Is There a Pigeon in the Room? is a deeply personal book about Cameron Wyllie’s remarkable four-decade career in teaching. It’s a tapestry of anecdotes and reflections on topics like drugs, parenting, refugees, tragic events, his own status as a gay man and tells us the story of Tes, an Eritrean boy who inspired hundreds of young people with his love of education.
Cameron taught over 8,000 students in his career. Having been once described as ‘the place where Jean Brodie meets Kenneth Williams’ the book also charts the surprising trajectory of a career which culminated in his appointment as Principal of George Heriot’s, one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious schools.
No Excuses charts an extraordinary principal’s journey in diary form from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area of the country, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*–C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach.
Armed with only a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Glasgow, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Glasgow? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Glasgow Mitchell Library Classics Book Group runs on the first Thursday of each month with the library kindly providing books for all members, so there is no cost involved!
READ MOREUnearthed: The Power of Gardening, a free display at The Mitchell Library, explores the transformative, enriching and sometimes radical power of gardening.
READ MOREAre you a musician looking for free advice from an industry professional? Ask Music Broth's Musician-In-Residence!
READ MOREFind out more about using the British Newspaper Archive and how it can help with Family History research at the Mitchell Library on Tuesday 3rd June.
READ MOREMix historic Persian paintings from the Mitchell Library with modern Glasgow by using a free coding app on your phone to create a tiny game or animation.
READ MOREJoin illustrator and plaything maker, Cara Rooney, for a themed creative session inspired by her book, A Little World of Ants, as part of the Great Big Green Week Celebrations at The Mitchell Library!
READ MOREGlasgow Mitchell Library Classics Book Group runs on the first Thursday of each month with the library kindly providing books for all members, so there is no cost involved!
READ MOREGlasgow's Book Fair, Books at the Botanics, is held every month in the Hopkirk building at Glasgow's Botanic Gardens!
READ MORENot your typical book club... this is for the imperfect book girlies who want to have a laugh, discover some fab reads, and enjoy a laid-back night in a boujee space with fellow book lovers!
READ MOREThe Roma Cultural Centre are delighted to host the launch of Madeline Potter's new book - The Roma - A Travelling History!
READ MOREDerick Thomson is celebrated as a poet, but in the new book "An Staran" Petra J. Poncarová demonstrates his exceptional prose writing, including essays, short stories and reviews.
READ MOREJoin The Witches of Scotland Podcast hosts Dr Zoe Venditozzi and Dr Claire Mitchell for a discussion and talk based on their new book How to Kill a Witch at Provan Hall!
READ MOREEnjoy coffee, croissants and fizz, swap books, and chat with Kate Foster at Bookface Sip & Swap on Saturday 31st May!
READ MOREJoin thi wurd for a special literary and musical tribute to Bob Dylan's iconic album 'Blood on the Tracks' on the year of its 50th anniversary.
READ MOREJoin the New York Times best-selling author Matty Matheson as he shows you the magical insanity of creating his latest cookbook Soups, Salads, Sandwiches!
READ MORE