Let That Be a Lesson

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.