Why Did I Get a B?

April 1, 2020
A teacher and writer shares her thoughts on education and life in general. Reed, who has taught at nearly every level, including her current position teaching creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh, uses essays, lists, quizzes, and other elements to share her two decades of wisdom. Though the author didn't always dream of being a teacher, when a job opportunity opened up at a preschool, she took the position. One day, while explaining why the season was called "fall" and seeing the light bulb go on in one child's head, she caught the bug. "That was it for me, the first moment I was ready to admit I was no longer just a person who liked kids and liked that they liked me," she writes. "No. I was a teacher. I had taught. They had learned. They were smarter now! I was hooked." From the preschool, she moved on to an all-girls Catholic school in Rockaway. Because it was such a long commute from her apartment in Brooklyn, she often arrived late to class, but she loved "the diversity of the student body," which was comprised of students of numerous ethnicities. From there, Reed moved on to a high school, where she learned how to work with bullies, particularly one boy who not only verbally and physically attacked other students, but made rude comments to her. Eventually, she got her MFA, taught college classes, and found a comfortable, rewarding spot at Pitt. Using honesty and humor, Reed sheds light on what it means to be a public school teacher in a variety of locations, working with students from different backgrounds. She often indicates that she has learned as much from her pupils about everyday life as they have from her. Reflective essays that expose the good and the bad sides of being an educator. Good reading for aspiring teachers.

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May 1, 2020

Reed (creative writing, Univ. of Pittsburgh) offers a raw, intimate look at her journey to become a teacher. Initially, she never wanted to teach but eventually realized it was her calling; she's now taught for more than 20 years, at the preschool, middle and high school, and college levels. Juxtaposing personal narratives with humorous vignettes in a variety of forms (lists, dialogs, fables), Reed considers her own biases and discusses the realities, heartbreaks, and pleasures of teaching. The author offers a starkly honest, at times irreverent view of the triumphs and challenges of teaching. Readers will cheer at Reed's accounts of student victories and sigh in exasperation at her descriptions of incompetent administrators. While the variety of formats results in a slightly unstructured work, overall Reed's candid writing about a stressful yet rewarding career will resonate with educators. VERDICT For educators who yearn to see some of their own struggles and joys represented through another teacher's eyes.--Rachel Wadham, Brigham Young Univ. Libs., Provo, UT

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Starred review from June 1, 2020
University writing instructor Reed's decades spent instructing preschool, middle school, high school, and college students have provided her with ample material for her first book: a very funny, very heartfelt combination memoir and collection of wry riffs on teaching. Her author's note indicates that the essays are biographical, and are accurate, more or less. The shorter, often laugh-out-loud humor pieces are supposedly imaginative, but still ring true. Reed, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker's Daily Shouts column, consistently engages with her writing here, whether it's a blow-by-blow description of preschool cooking day or a partial list of plagiarized sources (such as the online menu of a Chicago steak house). Reed's love and respect for her students shines through in every piece, tempering every escapade and softening every punch line. And it's not all laughs. There are poignant stories about students, both inspirational and tragic; descriptions of deplorable schools and ineffective administrators; and the occasional gut punch: Bad teachers are completely deaf to the cries of human students. Reed's teaching experiences have ranged from accidental to grossly misinformed to maybe making a difference to pretty darn good. Readers will enjoy these ramblings by a thoroughly likable, relatable narrator.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)