We are delighted to announce that Chatto & Windus have swooped in to pre-empt Ryan Wilson’s insightful memoir, Let That Be a Lesson: A Teacher’s Life in the Classroom, within 24 hours of submission. UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada were snapped up by editor Charlotte Humphrey from Caroline Hardman.

Let That Be a Lesson: A Teacher’s Life in the Classroom will hit shelves in August this year.

Ryan said: ‘Most days I spent teaching, I reflected that ‘there’s a book in this’. Comedy, tragedy, pathos, despair, redemption: they’re all there along with big characters and a shedload of hormones. This is that book, and it’s been made possible by the incredible team at Chatto who wholeheartedly shared my desire to pay tribute to a profession too often taken for granted. I can’t wait to take readers back to the classroom to see things from the other side of the desk.’

Charlotte said: ‘Coming from a family of teachers, I was immediately delighted by Ryan Wilson’s memoir. With a light touch, Let That Be a Lesson recognises the dedication of teachers, the huge pressures they’re under and the long costs of austerity politics. It is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a workplace overflowing with brilliant, rowdy, disinterested and determined teenagers! The students are at school to learn but their openness and the generosity of his colleagues teach Ryan vital lessons, too, in this warm and unmissable book.’

The malodorous horrors of Sports Day.
Bracing yourself for Parents’ Evening.
Refereeing teenage relationship dramas.

This is not what you see in the adverts.

From the age of eight, Ryan Wilson dreamt of being a teacher. This is the inside story of his time at the chalkface, from fresh-faced trainee with grand ideals to exhausted assistant head battling ever-changing government demands. It is a tribute to the colleagues who befriended him and to the chaotic, brilliant, maddening students who inspired and enraged him. From Sean, the wannabe gangster with a soft heart, to David, the king of innuendo, and terrifyingly clever Amelia. And, above all, it’s about the lessons they taught him: how to be patient and resilient, how to live authentically and how to value every day.

Ryan Wilson currently works as a producer and reporter on BBC Radio 2’s The Jeremy Vine Show. He has written about education for The Guardian and The Times Educational Supplement, including taking on the mantle of The Guardian’s Secret Teacher. In addition to print media contacts, he has many in the broadcast media including at BBC local radio, Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, talkRADIO, Radio 4, LBC, ITV regional news, Channel 5 News, The Evening Standard and of course at Radio 2.

You can read the full Bookbrunch article here.