What happens when you've just graduated college, got rejected by every law school you've applied to and are living on your mother's couch? If you're Todd Bradley, you apply for a teaching job in the D.C. school system.
"School Daze," which chronicles the ups and downs of Bradley's first year of teaching, offers light and often funny insights into the challenging world of teaching. It is set up in a journal form and each entry explores a different aspect of the job.
Bradley begins his school year skeptical. In the first journal entry, he gets right down to the point and acknowledges that teaching isn't as glamorous as some may think.
"I make $27,000 per year," Bradley writes. "That's the starting pay for a first year teacher at a Catholic school in Washington, D.C. I have no teaching experience, I have no teaching certificate ... how I got it, I have no idea. However, I'm here and I have a job to do."
Lines like this make "School Daze" a refreshing breath from other novels about teaching. Bradley isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, and his writing suffers from no pretensions. He's also incredibly honest about everything. After he retakes the LSAT and starts applying to law schools again, Bradley shares his scores and rejection letters with readers. Not only does this honesty make the book better, it helps Bradley's readers relate to him. He is like any college graduate, searching for summer jobs, applying for graduate schools and enjoying weekend trips with his friends.
As the book progresses, it becomes more engrossing. Bradley started teaching in the fall of 2002, so many AU students were attending the University when certain events take place. Bradley writes about the sniper and the freak snowstorms, among other things. He writes about local restaurants and bars, all of which AU students can certainly relate to.
Anyone who's majoring in education or has an interest in teaching should read this book. The material is so relevant to college students because Bradley was only 23 years old when he took the teaching position. He suffers from the same pitfalls that many recent college grads who've just entered "the real world" fall victim to. For instance, when a fun night of drinking at a Redskins game with buddies turns into a nasty hangover, Bradley dubs the day "Black Tuesday" and decides never to drink the night before work again.
While "School Daze" may not win a Nobel prize, Bradley's simple style, great sense of humor and intriguing insights make for a solid, interesting read.
