Insight into teaching

The Accidental Teacher By Tim Heath, Allen & Unwin, $36.99

Tim Heath hadn’t intended to become a teacher, but being paid to study at teachers’ college was the original drawcard.

Then he discovered he was hooked. He’s now spent more than 40 years in the classroom, in both New Zealand and Samoa, in tiny country schools and big city schools.

Heath was fascinated by how children learned to read, partly because of his own experience of suddenly “getting it” at a later age than most. He brought some unusual methods into his teaching to accommodate youngsters who don’t learn the way others do.

That included getting kids running outdoors first thing in the morning before lessons began, and spending an entire day reading a book. Teachers who love their profession will love this. Parents will look at their kids anew and the rest of us will remember those teachers who made a difference. — Linda Thompson