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.
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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!Join Alastair McIntosh at the Mitchell Library on Tuesday 19th March for a fascinating talk on Climate, Community and the Crisis of Meaning.
READ MOREGlasgow's Book Fair, Books at the Botanics, is held every month in the Hopkirk building at Glasgow's Botanic Gardens!
READ MOREJoin Alastair McIntosh at the Mitchell Library on Tuesday 19th March for a fascinating talk on Climate, Community and the Crisis of Meaning.
READ MOREWhether you want to write for publication or just for fun, this session at Bridgeton Library will take you on a journey from fact to fiction!
READ MOREBGCP will be taking over The Forge Shopping Centre on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March with another of their fantastic Comic Con events!
READ MOREAt the April edition of Waterstones' Children's Book Club they will be discussing March's Children's Book of the Month: Hercules: The Diary of a (Sort of) Hero by Tom Vaughan!
READ MORELucy Holland and Elizabeth May join the team at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street to celebrate the release of their new fantasy novels!
READ MOREWaterstones Argyle Street are delighted to be joined in store by two titans of the science-fiction world, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Lauren Beukes!
READ MOREJoin Andrew O'Hagan, bestelling author of Waterstones Scottish Book of the year Mayflies, as he launches this searlingly brilliant new novel at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street!
READ MOREMeet global best-seller and award-winning author, Derek Landy at Waterstones as he signs copies of A Mind Full of Murder, a bone-shaking new trilogy from the world of Skulduggery Pleasant.
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