella, their only child, Biggsy reveals his beliefs about the connections between literary theory and the lives we all lead. But a violent assault on one of his students, an unexpected sexual encounter and professional betrayal expose the flaws in his philosophy. He discovers that trying to think one’s way through life is all very well, but the time comes when one has to act.
Kevin candidly presents the highs and lows of a teaching career spanning four decades, and gives useful advice on how to motivate children to learn. The book is intended to appeal to practising professionals, anyone considering teaching as a career and those with an interest in what goes on behind school doors. Kevin’s style relies heavily on humour, particularly when recalling children’s mischievous natures.
The fun element is being systematically squeezed out of learning and teaching. Fear of failure underpins the ethos of many of our schools. Children and teachers too often find themselves operating in a stifling educational culture that prioritises performance data. Educational success is defined by the measurable.
Child-centred education has become an anachronism. The case is argued that individual children and their unique talents and abilities matter. Radical changes to school practices are advocated if our institutions are to do justice to school populations of the future.
Biggsy’s challenging school year continues into the spring term. The 50-year-old head of English at a West London boys’ secondary school is at a critical point in his career. Jaded with the state education system and nearing professional burnout, he prepares for a change of role in the school.
The new year started badly, with health issues resulting in him being rushed to the local casualty ward. At school, problems abound as the new term starts. He agrees to a risky venture to raise extra funds for essential textbooks; a first-year pupil disappears; a colleague is threatened by a management bully; the school is targeted for business by a drug gang; and there is a tragedy within his department.
At home, he is alarmed by his daughter’s decision to become a teacher, the one career against which he has determinedly advised her. Fortunately, Biggsy’s wife Myra is there to keep her husband afloat amidst the overwhelming tide of school demands. She and his sixth-form tutor group provide the humor in the novel. Her unfailing support and the admiration of his students enable him to soldier on in his teaching career.
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