4 out of 4 stars
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Educators are, without a doubt, vital to our society. They see children in many different circumstances of life from many different backgrounds and most give of themselves altruistically for the simple reason that they love children. Education is also a demanding profession, with many standards and sometimes inadequate funding to achieve what look like impossible results. That being said, educators are often full of stories, be they funny or heartbreaking, and many of them are deeply affected by the students they teach.
In Real Principals Have No Class, retired educator DeLene Sholes relates the trials and triumphs of Suzanne, principal of Baker Elementary, a school beset by poverty, hostile parents, and the constant threat of being shut down. Suzanne is faced with the seemingly impossible job of teaching children in a school falling down, with too few teachers, and a school board that seems uninterested in helping. As a teacher principal, Suzanne is not only dealing with the administrative aspects of the school, but also teaching classes. The story starts with Suzanne being asked to leave her position in the face of criticism by parents, and she relates the story of how she got to this point and some of the students and teachers she encountered along the way. From a murdered gerbil to a girl glued to the desk to a hot pink portable building, Suzanne sees it all and manages to get the school accredited in the process.
I ended up giving Real Principals Have No Class 4 out of 4 stars. As an educator myself, I found the events completely believable no matter how odd some of them sounded. The author clearly had plenty of experience as an educator and was very familiar with the intricacies of the school system. Many of the issues with parents related in the book are ones I have seen firsthand. Suzanne is a caring teacher who only wants what’s best for her students, and she admits many of her mistakes as she looks back on her career.
My main complaint with the book is that it might have flowed better as an actual memoir by the author than a fictional account. It was clear that many of the stories in the book were ones the author had actually experienced to the point I thought it was a memoir for a while. The narrative seems to meander at times, as though the author is trying to throw every story she’s heard from her years in education into the plot. Because of that, sometimes I felt myself wondering why she needed to relate certain incidents when they didn’t really have any importance to the main narrative.
I enjoyed Real Principals Have No Class. Even with the wandering plot, I found myself interested in the many children Suzanne crossed paths with and the bizarre experiences she was forced to deal with. While I may have never had to deal with inebriated parents or a head lice outbreak, I sympathized with situations that were all too real. This book is enjoyable and gives the reader pause about the complex jobs teachers and administrators are faced with.
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Real Principals Have No Class
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when I get a little money I buy books; and if I have any left l buy food and clothes
