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Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me

Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me

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  • Create Date：2022-02-19 15:21:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Kate Clanchy
  • ISBN：B09RB3MPVY
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Summary

Kate Clanchy wants to change the world and thinks school is an excellent place to do it。 She invites you to meet some of the kids she has taught in her thirty-year career。
Join her as she explains everything about sex to a classroom of thirteen-year-olds。 As she works in the school ‘Inclusion Unit’， trying to improve the fortunes of kids excluded from regular lessons because of their terrifying power to end learning in an instant。 Or as she nurtures her multicultural poetry group， full of migrants and refugees， watches them find their voice and produce work of heartbreaking brilliance。
While Clanchy doesn’t deny stinging humiliations or hide painful accidents， she celebrates this most creative， passionate and practically useful of jobs。 Teaching today is all too often demeaned， diminished and drastically under-resourced。 Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me will show you why it shouldn’t be。

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Reviews

Donna Draper ，

I can completely see where the controversy around this book has come from。 I nearly stopped reading it half way as I found the language inappropriate。 Yes I did feel it was full of prejudice but I also felt kate was trying to do her best by the pupils she taught through poetry。 I know she has said she was taking time to pause and reflect on the language she used。 It reminded me of a maya angelou quote 'when you know better， do better。'As this was a memoir we forget that the language used was acc I can completely see where the controversy around this book has come from。 I nearly stopped reading it half way as I found the language inappropriate。 Yes I did feel it was full of prejudice but I also felt kate was trying to do her best by the pupils she taught through poetry。 I know she has said she was taking time to pause and reflect on the language she used。 It reminded me of a maya angelou quote 'when you know better， do better。'As this was a memoir we forget that the language used was acceptable when Kate started her job as a teacher。 Did she really know that her descriptions could be offensive。 Maybe no one ever told her that some words can cause hurt to others。 We all evolve and learn and the language we all use is under scrutiny more than ever， and we all have to be open to be educated in the meaning and history of words and the harm they can cause others and prepare to change。As much as I did not like the words used I still think it was an interesting read about human interaction and how teachers do a lot more than impart knowledge。 。。。more

Esther ，

The local library kindly obtained a copy of Kate Clanchy's book for me， in record time， through interlibrary loan。 The copy I read came all the way from the northwest corner of Pennsylvania， from the Erie Penn State campus library， to the northeast corner of Pennsylvania， to the little town of Tunkhannock's public library。 I started Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me late on Tuesday and finished it in the wee hours of Saturday morning。 This is not an author or a book I would ever have he The local library kindly obtained a copy of Kate Clanchy's book for me， in record time， through interlibrary loan。 The copy I read came all the way from the northwest corner of Pennsylvania， from the Erie Penn State campus library， to the northeast corner of Pennsylvania， to the little town of Tunkhannock's public library。 I started Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me late on Tuesday and finished it in the wee hours of Saturday morning。 This is not an author or a book I would ever have heard of or found on my own。 Because I found it such a fascinating read， I am grateful to my daughter for having brought the book， and the controversy that has sprung up around it， to my attention。 In my opinion， that Kate Clanchy has--possibly by people who have not even read her book--been labeled as "racist" and "ableist" says more about her detractors than about Clanchy herself。Clanchy is obviously a teacher in love with her students。 They are an amazingly diverse group， most of them from far-flung war zones， refugees in the UK， displaced， often traumatized， lonely， homesick， fearful， and at the same time talented， ambitious， and incredibly brave。 Even her British-born white students， beset by generational poverty and a lifetime of low expectations， and some by physical and emotional issues， present their challenges when they enter her classroom。 She makes it very clear that she has discovered that every one of these students， even the most difficult of them， holds a reservoir of potential waiting to be tapped。 That， I think， is how SHE views her students， but she has to make US see them too。 If we， the readers， are to understand just how remarkable are the gains that these kids make， we have to know something about where they have come from， whether from a housing estate in East London， or a demolished village in Afghanistan or Somalia; we need to know whether they are battling memories of displacement and bloodshed， or if their struggles are with addiction or depression or autism。 Her students are there before her in her mind; for herself， the physical descriptions are unnecessary。 But her physical descriptions provide us with context。 How else are we to see these youngsters as they must be seen， kids who have already endured more in their short lives than most of us， thankfully， will in 80 years。 I admit， if I struggled at all with any chapters in this book， it was the one describing her middle-class angst when she must decide which school to send her own son to， one of the schools to which her middle-class friends were sending their children， or the one attended by the kids from the nearby housing estate--the immigrant refugees， the poor white kids--the school in which she herself teaches。But that was just one chapter。 Maybe two。 There are 269 pages in the book， and most of them held me in thrall。 I feel like a slice of humanity， several slices， have been laid out before me， a smorgasbord of experience。 Honestly， I had no idea。 。。。more

Sean Mahdi ，

A powerful， kind and insightful memoir of a distinguished teaching career， one that brings tremendous empathy towards the children that are the subject of the book。 Ignore the trolling and rather heed the comments of the children from the book， who have fiercely defended the author and her beautiful and inspiring read。

Joko ，

Some of it was v inspiring， some of it was。。。 questionable。 Not sure I enjoyed the way she describes the students' physical appearances。 Also probably intentional， but there didn't seem to be any real cohesive overarching story to be told here and then it just ended。 Some of it was v inspiring， some of it was。。。 questionable。 Not sure I enjoyed the way she describes the students' physical appearances。 Also probably intentional， but there didn't seem to be any real cohesive overarching story to be told here and then it just ended。 。。。more

Natalia Gray ，

From commenting on the shape of a Somali student's skull to describing the bodies of 13-year olds as "buxom"， this book demonstrates exactly the ways in which British publishing， media and education are all failing the nation， with people at all levels at best completely oblivious to their own classism and bigotry and at worst， actively malicious and willing to circle the wagons at even the slightest suggestion of criticism or reform。 If you want to gaze directly into the condensed essence of th From commenting on the shape of a Somali student's skull to describing the bodies of 13-year olds as "buxom"， this book demonstrates exactly the ways in which British publishing， media and education are all failing the nation， with people at all levels at best completely oblivious to their own classism and bigotry and at worst， actively malicious and willing to circle the wagons at even the slightest suggestion of criticism or reform。 If you want to gaze directly into the condensed essence of the vast， bottomless abyss that is the UK media class' inability to grapple with its own moral bankruptcy， borrow a copy from a friend before chucking it directly into the channel。 。。。more

Mr Michael Worth ，

Excellent book from someone who means no offense except for those desperately searching for it。 I suggest the bedwetters see the narrative for what the author intended instead of making their own pathetic search for offensive material。 It isn’t racist unless your thinking is sufficiently warped to think so。 A pity the publishers chose to submit to the sewer that is social， or rather antisocial， media。

Fiona Thurston ，

It's interesting that although many of Clanchy's critics delight in taking the moral high ground against her， 25 of Clanchy's pupils signed a letter to ‘The Bookseller’ magazine in praise of all she has done。 “Though well-meaning people appear to want to defend us， in some ways their intervention is often disempowering and causing us distress， because it does not reflect our reality。 We do not need defending: we will speak for ourselves，” the letter said。And the “almond-shaped eyes”？ In August 2 It's interesting that although many of Clanchy's critics delight in taking the moral high ground against her， 25 of Clanchy's pupils signed a letter to ‘The Bookseller’ magazine in praise of all she has done。 “Though well-meaning people appear to want to defend us， in some ways their intervention is often disempowering and causing us distress， because it does not reflect our reality。 We do not need defending: we will speak for ourselves，” the letter said。And the “almond-shaped eyes”？ In August 2021， Shukria Rezaei， who was the subject of that description， wrote in the Times newspaper: “Critics labelled this description patronising， insulting， offensive， colonialist and racist。 This upset me。 I am that girl with the almond eyes。 I did not find it offensive…… “almond eyes” is a term that I have often used in my own poems。 My almond-shaped eyes are at the core of my Hazara identity。 Hazaras are an almost invisible ethnic group in Afghanistan。”Let the children who know her speak。 Perhaps everyone else could do with being a little less judgmental， and a little more willing to examine their own prejudices， stereotypes and labelling？ Because none of us are innocent in that respect。 “Saviour Complex” for example， is a wonderful label！ Some of us might like to kid ourselves that we are somehow morally superior to Clanchy， and derive a certain pay-off from this。 But real life， as the testimony of the children who know her illustrates， is more complex and messy than that。 They like her， and are grateful to her。 They should be our starting point。 But so many of the reviewers seem to start with their own prejudices instead。 Clanchy is a highly intelligent woman who didn't need to earn her living working with under-privileged kids。 The fact that they appreciated her is much more important that the abuse that total strangers have heaped on her for writing her thoughts in an honest way， warts and all。 。。。more

Chris Lilly ，

Thanks to all the piling-on from 'woke' critics， I have re-read every Kate Clanchy poetry collection， novel， memoir， I can find。 She is a fantastic， humane， insightful， honest writer of extraordinary talent， and the failure of a large tranche of wannabe taste-makers to see that speaks volumes of their agenda-driven， tin-eared， criticism。 Thanks to all the piling-on from 'woke' critics， I have re-read every Kate Clanchy poetry collection， novel， memoir， I can find。 She is a fantastic， humane， insightful， honest writer of extraordinary talent， and the failure of a large tranche of wannabe taste-makers to see that speaks volumes of their agenda-driven， tin-eared， criticism。 。。。more

Victoria Lunt ，

I loved this book。 So insightful and funny。 A joy to read。 I read it to try and inspire me with my teaching application --and it did make me want to teach （success）。 But also to read and to write -- the passion she imparts is contagious and I felt like I was discovering Good Writing all over again along with her students。

Erik Wade ，

That cunt really can write drivel。

A。 Lens ，

This writer needs all the support we can give her， read https://www。spiked-online。com/2022/01。。。 This writer needs all the support we can give her， read https://www。spiked-online。com/2022/01。。。 。。。more

Ginny Darke ，

deado

Poppy ，

Read this without knowing anything about it previously and now I'm seeing all about some Twitter madness in the reviews。 The book had some funny stories and interesting commentary on education but the way Clanchy describes and writes about the students' race， class and bodies is so discomforting and clouded by prejudice。 Read this without knowing anything about it previously and now I'm seeing all about some Twitter madness in the reviews。 The book had some funny stories and interesting commentary on education but the way Clanchy describes and writes about the students' race， class and bodies is so discomforting and clouded by prejudice。 。。。more

Hayley Wakenshaw ，

I'm a big fan of Clanchy and what she does。 I was completely unaware of the controversy surrounding this book until I came back to Goodreads to mark it as 'read'。 I'd wanted to give it five stars for the ideas， stories， and writing， but there was something vaguely off about how she wrote about some of the children that had bothered me。 It came into focus in the later chapters， where she talks about girls and their shape and weight and what they eat in a such a derogatory， out of touch， and judge I'm a big fan of Clanchy and what she does。 I was completely unaware of the controversy surrounding this book until I came back to Goodreads to mark it as 'read'。 I'd wanted to give it five stars for the ideas， stories， and writing， but there was something vaguely off about how she wrote about some of the children that had bothered me。 It came into focus in the later chapters， where she talks about girls and their shape and weight and what they eat in a such a derogatory， out of touch， and judgemental way that I ended the book feeling a bit disappointed。 I wondered if she'd grown to really understand or empathise with any of her students at all over the years。 Biases and prejudices are hard to shift， even when we work hard to rid ourselves of them， as I'm sure she has done。 Perhaps talking about how a fat girl eats too many biscuits is still so widely socially acceptable that Clanchy is unaware of how awful these passages are。 Clanchy's writing style is enjoyable and the amazing things she has helped young people achieve remain profoundly impressive and hopeful。 I still enjoyed it enough to not want to put it down， and so it still gets 4 stars for the good things in it。 。。。more

Paromjit ，

I hear author and publisher have parted company！Those of you that are aware of the disturbing controversy surrounding this book will not be surprised by my rating…。。there are aspects in Kate Clanchy’s educational account that are deeply unsettling。 I understand that there will be revisions after the problems with it began to receive some much deserved publicity。

Jackie ，

A funny little recount of a teachers daily life。

Anna ，

I rarely write book reviews but feel compelled to make an exception here。 Despite the title， it appears Kate Clanchy has learnt nothing from the children she has had the privilege of teaching。 In her own words “I’d like Oldest One （her own son） to have more middle class classmates”， as if the working-class children she teaches are fine for her to write about but not good enough to sit alongside her own children。 There was an entire chapter in this book lamenting how none of Clanchy’s talented bu I rarely write book reviews but feel compelled to make an exception here。 Despite the title， it appears Kate Clanchy has learnt nothing from the children she has had the privilege of teaching。 In her own words “I’d like Oldest One （her own son） to have more middle class classmates”， as if the working-class children she teaches are fine for her to write about but not good enough to sit alongside her own children。 There was an entire chapter in this book lamenting how none of Clanchy’s talented but “foreign” and “poor” students lost numerous poetry competitions in favour of their white privileged counterparts。 I can’t help but wonder if Kate （a white English/Scottish privately educated middle-class woman） is as equally outraged that her book won the Orwell Prize in 2020。 Did she compose angry letters to the judges this time too？ The entire book is full of such glaring contradictions between the lessons she is supposedly learning and her language and actions towards students who don’t look like her。 Clanchy is utterly obsessed with class， race and physical appearance in such a stark and grotesque way。 I don’t class myself as an easily offended person， but I struggled to find a single passage in this book that I didn’t hold problem with。 I would only recommend reading this to remind yourself of the problem we still have with people with mindsets like these and their disgusting saviour complexes。 。。。more

Dave ，

Writing this in the era of woke and unconscious bias theory， this book seemed to typify much of its theoretical discursive tone。 I found it hard going and lost the will to continue about halfway。 Seems from other reviews to be a common response， yes there are interesting aspects of peoples lives described， but often with a sense of superior ability to understand or empathise from the author。 They taught her， but not sure what， or and how it generalises。 Sadly， not a book for me。

Michèle Kuo ，

A very sincere book， written wholeheartedly。 Students come from different backgrounds， and have diverse objectives at school and in life。 And in fact， there are various ways to be a good teacher。 Through this book， the author tells us stories about the diverse students she encountered in her teaching career。 The short stories and the reflections are all interesting and worth discussing further。 The writing style is also very reader friendly。 I think teachers， parents and students will all find t A very sincere book， written wholeheartedly。 Students come from different backgrounds， and have diverse objectives at school and in life。 And in fact， there are various ways to be a good teacher。 Through this book， the author tells us stories about the diverse students she encountered in her teaching career。 The short stories and the reflections are all interesting and worth discussing further。 The writing style is also very reader friendly。 I think teachers， parents and students will all find this book intriguing。 My only difficulty when reading， was the British education system。 As a non-British， when the author is talking about the school system， it was indeed a little bit difficult to grasp the context at first。 But the bureaucracy and the education system are not the main discussed topics， so these won’t be obstacles in the reading process。 。。。more

Sarah Blackburn ，

Interesting read but more about poetry than the title suggests。 Loved the stories though。

Flossie House ，

This book made me uncomfortable， quite early on there was a comment that certainly shouldn’t have made it past an editor about sexuality and gender identity as a fashionable trend， ‘transsexuals’ and and whether ‘they won’t have the option to turn back’。 It made me look at every following comment about race or sexuality in a different lens。 Didn’t finish。

Joe Maggs ，

Clanchy rightly points out at the start of this book that teachers are really the only profession who are told how they should do their job by virtually everyone。 As such， this is fantastically brilliant & essential reading for anyone with a stake in education。 For me， it was a great read because I’m fairly fresh out of the system and look back fondly。 It was enjoyable to digest as I was able to both relate to some of the aspects based on my rural Somerset middle-class schooling， but also had my Clanchy rightly points out at the start of this book that teachers are really the only profession who are told how they should do their job by virtually everyone。 As such， this is fantastically brilliant & essential reading for anyone with a stake in education。 For me， it was a great read because I’m fairly fresh out of the system and look back fondly。 It was enjoyable to digest as I was able to both relate to some of the aspects based on my rural Somerset middle-class schooling， but also had my eyes opened and horizons broadened by the compelling telling of the realities of teaching in urban， multicultural and more disadvantaged schools and areas。 Overall， this book has left me with what I think to be a deeper and more useful understanding of pedagogy。 Those who consider themselves English nerds （me） will also appreciate Clanchy’s moving stories of using poetry to reach those who may otherwise not be reached， and vociferously agree with her discontent with WALTs， LOs and the like， and how they stifle creativity and what we may deem “true” learning and development。 。。。more

Jonny Brick ，

Ignore the culture-war backlash， please。 This book is full of empathy， poetry and heart， with plenty of social commentary and art。 I hope Kate follows it up。

Natalie Clark ，

I am around half way through and it is becoming more and more problematic。 I think I will give up。 I agree with others who think she is a white savior。 I find her quite arrogant， racist and extremely classiest。 She doesn't understand what it means to be poor or vulnerable nor does she understand her privilege and authority over children。 Some is just a pure safeguarding referral 。 The vast majority of teachers could write a better book， but I guess they are too busy teaching。 I am around half way through and it is becoming more and more problematic。 I think I will give up。 I agree with others who think she is a white savior。 I find her quite arrogant， racist and extremely classiest。 She doesn't understand what it means to be poor or vulnerable nor does she understand her privilege and authority over children。 Some is just a pure safeguarding referral 。 The vast majority of teachers could write a better book， but I guess they are too busy teaching。 。。。more

Clara Passeri ，

As a student who is graduating next year and wants to pursue a career in education， this book was so pleasant to read。

Francesca Pashby ，

Well， I heard there was a HOO HAR about this （spelling， anyone？！）， so I had to read it 。。。 felt to me that the author's heart was in the right place （if she was a trifle immodest at tomes） 。。。 so now I have to re-read the reviews to see what the furore was 。。。 Well， I heard there was a HOO HAR about this （spelling， anyone？！）， so I had to read it 。。。 felt to me that the author's heart was in the right place （if she was a trifle immodest at tomes） 。。。 so now I have to re-read the reviews to see what the furore was 。。。 。。。more

Shauna Dunlop ，

Right then。 This book really surprised me。 It has a very unassuming， humble title but is so complex and thought provoking and yet surprisingly easy to read - despite being non-fiction。 I skipped some parts due to the topics but was pleasantly surprised。 I think she was very brave to put her honest observations in as I know this book had a lot of criticism for the author being a ‘typical middle-class white woman’ but I think she acknowledges that really well in that she isn’t always going to comp Right then。 This book really surprised me。 It has a very unassuming， humble title but is so complex and thought provoking and yet surprisingly easy to read - despite being non-fiction。 I skipped some parts due to the topics but was pleasantly surprised。 I think she was very brave to put her honest observations in as I know this book had a lot of criticism for the author being a ‘typical middle-class white woman’ but I think she acknowledges that really well in that she isn’t always going to completely understand some children’s backgrounds due to her own。 You can really see her personal development through her teaching career and how she is always trying to understand children better and the heavy disclosures of abuse and trauma that come with them。 “Here in black in white， is the liberal creed about children: no one is bad， though many are sad， and a few are mad”“Lies are especially heavy for children” 。。。more

Greg Davis ，

Kate Clanchy's book was a very honest， insightful and compelling memoir of teaching creative writing in the UK， and encouraging students who often came from a disadvantaged backgrounds。 It is clear how she gained the trust and appreciation of her students， and I'm thankful that she is sharing her stories with us。 I've recommended the book to colleagues and friends。 Her compassion and concern could only be deemed suspect by those who have an unrealistic understanding of human nature。 I suspect t Kate Clanchy's book was a very honest， insightful and compelling memoir of teaching creative writing in the UK， and encouraging students who often came from a disadvantaged backgrounds。 It is clear how she gained the trust and appreciation of her students， and I'm thankful that she is sharing her stories with us。 I've recommended the book to colleagues and friends。 Her compassion and concern could only be deemed suspect by those who have an unrealistic understanding of human nature。 I suspect the woke poseurs who gave the book one star didn't read it or else mistook the author's sincerity for the type of narcissistic， condescending， arrogant attitude that is common among self-styled activists and call-out-culture con artists。 It's interesting to note how these attacks often focus on women writers。 Of course， if it wasn't for the controversy， I probably would never had heard about the book。 I'm glad I had the chance to read the original version， before the Ministry of Truth gets its hands on it。 Winner of the Orwell Prize， indeed！ 。。。more

Christopher ，

Purchased this after reading the recent furore and wanted to judge for myself。 Clanchy is clearly a passionate teacher and this shines through along with her desire to educate and inspire。 I’ve read subsequent statements from former pupils which back this up。

Cecily ，

This is a mix of memoir， tract， tribute， othering， outright offense， and online drama。 Chronology of controversy in final section of this review。 Review is of Picador's original 2019 text。Clanchy built a degree of quiet fame as an inspirational English teacher， specialising in nurturing & publishing her pupils' poems。 Most come from disadvantaged backgrounds， including recent refugees。 I was unaware of her until March 2021， when I read a startling & critical review on GR， posted in November 2020 This is a mix of memoir， tract， tribute， othering， outright offense， and online drama。 Chronology of controversy in final section of this review。 Review is of Picador's original 2019 text。Clanchy built a degree of quiet fame as an inspirational English teacher， specialising in nurturing & publishing her pupils' poems。 Most come from disadvantaged backgrounds， including recent refugees。 I was unaware of her until March 2021， when I read a startling & critical review on GR， posted in November 2020。 I noticed comments， claiming to be by the author， complaining that quotes she herself described as “racist”， were “made up” & threatening to report the reviewer （a teacher） to her employer！ I was intrigued， got a copy， read a couple of chapters， & skimmed the rest。 I found plenty of problematic phrasing， but other more positive aspects。 It left a sour taste & I cast it aside。 A few months later， she took her fight to Twitter and the story was picked up by the BBC & broadsheet media。 Big names joined in。 I followed in real time。 It got nasty。 When it had died down a little， I decided to read & review the book thoughtfully， completely， & objectively。Note about quotesI copied directly from my 2020 paperback， with page numbers for most。 I’ve included a lot， to indicate the distinctive tone of the book， especially the obsession with describing children's bodies。 It is just over 250 pages of large， generously-spaced text， & I’ve included only a few。 Some start out innocuous & then turn unquestionably mean; others are more debatable。 Different people will wince at different ones， but I'm amazed anyone can read the whole book & think it's all fine - that it went through writing， editing， & publishing in 2019 & emerged as it has。 I can't imagine it being published if a man wrote it。 THE GOODClanchy “wanted to change the world” & chose teaching in state schools， knowing it’s an undeservedly undervalued profession。 Teaching EnglishThe sections describing how she teaches， how she inspires her pupils to frame their poems， & when she quotes some of them at length， are wonderful。 She stresses the importance of creative reading & creative writing， both of which are being squeezed out of the curriculum in favour of abstruse grammar， which is easier to test & measure。 She shares lightbulb moments， such as a couple of Bengali girls who wrote a teen novel set in a US-style summer camp。 When she asks why all the characters are white， one says， “We are not in books”。 She realises representation matters。AdvocacyShe advocates for the marginalised & excluded， in general & by writing letters to authorities。 She points out that the “Inclusion Unit” for problematic pupils is really the opposite。 She agonises about how & when the state should intervene to help or rescue children in & from dysfunctional families。 She rails against the effects of years of government austerity。 “Poverty is stamped though Cheyenne like letters in a stick of rock， manifesting itself in her rotting， nineteenth-century mouth。” p160School selectionClanchy makes passionate & strong arguments against state-funded religious schools & against academically selective schools， especially when the two are indirectly combined。 It becomes personal when she is deciding where to send “Oldest One”: whether to apply her principles by sending him to the nearest school - the one middle class parents strive to avoid。 She says she is more concerned about the societal damage of separation by social class than by race。 She’s also against setting by ability within schools:“The mathematical law of setting: that the good done to the selected minority is always smaller than the bad done to the rejected majority。” p182SexShe’s socially liberal， aware of the importance of sex education & gender equality， & actively supportive of gay students。 Aware of her privilege？One of the things she learns from her pupils is “how white I am… I am a super-empowered， incredibly lucky member of the world’s ruling class” p87。 When she discovered that her English teaching qualifications would never be acceptable for a permanent position in Scotland， she reluctantly came south for good。 She wonders if it gives her “some small insight into what institutional racism might feel like” p92。 Is that the bridge she thinks it is， or another pedestal？THE ODDColour & cultureI think Clanchy is genuinely fascinated by the cultural diversity she encounters， & wants to celebrate it。 Some of the descriptions she has been criticised for were clearly intended as compliments， & the girl with “almond-shaped eyes” has explicitly defended the phrase & uses it herself。 But the physical descriptions of children’s bodies are numerous， relentless， & unsettling。 Clanchy likes to get “an instant cultural history of the child” by asking where their names come from & what they mean。 That’s not necessarily a bad idea， but needs to be handled sensitively， not using eugenic tropes & persisting in the face of denial:“I was baffled when a boy with jet-black hair & eyes & a fine Ashkenazi nose named David Marks refused any Jewish heritage。” p19When she wanted to start “an artsy version of the Bullingdon Club”， she asked fellow staff to suggest “Very Quiet Foreign Girls” （her capitalisation）。Snappy descriptionsClanchy knows poetry thrives on concision。 Some of her descriptions are kinder or more relevant than others: “Gentle Tom”， “Gigantic Dave”， “Anorexic Clarice”， “spooky， platinum Angel”， & “a vigorous Kurdish widow with a marvellous nose”。 There’s a lot of implied phrenology， colourism， & worse: •tImani of the “strong skull shape。” p117•t“Like all the Syrian kids， she is very pretty: pale skinned & dark eyed with a sensitive mouth & a tiny， high-pitched voice。” p263•t“Izzat so small & square & Afghan with his big nose & premature moustache。” p139•t“Aadil always seems so grand: a tall Somali boy with a deep， African voice， & the almost aristocratically calm manner that sometimes goes with being extremely good-looking。” p85•t“Cumar is long & slender as many of the Somali kids are， with a thin nose， narrow skull， & very dark， almost black skin。 Aadil is more muscular & square-set， with chocolate-coloured skin， a broad-based nose， & rounded head。” p85•t“Jonathon， six-foot five inches tall with a slow， resonant African accent。” p78 & “Tall， strong， African Jonathon。” p243•t“She would call out to me for words， urgently， her black， almond-shaped eyes snapping， slim fingers blossoming。” p108All so different from “my Nordic height & Celtic colouring”。WeightAll the critical comments about weight are applied to girls， & most are in a section about health。 Clanchy tries to include a compensatory compliment， but there are weird sexualising & classist undercurrents:“When Kristell arrived in Year 9， she had a bosomy， curvy figure， with a tiny waist & pretty ankles… She had a soft， breathy voice to match the Bambi lashes & fresh mouth。” p237Later“She has put on a great deal of weight， so that the pretty figure is blurred… The dark eyes gazing out of the fat pink cheeks are still so very lovely。” p238-9This “self-sabotage” was after being raped。 “Danielle really was special: she was exquisitely pretty in the dark & elfin， Audrey Hepburn mode。 She knew it too; she was always finding occasion to take off her clothes & expose her pale， beautifully turned limbs。” p233Later“As if refusing middle-class food along with middle-class ambition， Danielle put on weight… her new bosom protruding ever more bulbously… I was surprised how hurt I was to see it。 It wasn’t the flesh so much as the loss of grace。” p234I know what she means with this next one， & there is a valid point。 It’s probably intended to be self-deprecating & tongue-in-cheek， but。。。“Lianne is stuffing fig rolls， my favourite， into her pretty fat face， & it is very hard indeed not to have one。 I can manage it， I think， in the same way that I can manage to finish a poem， because I am middle class。 Because， since I was a tiny child， I have been taught to wait for long-term goals。” p235LoveThere’s a long section describing， second-hand， a friend who was reported， by a “student intern” for a possibly inappropriate relationship with a pupil who brought her flowers， & who was then excluded for telling the intern he loved her， while he had a visible erection。 The telling felt as inappropriate as the incident。Clanchy then riffs on love。 “Of course， love happens in schools。 Schools run on love。” p45She contrasts the pure parental agape love with the playful experimentation of ludus love:“Part of a school’s job is to supply a safe setting for this kind of love。” She properly points out that schools try to exclude physical eros love。LGBTQI+Clanchy is supportive of gay pupils， although she’s hampered by stereotypes & sees camp as a “statement of otherness”。 She takes an 18-year old to his first gay club， which she admits wouldn’t be acceptable now， sending him in with the words:“‘Liam，’ I said， ‘I love you。 You have to promise me to always use a condom & never get AIDS。’” p33 But she’s more dismissive of trans pupils。 Like much of what she writes， I understand the concern she's raising， but the tone is trivialising:“Are we all ‘fluid’ now？ Perhaps。 It is commonplace to proclaim oneself transsexual。 & to actually be gay， especially if you are as pretty as Kristen Stewart is positively fashionable。 A couple of kids have even changed gender， a decision so deliciously of the moment， so furiously defended by righteous students against non-existent opposition from staff that I worry only that they won’t feel the freedom to change back if they feel the need。” p34Self-awareness？Much of the criticism accused Clanchy of ignorance， rather than malice: a “white saviour” who relishes the exotic as something other。 There are also safeguarding questions about whether children might identify themselves or be identified by others， to what extent they can have consented， & whether they should share in the profits。 Apparently， the school where most of this happened knew nothing about it until she published after she'd left。 Curiously， oxymoronically， Clanchy mentions many of these points:•t“One of my self-doubts: whether I am a posh do-gooder， a Victorian lady on a mission who has not noticed that her message is obscured by her person， & the injustices of class which she embodies。” p158•t“Children have a right to privacy just as adults do。” p5•t“No named individual here should be identified as any particular living person。” p5•t“I have included nobody， teacher or pupil， about whom I could not write with love。” p5•t“I became aware of my greedy， writerly curiosity。” p54•tOne of the reasons she likes volunteering in the local asylum centre is that “it offers me a world of stories”。 p60•t“I am in each story， clearly delineated， so that you will know what sort of person is doing the listening & filtering。” p4•t“My commodifying， snobbish， patriarchal gaze。” p244”THE UGLYDodgy descriptionsPage 8 stopped me in my tracks:“My eye was tuned in to the multi-racial London pupils I’d taught the year before， who had， by the same age， Somali height or Cypriot bosoms or styled stiff Japanese hair。” p8Who talks about the breasts of a twelve-year old child like that， & why？！Anyway， Clanchy's new Scottish pupils， “winter-coloured， mouse-haired children”， were disconcertingly alike:“I was having difficulty， as Prince Philip said he had with Chinese people， in telling them apart。” “Saira is very butch-looking altogether， with square shoulders & a distinct moustache。” p122“She wasn’t a pretty girl， even by the standards of the IU， even if she wasn’t making a terrible face。 She was fat， a swathe of freckly flesh bulging out from her collar， blurring her jaw line， giving her premature double chins。” p239HijabsClanchy thinks about hijabs - a lot。 “I wonder again what Shakila does to her hijab， & why it seems to sit fuller & higher than the other girls’ - a Mother Superior hijab， or one from Vermeer。 It can’t be starched。 Maybe it’s draped over twisted horns of hair like Carrie Fisher’s in Star Wars。 That would go with her furry eyebrows， her slanting， sparkling black eyes， her general， Mongolian ferocity。” p78“Her high-set， starched hijab - did she have extra ears under there？” p109“It is possible to wear a flirty hijab， like Samira’s leopard-patterned one。 & that Farida’s dress may be loose & floor-length， but it still manages to show the beautiful lines of her figure when she hitches it tight around her as she sits by the basketball courts。” p117“If I could put a burqa on Susie & Kristell tomorrow， I would。 A year or two of being invisible to the male gaze， of going home quietly to study， could only be liberating， & enabling too， of the rest of their lives… It’s important to say that nothing that Susie or Kristell ever wear， however brief， entitles them to any abuse， ever。” p165Autism & “other” gender“Janie & Chris are eleven & have Autism Spectrum Disorder。 They know this: they are fully certified & statemented; they will tell you all about it freely。 They are cheerful， frank children in general: shouty， active， unselfconsciously odd。 When we fill in the form for a poetry competition， they both seek out & tick ‘other’ for their gender。 This seems spot on; though they both wear skirts & have long， thick hair， it is somehow very hard to identify them as girls… They flick through the lists of ‘country of origin’， I feel there should be an ‘other’ for that too: ASD Land。” p225Her own feelings:“The undeniable fact that no one else wants to be friends with them… Probably， more than an hour a week would irritate me， too， but for that hour， I like them very much。” p226Almond eyes & food analogiesI didn't think “chocolate skin” & “almond-shaped eyes” problematic， but they’re the most cited in articles， & I now know some POC find them offensive， partly because of the association of some foods with slavery。 I was surprised to read “a caramel woman”， a “pecan-colored” woman， & “his skin caramelized into deep brown” in a 2020 novel about colourism in African-American communities。 But it’s by a black writer， Brit Bennett。 See my review of The Vanishing Half， HERE。THE FURORYou can find plenty on Twitter & via Google， including screenshots of posts & comments Clanchy later deleted， & pages of the book。 This is what I saw， written as it happened: 1。tMarch 2021， Clanchy noticed negative reviews here on GR （posted months earlier）， started complaining in comments on some of those reviews about "made up" quotes （which were not made up）， flagging the reviews for GR to remove， & threatening to complain about libel to the employer of a teacher who'd posted one。 2。tThat didn't work， despite her commenting and complaining over several months。 The reviews remained， & GR commenters mostly defended the reviews。3。t30 July 2021， Clanchy used Twitter to ask her many fans of the poems she posts there to pile on to negative GR reviews & flag them for GR to delete。 She included a screenshot of the teacher’s one。 Her Twitter mob duly did as she asked。 4。tLots of new GR accounts sprang up， posting angry comments on negative reviews， & praising Clanchy。 There was support on Twitter too， mainly from poetry fans who didn't seem to have read this book， so assumed any allegations of racist， anti-Semitic， & other demeaning language couldn't be true。 They believed Clanchy's lies that the quotes were made up。5。tPeople started tweeting screenshots of the book， & the Twitter tide turned against her。 Unable to continue saying the quotes were made up， she said they were "out of context"， which didn't really apply to photos of double-page spreads。6。tSeveral writers of colour tweeted detailed， polite， & educational explanations of why certain terms are inappropriate。 They mostly gave her the benefit of the doubt， assuming her intentions were good， but that she needed to understand the weight of her words。 They were largely ignored by Clanchy and targets of racist abuse by others。7。tClanchy & her publisher posted non-apologies focusing on her victimhood。 She deleted her comments pm GR， & a lot of her tweets。 Meanwhile， some high-profile authors continued to defend her， creating more push-back， & another apology that said she would rewrite the book。 8。tThe tide turned back in her favour with articles & opinion pieces in traditional media。 Most of them omit （or massively downplay） the fact that Clanchy herself triggered this cancel culture war on free speech by using lies to ask her fans to attack fair comment reviews by ordinary readers。 These articles mostly focus on racial terminology， some of which is clearly well-intentioned if ignorant， rather than the inexcusable “Ashkenazi nose” or the sexualised， fat-shaming， and ASD-demeaning descriptions。 Much was made of the fact that 25 former pupils wrote an open letter supporting her。 She’s probably won。 Carefully orchestrated DARVO （Denial， Attack， Reverse Victim & Offender = gaslighting） works。9a。 Will there be the promised rewrite？ It seems improbable。 If you take out just a quarter of the problematic phrases， that's a lot of content （I've only included a small sample）。 What would be left？ How would she rewrite & sound like the same person？ I suspect it will be postponed indefinitely。 9b。 If it does happen， prepare for lots of free publicity， fuelled by recycling inaccurate claims that Clanchy was the victim of a censorious woke mob。10。 20 Jan 2022， Clanchy and Picador separate。11。 After ten days of 20+ high-profile articles and two interviews， outraged at Clanchy's "cancellation"， she announced a new publisher with an afterword and some of the controversial race and ASD-related phrasing removed or changed。 The book was always available， though it's currently digital or second-hand。 She has a louder and wider platform than ever。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0