Cover Image: Put A Wet Paper Towel on It

Put A Wet Paper Towel on It

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Member Reviews

I loved this book. As a teacher it was really nice to say my day to day practice reflected back at me. I spend my entire teaching career worrying that I am not being as effective as I should. That the things that have gone wrong is because I am.a terrible teacher and so on..... to see these things written about on the pages makes me realise that I am in fact doing a good job and we all experience the same worries and problems.
It was a lighthearted way to shine a light on all of teaching but also had some important topics discussed that are important for teachers and non teachers alike to read.

I think if you are a non teacher this is a great book to give you an insight into what all teachers are doing and for how long. It most definitely is not an 9-3 gig with ridiculous holidays. We work a lot of that time too!!

This book was fun, sensitive, comedic and poignant. It is refreshing to read another teachers POV and see it is not very different to our own, and just reminds us why we got into this job in the first place. That feeling when a child in your class barely speaks, whispers answers about their work to you, doesn't speak in front of others but in the Christmas play they belt out their line In front of all the children and parents. Knowing you played a part in that is why we do this!!!

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Whilst this book is a light-hearted account of the highs and lows of life as a teacher, it also has a serious message and those goons in the education department and Ofsted should take note. Let teachers teach and cut the faff that is causing teachers to leave the profession in their droves. Value those that guide our children and give them more autonomy, instead of more pointless marking schemes. Stop putting pressure on young children to the point that they are being diagnosed with chronic stress at primary school age.

Serious messages aside, this was wonderfully nostalgic and made me smile a lot. It also made me reflect on my own school experience and see things from a different perspective - teachers seemed like a different, less than human species - this showed that they are in fact people.

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I was hoping, and expecting this to be full of children's stories collected from the classroom.
Instead it seemed to be more about the lives of the two Mr P's, and although that was a tad interesting, I was wanting more tales from the children and funny moments. Disappointed.

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An amusing, nostalgic read, written by two brothers who work in primary schools and have a successful podcast.

Whilst this will mostly appeal to teachers, there is something for everyone, providing an insight into what goes on behind the scenes and highlighting some of the frustration teachers share.

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Thoroughly enjoyed reading this interesting and hilarious insight into life in the classroom from the teachers who host the podcast, 'Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)'.

Great to read about the pressures faced in the classroom and staffroom from the perspectives of teachers.

Well written, light-hearted and entertaining. Would recommend.

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If you work in a school this book is a must....just by the title alone.

The anecdotes and funny stories from the classroom really make the book an enjoyable read. I found the book very relatable and found myself wanting to read on.

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It really sucks writing this review because I was really looking forward to reading this book because of the title. I thought I’d be laughing my head off with nostalgia from my childhood combined with modern day school life. I found the book slightly confusing and wasn’t sure what Adam and Lee were trying to achieve other than maybe a bit of bashing of others.

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I enjoy keeping up with Mr P (Lee) and his views on education on social media, I see him as a much needed voice of reason in the world of education, so jumped at a chance to read this. Having taught in Primary Schools myself for 36 years, until recent retirement, I found that the brothers capture life in school m, as a teacher and as a TA, well. Despite reflecting in some depth on the issues in education, the book still makes it all sound fun which, sadly at the moment, in this current climate, it is not. However, the upbeat style of Lee and Adam keeps the book fun and interesting.

Don’t get me wrong, teaching is totally a vocation and that is clearly covered. It is also a job unlike any other and I loved the reflections of stock cupboards, staff members, Pritt sticks, playground duty, the photocopier and staff meetings, which made me smile and nod agreement on so many occasions. Maybe a section on office staff in the next book? They can make or break a teacher’s sanity in one easy move!

This book is unique, as it is open and honest about a teachers life, lunch breaks (what are they?), Offsod (Ofsted) and is a realistic insight into life on the front line.

I would totally recommend to parents and teachers alike. Anything that sheds light on the reality of this job!

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I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Uk schoolkids will relate so much it sounds more like a student than a teacher honestly. And yet you cringe and sympathize with the pain so much. I feel bad for some of my old teachers [and others not so much] but it made me laugh so hard oh. The not so guided reading, the hourglass of doom [anyone else just stands in the corridor waiting for it to run out so you could go back inside and pretend you’d been in another teacher’s class for a timeout, or just me?] the packed lunch and school dinner queue rivalry, clinging to the nicest TA I could find [Shout out to Mrs. O’Neil!] and now I shall have to sleep trying to keep the disturbing school rules song out of my head [it sounds like something out of matilda!]

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I loved this, written by two brothers one a Teacher and the other a Teaching Assistant. Loved the stories they shared. Hats off to all teachers. You are all truly incredible.

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This is a great read, which took me back to my days in the classroom. I laughed so much at some of the tales, I had tears running down my face. I could relate to many of the happenings. The book is well written and I’d recommend it to my family and friends, especially those who work in schools.

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A humorous insight to life in primary schools including some typical incidents to give the reader a giggle! Interesting to hear the teacher’s point of view on many situations.
I’d love to hear more of the funny things children say and do, one of the priceless perks of working with them!

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Put a wet paper towel on it.
The title of this book grabbed my attention. I found the book enjoyable, great read for anyone considering a career in teaching.

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Funny, relatable, light hearted read. Anyone who’s ever worked in a school, had children or been a child will enjoy the chuckle to yourself humour. Enjoyed it, a real mood lifter.
ARC copy.

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I did a placement in a junior school last year as part of my TA training.....so I definitely recognised a few of the characters and school based anecdotes - and - as a parent to two children who have left primary school I recognise some of the stories about the parents and children too haha!
I really enjoyed the more personal experiences of school life itself, the anecdotes and opinions on actual experiences, the funny stories from the school day, the honesty about the difficulties that teachers face - and especially what teachers really mean when they describe your child a certain way.
There were parts that I don't think were really needed, just personal preference but I found some of it a little indulgent, and I needed less 'bants' between to two narrators -I really wanted it to be a little more like Adam Kay's 'This is Going To Hurt' which it wasn't quite.
All told a great little book, I got a bit fatigued reading it all in one chunk so think it would be better to dip in and out of inbetween reading something else.
Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

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Wow well what can I say about this amazing book. It had me in utter stitches from the start to end. Its not often you find two brothers teaching in one school but to have them in one class is amazing. This book was so well wrote and so whitty that I had to read it in one sitting and that ment a late night. But the constant laughing kept me awake. What I also loved was that it was set in Manchester rather local to me. This book would be brilliant for parents if like me you always wonder what you little times are upto in school then read this book. I laughed so hard my face hurt especially reading the show and tell story with the jellyfish! That is one story you don't want to miss. I especially loved the last chapter where it took on a more serious note and you could tell that teachers are superstars with all the hoops the government make them jump through and ridiculous red tape. I really can't recommend this book enough it is definitely a must read book. 

Only the highest of praise goes out to the authors and publishers for writing this book that had me laughing so much till my face hurts and opening my eyes to how hard teachers work. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/put-a-wet-paper-towel-on-it-by-lee-adam-parkinson-harpercollins-5-star either under my name or ladyreading365

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Absolutely fantastic read. I found it so relatable and hilarious. Will definitely read more books by Lee and Adam. Very well written.

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As someone who works in Education, this book made me chuckle. Although I liked the style, I do think it would work better orally than in a book but it is definitely a good read for anyone interested in life at school.

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Some laugh-out-loud moments mixed with some quite dull parts. An interesting read, but didn't grab me and hold my interest. Would still recommend as I did enjoy it.

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I’ve heard the Two Mr P’s in a Pod(Cast) before and really enjoyed the bantery style of chat that the brother’s bring to their anecdotes of teaching life. Unfortunately, this book is written in that same podcast style, and it just doesn’t work as well when written down.

Anecdotes that would be really funny when told aloud, fall flat when there isn’t the comedic tone and pacing to deliver them and the witty banter feels a bit cringey when memorialised in print.

There is quite a bit of repetition in the material and more than once a subject is introduced then immediately dismissed – “more on that later!” – which would work orally but made me wonder when reading why they would bother to bring it up HERE if they’re only talking about it THERE!

Between the humorous anecdotes is a detailed ‘behind the scenes’ look at every aspect of a teacher or TA’s life, which was really interesting from a parent’s perspective (although I was a bit disconcerted at how many colleagues, parents and children were dismissed as dull or ‘not my kind’ because they lacked ‘the bants’!)

My overall impression was that all of this material would work fantastically in the podcast/radio dialogue format but just doesn’t translate well to the written word.

They’re definitely right about the paper towels though!

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

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