When a young teacher embarks upon his career, the realities of the classroom hit him like a bucket of cold water. ‘Teacher Fella’ is a memoir set against the backdrop of three western Sydney high schools: St Marys High, Richmond High, and Glenmore Park High, from 1986 until 2019, juxtaposed with the demands of a hectic family life.
In a deeply personal account, he rides the roller coaster of teaching and parenting. Some episodes are of uplifting joy and hilarity. Countering this are times of despair and gut-wrenching heartache. When he sees fragments of his own life in the kids he teaches, he is forced to suppress a dark figure from his own childhood. Can the power of forgiveness, be enough to pull him through?
‘Teacher Fella’ shines a light upon a complex profession. It is a fitting tribute to teachers everywhere, and to all those who play a role in nurturing our youth.
When a young teacher embarks upon his career, the realities of the classroom hit him like a bucket of cold water. ‘Teacher Fella’ is a memoir set against the backdrop of three western Sydney high schools: St Marys High, Richmond High, and Glenmore Park High, from 1986 until 2019, juxtaposed with the demands of a hectic family life.
In a deeply personal account, he rides the roller coaster of teaching and parenting. Some episodes are of uplifting joy and hilarity. Countering this are times of despair and gut-wrenching heartache. When he sees fragments of his own life in the kids he teaches, he is forced to suppress a dark figure from his own childhood. Can the power of forgiveness, be enough to pull him through?
‘Teacher Fella’ shines a light upon a complex profession. It is a fitting tribute to teachers everywhere, and to all those who play a role in nurturing our youth.