Ever wondered what it’s like to be a supply teacher? This is the book for you! Artist and illustrator Guy Newmountain, a time-served teacher at the chalk-face for 25 years and a familiar sight to thousands of pupils across the spectrum from nursery to sixth form, tells a succession of school-related anecdotes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour. Some are hysterically funny and a few sad; others heart-stopping and deadly serious… Guy even bares his soul regarding personal heartbreak and professional mistakes that others can learn from. An evocative snapshot of real life, every word, even the title – spoken by a tiny infant – is true. A powerful insight into how varied an experience supply teaching can be, the book covers both pros and cons of the vocation, as the author relates a host of unpredictable situations encountered – good and bad – offering a tantalising, honest and refreshing window onto a largely hidden world…
Guy Newmountain, aptly described by a former college tutor as a ‘funnyology’, is a man who steadfastly resists categorisation. Artist, illustrator, animator and occasional DJ, he is, most notably, a teacher who has worked in over 100 different schools across the entire age range; with a breadth of experience rare in the profession. A guilty cola drinker with a fascination for contemporary fonts, TV title sequences, pioneering music videos and retro sci-fi, he swims a mile each weekday, grapples with a life-size Dalek and Wurlitzer jukebox and is rarely seen far from a black Labrador Retriever.