It's Elementary

by Jennifer Jackson

Tolerance and acceptance are growing in society, but don't tell that to a parent of a school-aged child. Teachers are supposed to be straight, wholesome, and good examples for the children they teach. This is why one vague rumor about a slightly effeminate teacher at Baxter Elementary resulted in a mob of angry parents demanding his removal. Victoria was a first hand witness to the carnage, which is why she vowed to never let her personal life mingle with her professional life. It was a good plan. That is until a most-certainly-not-her-type, absolutely adorable, first-year teacher got under her skin. And, when a confused and desperate parent targets her prot g, Victoria must decide which is more important: her career or love.

Genres: LGBT, Contemporary, Lesbian

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I was born and raised in Washington state, where one of my first jobs was working as a freelance photographer. Earning my first degree in radio, television, and film, I started my "radio career" which lead me to Texas. I worked at several radio stations (Rock, Pop, and even Country music formats) and television stations in San Antonio, Houston, and Austin. I had way too much fun (yes, some of those adventures show up in my stories), but I wasn't feeling like I was fulfilling my purpose. I went back to school and got a degree in psychology, specializing in childhood and family issues. Eventually, I decided that I would rather be in education where I could assist students of all ability levels. I am currently a certified teacher in Texas.

I live outside of Austin with a full house of two-legged and four-legged creatures. I spend way too much time gaming but still find time to enjoy artistic creation in many forms (photography, sketching, watercolors).

Reviews

[Alena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The writing could have used a lot of tightening up. Very rambly/descriptive most of the way through which makes it kind of boring. I also didn't get a good grasp of the characters.

And right when finally something happened towards the end, the book ends mid-conflict. I can see the reasoning, but still found it unfortunate.

[Angie Engles · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like It's Elementary when I began it. One of the two female leads, Victoria, seems a bit too pigeon-holed in her own ideas and convictions to grow as a character and comes across at first as someone who would rather commit to the casual physical than an actual relationship. Jessica is a shoe-in from the start, though. Adorable in behavior and very kind, she is easily someone a reader can grow attached to quickly. You like her so much that when Victoria (in how she acts around Jessica) is kind of a jerk (before you get to know her better) you want to yell "Run away from that woman."


Thankfully, Victoria is not a jerk and both women, teachers at an elementary school who don't really understand their feelings at the start, emerge for the better from what they experience together. There is a surprising suspenseful scene near the end I still don't know what to make of and the painfully realistic elements of having to worry about job security because of your sexuality made for some sadness, but overall...A very very likable, sweet read that will put a smile on your face! :)

[Sinéad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to read this book for ages, unfortunately my expectations were disappointed. I had been hoping for a reflection of the problems homosexual teachers are facing, but I haven't found anything about that. Maybe because I couldn't bear finishing the book.

My main problem with it is that all the adult characters behave like children. The only one who is somewhat adult is Victoria, and she earns the reputation of being cold. At one point, character A is following character B, because they want to know details about B's sexual intercourse of the night before. What??
Jessica was super annoying with her clumsy, rambling and disorganized way. I could not imagine her as a teacher at all.
There is a group of gossiping, bullying teachers and nobody steps in? They behaved like the bullying cheerleaders in every teen movie.

I don't know why the author chose a school for the setting, when the teachers don't even teach. All they did was holding endless conferences! There was hardly any interaction with pupils or parents, no lesson preparations or test corrections. Is the teaching profession in the USA completely different from the one in Germany, or did the author just pick this one side of the job to describe?

After chapter 5, I became so stressed out with the constant discussions about who said what and who acted how that I skipped to the last chapter. The finale was a bit too much for my taste. I don't even know whether Victoria and Jessica became a couple, but I really didn't care anymore.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked that this didn't have a tidy ending. I didn't really like Victoria for about half of the book, but I loved seeing how she changed when she gave Jessica a chance.