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 Damian Barr and James Ley in conversation with Jackie Wylie at the Mitchell Library as they explore the creation of the new stage version of Damian’s celebrated memoir Maggie & Me.
READ MORECalling all armchair detectives. There's been a Murdle! Who better to help us solve it in Waterstones Sauchiehall Street than G. T. Karber?
READ MOREAward-winning writer and broadcaster James O’Brien returns to Aye Write with How they Broke Britain, a major political book which explores the dark forces and figures who have broken Britain.
READ MOREGlasgow's Book Fair, Books at the Botanics, is held every month in the Hopkirk building at Glasgow's Botanic Gardens!
READ MOREDive into the world of brilliant books at the eagerly anticipated Bookface Sip & Swap event featuring renowned psychological thriller author Harriet Tyce!
READ MOREGenevieve Jagger joins Waterstones Sauchiehall Street to launch her dark and brilliant debut, Fragile Animals, a story of complicated sexuality, religious and family trauma... and vampirism.
READ MOREJoin Waterstones Byres Road on Thursday 25th April for an evening of poetry as we celebrate the launch of DWAMS, the new collection from Shane Strachan!
READ MOREJoin Damian Barr and James Ley in conversation with Jackie Wylie at the Mitchell Library as they explore the creation of the new stage version of Damian’s celebrated memoir Maggie & Me.
READ MOREJoin climate campaigner and activist Mikaela Loach at Waterstones Argyle Street to celebrate the paperback launch of her vitally important book, It's Not That Radical!
READ MOREJoin local author and artist Rose Ruane as she launches her incredible new novel in store at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street on Thursday 2nd May!
READ MOREJoin us to launch an array of amazing new zines emerging from the Glasgow Zine Fest community over the past year.
READ MOREGlasgow Zine Fest's main event features over 40 makers from the UK and worldwide showcasing their work. Come for the zines, stay for the zines!
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