In a world full of inspirational books about teaching, veteran educator Blair Clinton has come up with a dazzling teacher memoir on how to be . . . average.
Films are full of Miss Honeys and Robin Williams showing teachers discovering secret math geniuses, transforming backtalking teens into poet laureates, and saving wayward students by asking "HOW DO I REACH THESE KIDS?"
Most of us aren't getting movies made after us. And that doesn't mean we're doing something wrong in the classroom.
In Memoirs of a Mediocre Teacher, Blair Clinton lifts up the curtain to uplift the everyday moments of real-world, average teachers.
In this teaching memoir, laugh along with relatable stories of:
- "lawnmower parents" who make helicopter parents look like the gool ole days,
- the pipeline of college calamities to Praxis® exams,
- the struggles of substitutes and being a new teacher, and
- teaching during a time of tragedies, pandemics, and of course . . . TikTok.
This book is a lighthearted, realistic career introduction for new teachers.
This book is a space of commiseration for classroom veterans, who can likely say "Yeah, I've been there before" or "Well at least I didn't do that."
This book is a celebration of the students who, despite it all, bring us a wealth of happiness—whether they know it or not.
"In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a referee, a clown, a counselor, a therapist, a fool,
a critic, the last straw."
—From Teacher Man by Frank McCourrt
Blair Clinton is a reading interventionist who has been teaching for over twenty years. Blair lives in Minnesota where he likes to write and be around friends and family. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he is a devout fan of his Golden Gophers, he is currently working on writing a new book along with his teaching responsibilities. After work on a Friday, you can usually find Blair at a happy hour expounding the virtues of reading to his bored coworkers.