Why Did I Get a B?: And Other Mysteries We're Discussing in the Faculty Lounge

by Shannon Reed Narrated by Samantha Desz

Overview

This hilarious and candid collection of personal essays about teaching follows in the footsteps of such classics as Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, The Courage to Teach, and Up the Down Staircase. “Send this book to your favorite teacher. They'll know you're sucking up. They'll thank you anyway” (People).

Shannon Reed did not want to be a teacher, but now, after twenty years of working with children from preschool to college, there's nothing she'd rather be. “With an irresistible combination of compassion, humor, and engaged storytelling” (Shelf Awareness), her essays illuminate the highs and lows of a job located at the intersection of youth and wisdom. Bringing you into the trenches of this most important and stressful career, she rolls her eyes at ineffectual administrators, weeps with her students when they experience personal tragedies, complains with her colleagues about their ridiculously short lunchbreaks, and presents the parent-teacher conference from the other side of the tiny table.

From dealing with bullies and working with special needs students to explaining the unwritten rules of the teacher's lounge this “starkly honest, at times irreverent” (Library Journal) look at teaching is full of as much humor and heart as the job it celebrates.

Editorial Reviews

Irina Reyn

This irresistible, compulsively quotable, deeply felt collection will definitely be making the rounds in the teachers’ lounge. A hilarious love letter to the many joys (and occasional heartbreak) of being a teacher in America today.

People Book of the Week

"Funny...revealing...So send this book to your favorite teacher. They'll know you're sucking up. They'll thank you anyway."

Anjali Sachdeva

A hilarious, smart, and painfully honest look at teaching that's also full of heart. Reed isn’t afraid to ridicule the most maddening aspects of the profession, or to admit her own missteps, but she writes about her students and colleagues with a warmth and insight that captures the essence of what education should be. Why Did I Get a B? somehow made me laugh at all the things that frustrate me most about my work as a teacher, while also reminding me why I love it.

BookPage

"Divided into comical essays and sincere meditations, Why Did I Get a B? provides an accurate depiction of how many teachers feel about their careers....An honest look into how teachers' brains work to solve problems and do what's best for their kids while also just trying to stay alive."

The Millions

Reed is hilarious and humble about the teaching profession: the exact right mix. We see her struggle and thrive, teach and learn, help and hope. It’s a great read for educators—rookies and veterans alike.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The winning authenticity of educator Shannon Reed's memoir stems from her willingness to explore her strengths and weaknesses as a teacher."

Shelf Awareness

"With an irresistible combination of compassion, humor and engaged storytelling, Why Did I Get a B? is an invaluable and entertaining resource for readers curious about the pros and cons of a career in teaching."

Angie Cruz

This hilarious, very honest, insightful book is perfect for all the teachers in your life, for the parents who complain about their kids’ teachers, and even the students who don't know how lonely and difficult teaching really is."

Siobhan Vivian

Smart, witty, and sharply observed. I laughed, I cried, I cringed. But make no mistake—Shannon Reed has written a love letter to teachers. Her cheeky winks and snarky eye-rolls are always buoyed by the understanding that teachers love what they do. They'd have to . . . otherwise they’d never survive the hell we put them through.

Library Journal

05/01/2020

Reed (creative writing, Univ. of Pittsburgh) offers a raw, intimate look at her journey to become a teacher. Initially, she never wanted to teach but eventually realized it was her calling; she's now taught for more than 20 years, at the preschool, middle and high school, and college levels. Juxtaposing personal narratives with humorous vignettes in a variety of forms (lists, dialogs, fables), Reed considers her own biases and discusses the realities, heartbreaks, and pleasures of teaching. The author offers a starkly honest, at times irreverent view of the triumphs and challenges of teaching. Readers will cheer at Reed's accounts of student victories and sigh in exasperation at her descriptions of incompetent administrators. While the variety of formats results in a slightly unstructured work, overall Reed's candid writing about a stressful yet rewarding career will resonate with educators. VERDICT For educators who yearn to see some of their own struggles and joys represented through another teacher's eyes.—Rachel Wadham, Brigham Young Univ. Libs., Provo, UT

Kirkus Reviews

2020-03-03
A teacher and writer shares her thoughts on education and life in general.

Reed, who has taught at nearly every level, including her current position teaching creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh, uses essays, lists, quizzes, and other elements to share her two decades of wisdom. Though the author didn’t always dream of being a teacher, when a job opportunity opened up at a preschool, she took the position. One day, while explaining why the season was called “fall” and seeing the light bulb go on in one child’s head, she caught the bug. “That was it for me, the first moment I was ready to admit I was no longer just a person who liked kids and liked that they liked me,” she writes. “No. I was a teacher. I had taught. They had learned. They were smarter now! I was hooked.” From the preschool, she moved on to an all-girls Catholic school in Rockaway. Because it was such a long commute from her apartment in Brooklyn, she often arrived late to class, but she loved “the diversity of the student body,” which was comprised of students of numerous ethnicities. From there, Reed moved on to a high school, where she learned how to work with bullies, particularly one boy who not only verbally and physically attacked other students, but made rude comments to her. Eventually, she got her MFA, taught college classes, and found a comfortable, rewarding spot at Pitt. Using honesty and humor, Reed sheds light on what it means to be a public school teacher in a variety of locations, working with students from different backgrounds. She often indicates that she has learned as much from her pupils about everyday life as they have from her.

Reflective essays that expose the good and the bad sides of being an educator. Good reading for aspiring teachers.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177855219
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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