A gentle romp through some of the very best bits of inspirational teaching alongside the more surreal experiences to be had. Well thought out with individual chapters focusing on aspects of teaching, many that parents would never even consider, such as the continuous presence and threat of Ofsted, the whims of the exam boards and the severe impact that politicians on their mission to the top can have.
Thoroughly enjoyable- definitely does not make me want to enter the profession!

I previously read and loved both ‘this is going to hurt’ and ‘can you hear me?’ Memoirs of a junior doctor and paramedic respectively. As such I was really excited to read this and whilst it did not disappoint, it did not quite hit the highs I was hoping for.
The book is formatted into chunks that are short and sweet, making it the perfect book to pick up and put down between daily activities.
It is very well written and I enjoyed the interweaving longer storylines relating to his colleagues and Ryan’s personal battles with his sexuality.
There are some very funny moments in this book but I felt the balance between those and the overwhelming issues facing teaching and education left me a little flat.

I found this a very humorous take on what’s it’s like to be a teacher in secondary education. At times I did find myself laughing at some of the memories. On the whole a very accurate account of teaching.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to see an arc of this book.

A warm and engaging account of what it is like to teach at a secondary school, with some salutary tales thrown in for good measure. I laughed and I cried - and wondered (not for the first time) what the future holds for our country if we continue down our current path as regards education - over-measuring and under-valuing (and under-funding) and failing to put pupils first..

If you enjoyed Adam Kay’s warts-and-all account of being a doctor, This is going to hurt, here comes an equally good autobiography from a teacher.
Ryan Wilson is an English teacher in a state school and his anecdotes are hilarious. My particular favourite was the pupil who - to Ryan’s horror- took the Mike and asked Poet Laureate Carol-Ann Duffy a question at an event in London.
He is clearly a good teacher - optimistic and devoted to the kids - so his disillusionment with government policy hits home all the harder. You really understand how well-meant bureaucracy can suck all the joy and effectiveness out of teaching.
Wilson also writes touchingly about his colleagues and the illness of two teachers he holds most dear.
And he also writes about the struggle with his own sexuality and whether to reveal it to the children he teaches.
Highly recommended: a funny, touching and personal account from an ex-teacher.

In this ode to teaching so much here resonates to a former teacher like myself. I think this should be required reading for Secretaries of State for Education, Ofsted and anyone who thinks teachers knock off at 3.30! I suspect though, that Covid homeschooling may have dispelled that illusion. Like Ryan, teaching is all I ever wanted to do, like him and probably countless others, I had a Mrs Webb who made the Scottish Play one that has always lived vividly in my head and I can still recount chunks of it. Like him I’ve spent long hours marking, planning, fretting and all the rest of it! Philosophically, he and I are completely on the same page and so I lap his memoir up! The excitement, the fear, the grind, the building experience of tricks in your armoury to deal with those tricky customers, the highs, the lows and the laughs, yes, plenty of laughs. I think being in Ryan’s classroom must have been an amazing experience because his love of literature and his empathy with his students positively shines like a beacon through the pages. Every school has a Kieron or three and we always remember them! I laugh out loud at some of his recollections, cry at others and applaud his move to an inner city London school with all the challenges that presents. I love his wry comments (and true!) about the bonkers need for a primary child from the age of seven to know what a fronted adverbial is, which especially hits home as I attempt to embrace the rigours of the primary literacy curriculum during lockdown home schooling. Gah!!!! How to switch a child off education, eh??!! The success of students like Chloe makes all the hard work worth while and that’s why teachers work themselves into the ground.

Overall, a very readable, varied and interesting memoir of s wonderful profession. Some chapters are a bit short, it’s a maybe bit disjointed in the telling but that’s a small criticism as it gives an excellent oversight of the reality of the job.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto and Windus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is a teachers first hand account of life in the classroom. The author shares brilliant and comedic stories from the classroom, and he mixes that with real emotion from his personal life and the wider school life, including budget cuts, and how to keep Ofsted and the Government happy. He discusses changes fed from higher up that put immense pressure on schools and teaching staff. The past year has shown us that teachers are unsung heroes, and deserve a lot more than this country currently gives.
The writing was excellent, and wrote as if you were having a long conversation with the author. It made me giggle in places, and made me well up in others. I enjoyed the roller coaster ride. And reading his encounters were a real eye opener. When you drop your little angels off at the gates in the morning and ask the teacher for a quick word that that’s another thing to add to their every growing to do list. The book shows how much extra work teachers put in from their own free time to make education the best it can be. A great, easy, humorous read!!

Let That Be a Lesson by Ryan Wilson documents his decade of experience teaching English in secondary schools in Essex and London. The book is structured as a series of short vignettes taking in his first lessons in the classroom, school trips, exams, inspirational colleagues and, of course, his pupils from the disruptive to the angelic.

Wilson is clearly passionate about his profession, but also not blind to the problems caused by recent education policies. I was particularly heartened to read his defence of “eccentric” teachers who have decades of experience and a natural gift for truly inspiring their pupils to care about their subject, but who struggle to get to grips with the deluge of data-driven lesson planning now expected in the British education system in the last decade or so. All the teachers I know would certainly agree with Wilson’s common sense approach and recognise his dedication in this excellent, funny book.

A warts and all view of the education system. I found it very thought provoking and could see and agree with him why he is dissatisfied with the politics involved and the stress caused. There are some parts which are laugh out loud funny (literally) and moments of true sadness and all so well written. I’m sure many teachers will appreciate the book but I do hope it has a wider audience, as it deserves. Written in almost diary like segments, I found it hard to put down; with lovely descriptions of his interactions with pupils both as a class and individually. I learned a lot about modern teaching while reading it too!
Thanks to Vintage and NetGalley for an ARC. My opinions are my own.

Heartwarming, poignant and often amusing, Ryan's experiences in teaching give a great insight into this under-valued profession. He pleads passionately that education is more than just meeting targets and pleasing OFSTED. This should be compulsory reading for anyone connected with the educational system, including politicians and especially ministers for education.

Let That Be a Lesson by Ryan Wilson is a thought-provoking and occasionally humorous memoir of a teaching career.

As an ex-English teacher I often found myself nodding in vigorous agreement, recognising the politics thar have made teaching more difficult, and had my heart warmed remembering the students who made the job worthwhile.

If you aren't a teacher this book is an education in itself. I hope once you've finished it you'll feel compelled to thank any teacher you know for their hard work.

It occasionally hurt when reading this to remember why I left the profession. Like Ryan Wilson, I saw the changes in the curriculum and the mounting stresses. I salute him for his honesty and clear love still for a vocation that never truly leaves you.

Read this and enjoy the lessons in hope, humour, and community along with the realism of stress.

Reading Ryan Wilson's 'Let that be a lesson,' I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
It's a no holds barred true account of his teacher journey - from a student through to his departure.
It's incredibly well written and so absorbing - it's as though Ryan is sat next to you regaling you with stories of how his day went inside the classroom.

As a teacher - I found myself agreeing with his viewpoints regarding how the government monitors and governs education. As a human - there were also times where I found myself tearing up when he introduced us to the colleagues that had made such an impact on his life.

A must-read for all in education.

As the daughter and wife of teachers, this funny, uplifting and at times tragic book was very familiar to me. Warm and poignant, this tale of a 10 year teaching career paints a picture of change in the system and what has been lost.

This was especially relevant to me because of the years I spent teaching. I was able to appreciate the book as an insider. I would like congratulate the author for his work, and especially for keeping a sense of humour. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for letting me have an advance copy, and I look forward to more books by Ryan Wilson.

Let That Be a Lesson , and it certainly was ! I'm convinced I would have never made teaching as a career because I simply would not have had the patience to deal with a class of , sometimes , unruly children.
Having said that I am in awe of people like Ryan Wilson , who clearly is an excellent teacher any pupil should be proud to have him as theirs.
The book was a great insight to the highs and lows of teaching , and there was plenty of both .
A must read for any parent and person thinking of taking it up as a career.

A beautifully written, often very funny, insightful, sometimes painfully poignant view into the world of secondary school teaching

I enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a teacher from teacher training through to promotion to Assistant Head Teacher. Ryan Wilson doesn't spare himself in any way and is often the focus of the writing, bringing his mistakes into the highlights as well as using funny anecdotes about his pupils. These are always respectful and never denigrating. They try to understand the child even when the child is being extremely difficult. He also brings to life two wonderful colleagues, Liz and Zoe, both of whom died of cancer in the course of their careers. They sounded like wonderful teachers.

For me the best bit about the book was the polemic against the policies of successive education ministers especially those of Michael Gove. Living in Scotland with a different education system, I was not fully aware of how dire these were. I knew the basics of course but the details are staggeringly awful. He also outlines the horrible decisions that managers of schools have to make in the light of financial cuts as well as showcasing the hypocrisy of the usual Tory responses of 'we're ring fencing funding to education' telling us exact;ly what this means. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

As an ex teacher, all be it primary, I could immediately relate to Ryan’s comments about being a secondary teacher of English. His memories are both heart warming and thought provoking.

As someone that works in a school. I love these behind the scenes glimpses of other schools/teachers. I also like how this book focuses on the whole career of a teacher rather then just a teacher starting out their career.

There’s certainly no ‘could do better’ about this book!! I would like to give it 6 out of 5 stars please. Respect. So much respect for people in the teaching profession. I truly bow down to all those who make a career in this amazing field and with this book, provides a truly amazing insight into what it’s like to teach.

I absolutely LOVED reading about Ryan’s experiences and interactions within the teaching world. It was written so well. It was hilariously funny at times and also so on point, delicate and respectful (definitely not making a mockery out of the profession) but a true written account of what teaching can be like within a secondary school system as well as through training and rising through the ranks.

Ah this had me laughing out loud in so many parts and it’s really worth a read. The authors sense of humour is just perfect. From troublesome students, working in difficult schools, teacher training and the daily toils and troubles of life in the classroom.

It was such a brilliant insight into the policies and systems teachers have to follow too, often walking a tightrope of correctness and making sure everything is perfectly PC and non offensive to both student and parent along with guidelines and insane targets to hit which I can only imagine to be met with incredible difficulty. I could definitely sense the frustration and incredulity of some of the newer policies that have to be implemented, budget cuts and ridiculously unfair working environments to name a few. This book was such an amazingly written insight.

I couldn’t recommend reading this enough. Hats off to all the teacher heroes and well done Ryan Wilson on writing such a fab book.