The School cover art

The School

The Ups and Downs of One Year in the Classroom

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The School

By: Brendan James Murray
Narrated by: Brendan James Murray
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About this listen

One teacher. One school. One year.

Brendan James Murray has been a high school teacher for more than ten years. In that time he has seen hundreds of kids move through the same hallways and classrooms - boisterous, angry, shy, big-hearted, awkward - all of them on the journey to adulthood.

In The School, he paints an astonishingly vivid portrait of a single school year, perfectly capturing the highs and lows of being a teenager, as well as the fire, passion and occasional heartbreak of being their teacher. Hilarious, heartfelt and true, it is a timeless story of a teacher and his classes, a must-listen for any parent, and a tribute to the art of teaching.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS THE DOUGLAS STEWART PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2022

©2021 Brendan James Murray (P)2021 Macmillan Audio Childhood Education Education Educators Professionals & Academics Witty Funny Heartfelt Secondary Education

Critic Reviews

"In this eloquently written book Brendan James Murray has captured the good, the bad, the unjust and the fabulously inspirational about one year in a high school. It is raw, real and accurate story that lands on hope and deep gratitue for the exceptional teacher who teach with heart and soul." (Maggie Dent, author of From Boys to Men)

"By the second page you care, and from the fourth you are absolutely hooked. Murray wades into the nightmare lives that many Australian kids inhabit in our unjust and unequal society. He reminds us how schools and caring teachers can provide the only chance of a life that some kids have. A very moving book." (Steve Biddulph, author of Fully Human)

"I immediately want to give this book to every teacher I know. An outstanding work of non-fiction storytelling, Murray gives a voice to one of the most important yet undervalued professions in the modern world: teaching. Stunningly written, moving, and full of perspective-changing insights, The School is ultimately a story we should all pay attention to." (Jessie Stephens, author of Heartsick)
All stars
Most relevant  
A wonderful rich narrative on the lives of students and the education system eloquently written.

This book surprised me as I followed the daily struggles of these students.

Brendan James Murray is a brilliant Wordsworth.

Highly recommend!

Heartfelt and captivating!

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For an elderly person listening to a book about school these days, and the enormous challenges they face I can truthfully say I admire Mr Murray immensely. The students stories about the joy of learning, and the pressures they are under to achieve results that promise a successful future were wonderful. I felt like I knew them and would like them. Thank you Mr Murray.

excellent..an absolute pleasure.

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As someone in the teaching profession I really enjoyed
listening to this. Worst part was waiting in suspense with each and every part of the story as it changed between participants. A great book and very well narrated too.

Great!

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Such a beautiful and honest story. As a teacher myself it reaffirmed why I do my job and why I love my job. Not just for teachers, a great read for anyone - great writing and narration by Brendan Murray. Love love loved it!

Amazing!! A must!

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I loved this book Mr Murray would be a great teacher. I loved his book and insights in the life of passionate teachers and the struggles and challenges in students lives.

must read

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‘Murray/ Doc’, every child deserves to have someone like you pop up in their lives! Your empathy and understanding of the human psyche surpasses all the pedagogical/academic buzz words thrown at trainee teachers - they should study all that ‘stuff’ but your book should be compulsory reading for at least every special needs and high school teachers in the land! Primary teachers could also learn something from reading it too. Parents should, but many won’t, because they didn’t have a teacher who took into account their family situation & home life & the impact that can have on their education . They were ‘written off’ by the system as not worth the effort because they didn’t have someone like Brendan Murray to take an active interest in them.

Wow! Couldn’t put this down.

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An inspirational teacher who really cares about the students whatever their circumstances. I am a retired high school teacher, working in the public school system in NSW. His views resonated with me and confirms my views about elitism in our society

It was a fantastic read’!

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The way Brendan James Murray blends his own experiences, the experiences of his students and facts about the education system is outstanding. This book will make you laugh, cry and empathise with teachers and learners.

Inside the School Gates

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This was the best audio book I've listened to in a while, absolutely loved it. It really dove into the stories and chatecters of the students as well as their journeys at school, really well written and narrated and hard to stop listening to.

Highly recommend

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Without a doubt, one my of my favourite books of all time! I never wanted it to end!!! Highly recommend!!!

Do yourself a favour and read this book

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