At the
Guardian, the author of
The Secret Teacher: Dispatches from the Classroom tagged ten top books about teaching, including:
To Sir With Love by ER Braithwaite
A touching and inspiring autobiographical novel about a classically educated West Indian (played with characteristic dignity by Sidney Poitier in the 1967 film) who comes to the East End of London to become a teacher of a class full of unruly, unmotivated “peasants”. Like Dennison, Braithwaite’s radical approach involves treating the kids as human beings and leading them out into the world. The kids overcome the “hateful virus” of their racism and learn to treat their teacher with respect. “Sir” encapsulates how teachers often feel: “O God, forgive me for the hateful thoughts, because I love them, these brutal, disarming bastards, I love them.”
Read about
the other entries on the list.
To Sir With Love is among
Hanif Kureishi's six favorite books.
--Marshal Zeringue
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