Black Teacher

by Beryl Gilroy

The rediscovered classic: an unforgettable memoir by a trailblazing black woman in post-war London, introduced by Bernardine Evaristo ('I dare anyone to read it and not come away shocked, moved and entertained ... One of the unsung heroines of Black British literature.')
Benjamin Zephaniah: 'A must-read. Her life makes you laugh. Her life makes you cry. Get to know her.'
Jacqueline Wilson: 'A superb but shocking memoir about a brilliant teacher, imaginative, resilient and inspiring.'
Steve McQueen: 'Gilroy blazed a path that empowered generations of Black British educators.'
Diana Evans: 'Important, enlightening and very entertaining, full of real-life drama ... Inspirational.'
David Lammy: 'This empowering tale of courage, resistance, and triumph is a breath of fresh air.'
Alex Wheatle: 'A pioneer in many fields and wonderful example for all of us ... Essential reading.'
Christie Watson: 'A beautiful memoir of one woman's strength and dignity against the odds.'

Being denied teaching jobs due to the colour bar. Working in an office amidst the East End's bombsites. Serving as a lady's maid to an Empire-loving aristocrat. Raising two children in suburbia. Becoming one of the first black headteachers in Britain.

In 1952, Beryl Gilroy moved from British Guiana to London. Her new life wasn't what she had expected - but her belief in the power of education resulted in a revolutionary career. Black Teacher, her memoir, is a rediscovered classic: not only a rare first-hand insight into the Windrush generation, but a testament to how one woman's dignity, ambition and spirit transcended her era.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography, Autobiography, Audiobook, African American

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 1976

About the author

Beryl Agatha Gilroy (née Answick) (30 August 1924 – 4 April 2001) was a novelist and teacher, and "one of Britain's most significant post-war Caribbean migrants". Born in what was then British Guiana (now Guyana), she moved in the 1950s to the United Kingdom, where she became the first black headteacher in London. She was the mother of academic Paul Gilroy.

Gilroy's creative writing began in childhood, as a teacher for children and then in the 1960s when she began writing what was later published by Peepal Tree Press as In Praise of Love and Children. Between 1970 and 1975 she wrote the pioneering children’s series Nippers, which contain probably the first reflection of the Black British presence in UK writing for children.

It was not until 1986 that her first novel, the award-winning Frangipani House was published (Heinemann). It won a GLC Creative Writing Prize in 1982. Set in an old person’s home in Guyana, it reflects one of her professional concerns: the position of ethnic minority elders and her persistent emphasis on the drive for human freedom. Boy Sandwich (Heinemann) was published in 1989, followed by Stedman and Joanna: A Love in Bondage (Vantage, 1991), and a collection of poems, Echoes and Voices (Vantage, 1991). Then came Sunlight and Sweet Water (Peepal Tree, 1994), Gather the Faces, In Praise of Love and Children and Inkle and Yarico (all Peepal Tree, 1994). Her last novel, The Green Grass Tango (Peepal Tree) was published in 2001, sadly after Beryl Gilroy’s death in April of that year.

Gilroy's early work examined the impact of life in Britain on West Indian families and her later work explored issues of African and Caribbean diaspora and slavery.

In 1998, a collection of her non-fiction writing, entitled Leaves in the Wind, came out from Mango Publishing. It included her lectures, notes, essays, dissertations and personal reviews.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beryl Gilroy's groundbreaking 1976 memoir is rightly being republished with an introduction by Bernadine Evaristo. Gilroy came to London in 1952 from British Guiana, and in 1969 became one of the first black headteachers at a Camden school. The memoir paints a horrifying picture of the racism and bigotry endemic in society in this period of time, inevitably present in education, schools and amidst pupils and parents, making it hard for Beryl to be taken on as a teacher, a situation that refused to deter her. After working in a office, and serving as a lady's maid to the eccentric pro-Empire Lady Anne, which turned out to fortuitously to be a positive experience where Beryl learned that it was possible to be educated without going to school. Her first post as an infant teacher was at a Catholic school, where astonishingly many children were afraid, and went into hiding upon seeing that she was black, only to be gently coaxed out by her.

There is ignorance and prejudice inbuilt in the curriculum and within the teaching staff, overflowing with all the negative connotations of being black. It is eye opening to see Beryl's strategies, often teaching by stealth, bear fruit as the children, and even a number of parents slowly come to accept her, with schools reflecting the communities they are based in. She moved on to other schools, ambitious, intent on widening her perspectives, experiences, and understanding, feeling the excitement of developing as a teacher. Beryl adopts the approach of seeing herself as a partner, rather than being the dominating presence in the classroom, seeking social integration within her pupils amidst factionalised communities, providing a faint glimpse of the future of multiculturalism in the country.

This memoir provides a valuable insight into the state of British education in the 1950s and 1960s, capturing the positive experiences as well as the negatives, such as the greater freedom of teachers in being able to respond to the individual child's needs in comparison to the National Curriculum restrictions of today. Recently, many of you may have seen Steve McQueen's excellent acclaimed Small Axe education drama depicting how schools failed black pupils on an industrial scale in the 1970s, it echoed many of the issues and attitudes raised by Beryl. This is a fascinating, compelling and engaging read, still highly relevant, a memoir that should be on reading lists at teacher training colleges. Beryl Gilroy was a pioneer, teaching in the most challenging of environments, whose work and career deserves to be rediscovered and recognised today. Highly recommended to all readers, and I think it will particularly appeal to practicing teachers. Many thanks to the publisher for a copy.

[Andrew H · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Anyone who thinks Britain hasn't moved forward in terms of equality and racism need to read this book." Evaristo in her Foreword.

I am not sure that is the main point of this book. Obvious racism has decreased, but as Angelou remarked, close the front door on racism and it comes in by the back door.

What sparkles in this book is the sanity, balance and wit of Beryl Gilroy. The book is filled with acute observations. In the manner of John Holt, Gilroy was interested in children first and foremost, believing that she was a person first, then a friend, and finally a teacher. In one wonderful moment a young girl writes "Pen is" and another child corrects her English" Pen is not good only pencil" on the basis that "Pen is" cannot be a sentence. Should that happen today there would be a child protection enquiry and numerous reports have to be written. Somehow, the book exposes the extent that our education system has gone over the top. (I am reminded of an education conference where head-teachers whinged continuously about bad behaviour and the guest speaker calmly stopped and said,"When you have been held at gunpoint with a pupil, as I have in New York, then you can complain to me about a pupils not doing as you command). The insults faced by Beryl Gilroy on a daily basis are horrendous, yet there is no screaming about micro aggressions, she simply gets on with her job, calm, dignified, and resolute, viewing the world with a learning eye. Also, the book says as much about class as racism -- and how they interweave. This an education book built out of tremendous anecdotes and wry perspectives; and is mercifully jargon free!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone taught by Beryl was truly blessed! What an amazing woman.

[Debs Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Inspiring!

[Esme Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super inspiring and wonderful story. A bit hard to follow in parts, and felt there was a few stereotypes (eg “the Greeks did this” and “all the West Indians were like this”) which made the points not hit as hard.

But mainly big up Beryl.

[Nailya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beryl Gilroy was born in British Guiana in 1924. She was a gifted teacher who taught and lectured at a UNICEF nutrition training program. She came to the UK to study education and tried to continue her teaching career there. She was a part of the early generation of Black teachers in the UK in the 1950s and eventually became one of the first Black Heads of School in the country. She wrote her memoir in the mid-1970s and published several novels. She later earned a doctorate in psychology and counselling. She died in the early 2000s.

Gilroy's memoir takes us through a particular period of her life. It picks up her story at the time when she was first trying to find a job as a teacher in London, and it stops right after she becomes a Head of School. She writes about her sorting office job and working as a cleaner for a British aristocrat before finally becoming a teacher.

Gilroy writes about her life with humour and warmth. Her Blackness and Caribbean heritage is central to the story and, in many ways, her pedagogy. Her writing about teaching and her work with children is fascinating and would be of interest to any teacher regardless of their background. She has an amazing eye for dialogue. The book reads like a work of (auto)fiction, not a standard memoir. Everyone we meet on the pages of Black Teacher is vividly recalled and recreated, jumping off the page.

Gilroy touches upon so many issues - rampant societal racism, her internalised racism, her identity crisis as a Caribbean woman of her generation (Andrea Levy captured the same theme beautifully in Small Island), her isolation from the Black community after her marriage and move to white middle class suburbia, the challenges of life in the UK and multicultural schooling for POC children the effects of colonialism on the Caribbean, the lives and politics of Commonwealth migrants in the 1950s London, and much else. I wish the book was longer, and she delved into those issues deeper. The fiction-like nature of the narrative shifts the responsibility for analysis to the reader, which is unusual for a non-fiction book.

Highly recommend.

[Chris Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are unforgettable passages where she faces down the most blatant and shocking racism with equanimity and humour (while acknowledging the superhuman effort she has to make to keep the boiling rage inside her from coming to the surface). Also fascinating is the account of how schooling changed over the course of her career, and the comparisons with teaching in her native Guyana. Very early on she pinpointed the damage done by low expectations of kids of African/Caribbean origin.

Only marred by long passages where she explains her child-centred, nurturing, anti-disciplinarian teaching approach. I have no doubt that she achieved amazing things with this, transformed the lives of countless pupils, and was probably a pioneer, but unfortunately after repeated accounts I felt like I was at a headteacher's presentation at a school open day.

[Tom Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Truly wow. Beryl Gilroy’s memoir details her experience trying to build a life for herself in Britain, eventually becoming one of the first Black headteachers, as part of the Windrush generation, and the awful racism, challenges, and discrimination she faced. However, this isn’t a dreary memoir; it’s vibrant, larger than life, and hopeful. Beryl’s genuine passion for the teaching profession is such an inspiration to me, as is her determination.
A must read. Truly amazing.

[Marianna Wróbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

horrified at the omnipresent racism at the time and in awe of her strength. The remark about her attitude towards unions at the end put me off a little bit. A great book nonetheless

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a classroom teacher, I found this as relevant today as it would have been when first published.

[LilyRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Teacher by Beryl Gilroy is a rediscovered memoir about the author’s incredible journey and fight to become one of Britain’s first Black headteachers. First published in 1976 the book is introduced by Bernadine Evaristo who acknowledges the struggles and celebrates the success of a Black woman, teacher, mother and friend. The story is about a Guyanese woman from British Guiana who arrives in post war London in 1955 and wants to continue teaching. Denied teaching jobs because of her colour, Beryl works in an office by the East End Bob sites and as a lady’s maid to an aristocrat. She gains experiences and insights that make her more determined to teach. It is her belief in education that helps Beryl to overcome racism and prejudice from the public, teachers, parents and children and her indomitable spirit that changes opinions and heals wounds. A heartbreaking, hopeful and essential story about a woman of depth, dignity and determination. It enables the reader to see that against all odds you can achieve and excel. This books shows that not only was Beryl a fantastic teacher but also an accomplished writer who captures a society, culture and generation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

[Ellen]

We follow Beryl who was born in Guyana and moved over to the UK with the Windrush.

She followed her interests and pursued a career in teaching where she just wanted to make a difference within children’s lives but there was so many obstacles to this.

As book goes on she’s more aware of her identity and blackness as people continuously point out. We get to see truly how much her colour affects her trajectory in the profession, as she is continuously denied schools due to her skin colour. Facing so many encounters of prejudice and ignorance.

The children she taught were actually lovely, and genuinely had curiosity due to never being around a Black woman.
A lot of the ignorance and awful behaviour was coming from parents who need convincing a Black woman could teach, questioning her ability. It wasn’t just British parents who were prejudice but everyone because of how widespread The British Empire and colonisation spread on a global level.

As a teacher this was such an interesting read. It was sad to see Beryl go through these struggles in the career, but glad to know I’ve never had to face anything such as she has.

[Luke Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Good infant teaching needs no labels. It is a positive, productive interaction between all the children and the environment, and the teacher is the experiences partner in the learning situation. He or she isn't infallible or omnipotent, but should be capable of striking all the chords of potential. This must be the way ahead" (240).

Just about everything you need to know about how to teach and about culturally responsiveness, without the expert baggage: just clear eyed experience. The slog:

"'You can have degrees dripping off of you. That has nothing to do with teaching skill.' I replied. 'It comes after a long slog here in the classroom. Why, I've admitted children today from a dozen counties and with them a dozen value systems and attitudes to education. Use your professionalism to reassure the parents. The children have no use for it. What they want is a kind heart and clear eye when you look at them'" (10).

Gilroy's memoir is so completely devoid of ignorance and weaved with, but not overly burdened by, inspirational classroom stories. The tonal treatment of these stories are stripped of emotional labeling of children's feelings and Gilroy being bubbly-- on the contrary. Gilroy is a kitchen sink realist. Gilroy is a generation two Windrush. Those, the African and Caribbean Britons who migrated after WWII, were encouraged by a need to fill the labor force in London with able bodies. They were so named for the boat Empire Windrush, one of the first boats, from Jamaica, which sailed in 1948. Gilroy is looking back at the experiences of the second generation, hated by the country who seeks to embrace them for their work but discard their culture and color, and looked on with derision by the original immigrants:

162 "It was now the sixties, the age of the frenetic immigrant, whom many older immigrants see as the grabbers, the plum-pickers, the protestors, the noisy people. The people who in some respects got off on a boat into a virtual bed of roses and lost no time trampling on it. Some of them became dupes of the failed and the power-seeking of my own generation."

Gilroy is no dupe. She lives in the suburbs, and works on "the creeping invasion of immigrant children in some areas" that the schools failed to register. She sees that many families are unable to spend as much time with their children as in home countries as they are trying to earn a living, so students "are looking for new anchorages... go around in gangs...the gang-age... began early" (162). In order to change the model, Gilroy is an advocate for student choice and a defender of play, which she sees as a right of children, the most oppressed population on Earth:

"'Play' never came into it. 'Play', as part of the preparation for life, never figured in that scale of values. 'Playing' was just not accepted as a child's all-through-childhood right. Behind it all was a concept of worth through work-- something that had its roots in the rigours of a slave society, and the greed and callousness of the slave-owner. A slave was beaten for 'playing'. In other words, 'playing' was akin to shirking." (102).

Gilroy deals with pint-sized racists too: most of the white students are gazing in utter disbelief at their black teacher and whispering horror stories to fellow students that their parents have sown at home. Brown English schoolchildren learn not to like the ones darker than them. She brings in "smell table" to show what scents children might be smelling on one another based on cooking or trades children with other backgrounds are engaged with. She brings in a skeleton as "a kind of lowest and inevitable common denominator of us all. I used to ask the children to guess its race and was amused by the way in which some of them used it to flatter me" (252). The morbidity of this, something often protected from students, is a bedrock part of her teaching philosophy:

"But, on the whole, I preferred the cemetery. It was peaceful and expansive and, in its way, a marvelous leveler. Over it hung the comforting thought that all who went there were equal" (83).

One of the things I've been hearing a lot this year as a teacher is how tough the kids are, what with two years of online learning and social distancing obliterating developmentally appropriate socializing. Curiously, many people are so quiet about the pervasive effect of technology on this very phenomenon: it has gone beyond acceptance at younger and younger ages, and into the realm of vitalness as learning tool. Ironically, it ends up doing the exact opposite by alienating and sapping attention. Nothings changed, really, and we need to adapt to where the kids are at, as Gilroy does in this book. She still derives hope from the kids who inevitably show up each year, no matter the cost:

"The school looked bleaker than ever but there was comfort in a cataract of voices-- children's voices" (4) she writes at the beginning of the book, before flashing back to when she first arrives in Britain, and works as a maid. From Lady Anne, a diplomat who she worked for, she

"...I learned from her not put faith in things, or possessions, as props. In her I saw illustrated one particular truth-- education could and should develop many facets of the mind, and it was quite possible to become an educated person without ever going to school. This discovery was to affect my whole attitude to the children I taught thereafter. Above all, ding the months spent with her I found my own identity... I relented to the value of service and to view life objectively." (56).

What an incredible book; one of the most instructive and inspiring memoirs I have ever read. For all those teachers having dealing with this year, remember what she tells her students: the "failure is in their own heads..." (171).

[Kate Southey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born two years before this book was originally published and also grew up in an almost entirely white Home Counties village so this book was painfully eye opening to me. We still have a long, long way to go in terms of racial equality and attitudes to people with any ‘difference’ but this memoir shows us just how far we have come. Beryl’s ability to keep going and be pushing against a tide of racist school boards, school staff, parents and children raised to repeat their parents beliefs is simply remarkable and what a huge benefit she gave to those children. Miss Gilroy’s children are very possibly today’s community leaders, advocates and socially aware parents who have helped shape the multi cultural Britain of the 21st century.
The best thing about this book for me though was seeing the complete and total freedom that teachers and children had in the days before the National Curriculum and SATs. Where learning to read in year 2 wasn’t seen as an abject failure but simply someone for whom the door to reading hadn’t been unlocked yet. My mother was starting her teaching career at the same time as Beryl and my daughter is beginning hers now. The contrast in what the role was and now is , is alarming in the extreme. We must continue to work towards ending racism in our schools but we should also take a look back to the ‘60s and 70s and see where we could allow our teachers that creative freedom and our children a childhood free from academic pressure.

[Millie Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book on not only the racism within teaching in the 1950, but within her life story, Beryl gives us tiny lessons and reminders of how to be a compassionate teacher.

- the children need to realise they were more than a passing interest to you as a teacher
- through trying to understand the children, we came to understand ourselves
- at times of stress, if you are having a hard time, that’s a two way experience and the children who had to change home behaviour for school behaviour were perhaps having the hardest time of all
- parents need to be partners in education. They can be part of the issue, but also the solution

It’s a must read for teachers to be, and it’s got me very excited to start my own teaching journey!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book highlights the struggles of race in being a black woman. At times it was really clear to see and understand the difficulties of her experiences. Some of the anecdotes were really interesting. However, there were moments that I could not follow the story and it became unclear. This made me not want to finish it but I did. The last line is really powerful in demonstrating the power of resilience.

[Shaun Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book after seeing it listed in a Guardian newspaper article about the most overlooked black writers, and this was Bernadine Evaristo’s choice.
Beryl Gilroy sounds like an amazing woman, a trailblazer in being one of the first black head teachers in the UK, and a wonderfully compassionate and understanding human being. I loved the phonetic dialogue of conversations with her students.
It’s a solid three stars rather than 4 though, because sometimes I felt she went off on such a tangent about so many peripheral characters that I felt lost and confused …

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beryl was an absolute legend. Such a heartwarming story, with huge wisdom on how to get the best out of kids (well, people really) and an unbelievable level of grace in the face of ongoing racism.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really lovely, and a surprisingly quick read. I identified with her a lot, being a Caribbean woman myself. Her thoughts about education and how to raise/teach children align so closely with my own, I wish I could have met her.

[Daisy Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, beautifully written and I'll return to this time and time again.

[Josie Glausiusz-Kluger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born in 'British Guiana' (now Guyana) in 1924, Beryl Gilroy migrated to Britain in 1952 with the goal of becoming a teacher. Though she had gained an advanced diploma in child development from the University of London, she struggled to find employment as an infants' teacher, and was initially obliged to work at menial jobs, including as a maid. When she did begin her first job as a teacher at a Catholic primary school, she was leveled with racist insults from teachers, parents, and even the children she taught. The first time she opened the door to her class of six- and seven-year-olds,

"There was a gasp of terror, then a sudden silence. A little girl broke it with a whimper. Some children visibly shook with fear, and, as I walked across the room, the whole lot - except for two boys - dived under the tables."

Despite these enormous challenges, Gilroy was dedicated to the children in her classes, meeting every setback with aplomb, deploying wit and humor against the racism she encounters. She never wavers in her devotion to her pupils, understanding that they are repeating the appalling hate they hear in their homes from the parents. As Booker-Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo writes in her introduction to "Black Teacher," "As a teacher, her students mimic the bigoted nonsense picked up from their parents, but it's easy to forgive them, as she does, because they're too young to think for themselves and their childlike charm wins her over."

"Black Teacher" is beautifully written, and it's hard to believe that this book has been overlooked. As Evaristo writes, Gilroy "was a remarkable pioneer on two counts, as a black female writer (one of the first this country's history, eventually publishing many books), and as one of Britain's first black headteachers."

I found this book fascinating, not just because of the journey Gilroy takes from maid to headteacher, encountering racism all the way, but because of her developing ideas about educating young children. In Guyana, she writes, "the teacher was expected to control her class and the class accepted this control. In school, children did not initiate, ask questions without permission, disobey or argue with the teacher. [...] The child was not only respectful in her presence but if he was to be considered a good child he was obedient, passive, industrious and submissive."

Using innovative methods and plenty of play in the classroom, Gilroy realizes that her role as a teacher has changed. "From being the dominant character in the learning situation I was now a partner [...] No longer were they a class, but individuals with patterns of thinking, perceptions, and imagination different not only from those of their peers but different indeed from my own."

I only wish I had had a teacher like Beryl Gilroy when I was a child in primary school! I loved this book and highly recommend it.

[Allie Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Teacher is Beryl Gilroy''s memoir of coming to England from Guyana (then British Guiana), her struggles to find teaching work as a black woman, and her ultimate success and love of teaching. Beryl's preference was to work with immigrant and under-priviledged children, to whom she dispensed love and attention, and gained that love back no matter how uruly the schoolchildren were upon meeting them. She studied hard to learn different teaching methods, and her inventive and intelligent mind conjured up a multitude of fresh pedagogical techniques that charmed even the most recalcitrant student. Working to diminish the ingrained racism that the English had in post-WWII Britain was a great difficulty. At first Beryl's skin colour prevented her finding a teaching post, as there were people of colour immigrating from all across the Commonwealth, much to the distaste of most of the English people she encountered.

Like Beryl, I was interested to find out what kind of parents turned out children such as these. Widespread poverty was much of the reason. The Finsbury Park area where she taught also had its share of parents who thieved, drank, drugged, engaged in prostitution in the same small flat as their children, and of course there were many parents who abused their children.

Beryl did well for herself. She was determined, hard working, and endlessly curious. She achieved an M.A. degree in Education, and a PhD in Counselling Psychology. Beryl was also made an honorary fellow of the Institute of Education in London. I was impressed with her throughout the book.

I've only given the book three stars because despite my admiration of Beryl and my interest in the children she taught, I found some parts of the book incredibly dull, and there were points when I considered giving up the book entirely. It took me over a week to finish the 268-page book, when usually I manage at least two books a week. I do recommend the book; Beryl went up against a country that didn't welcome her and ended up being honoured by those who had tried to stop her teaching in the first place. Beryl was a heroine, a 5'2" petite heroine, who ultimately found victory in her choseen profession.

[Kate (Reading Through Infinity)]

This is an interesting look into Beryl Gilroy's experiences as a Black woman teaching in the UK in the 1970s. The author describes the racism she experienced when trying to get a teaching job and the way parents would treat her in comparison to their children.

The children were young, (primary school age) curious, and inquisitive (many having not had a Black teacher before) and she could tell that most racist ideas they uttered were mostly copied from their parents. Once they got to know her, they were open, loving, and non-judgmental. Their parents, in comparison, were often rude and racist, but Gilroy always had a sharp, smart comeback that would shut them down (one of the things I really liked about her).

The audiobook shows the diversity in dialects that the children and parents had, with a lot of them coming from different parts of the country, or from other countries. It's clear from way Gilroy talks about her jobs over the years that she loved teaching and had found her true calling.

The tone of the narrative seems more bemused than angry when it comes to the racism she experienced, almost as if she felt sorry for the closed-minded parents who talked to her in such a demeaning way. Especially because their children (who they often seemed to think themselves above) were more open-minded than them. Often, when Gilroy challenged the adult on their racist ideas, any arguments they tried to make completely fell apart, making them look foolish.

The book does use some outdated language and stereotypes, but this is likely due to when it was written and published. On the whole, an interesting read.

Content warnings for racism, racial slurs, mentions of domestic violence, incest, and the death of a friend.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear eyed and matronly in its no-nonsense temperament. It is of course, as heavily billed, a fascinating picture of what it was like to be a black Caribbean immigrant to the UK in the mid-20th century, but it's also a window into how educational values have changed over time.

What isn't far removed from today is the behaviour of the children, whose fascinating antics and sometimes overly literal interpretation of the world is one of the most touching reminders of how wonderful little people are, even when tinged by the hardship of poverty and their parents' prejudices.

The fact that it's a vibrant piece of modern history is reason enough to read Black Teacher, but what really makes this a must-read memoir is Gilroy's personality, which is part can-do attitude and part compete perplexity about the world of 'Englishness' that she has entered. She doesn't shy away from her struggles with racism and ignorance, but ultimately her sheer force of determination propels her inexorably forward.

It is also interesting how small victories can make the world seem bright. Objectively reading, I sometimes find myself wondering if Gilroy is being a little overly optimistic about how much effect school can have on a child if their home lives are a horror. Hope, rather than logic, is at work, but hope weighed down by adorable little actions that make you smile.

It would be too rosy-tinted a view of the world to believe that all people who roll up their sleeves and get down to business are rewarded with success, but Gilroy's story is inspiring because it creates the impression that we can have a concrete impact on our futures.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so powerful. I'm in awe.

I love reading about teaching and teachers, as I am super interested in anything to do with education. Reading about Beryl Gilroy's experiences as a primary school teacher, and especially seeing how she dealt with certain situations and certain children's behaviour and background, with so much insight into human nature and what makes people act the way they do, think the thoughts they think, say the things they say, ... Wow. Such an inspiration. It made me realise all over again why I always wanted to become a teacher, even though this has now become a more far-off dream than it used to be. Such an amazing teacher she must have been, and I would so have loved to have been in her class.

I also love how sharp and witty she is in her reactions to racism (outrageous and infuriating as it is, and absolutely horrible), the way she deals with people's rudeness is so admirable and inspiring.

I just think she's an utterly fascinating woman, in all aspects of her life and personality, and I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good memoir like I do. Really loved the experience of reading this, and very glad to have discovered this classic.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with the eARC of this book, Black Teacher by Beryl Gilroy, introduced Bernardine Evaristo.

Black Teacher is a memoir that was first published in 1976, now republished with a foreword by Bernardine Evaristo. Beryl Gilroy, known for being the first black headteacher in London, recounts her journey from leaving what was then known as British Guiana to study in England in 1952 to becoming headteacher at Beckford Primary School, London in 1969.

This is an essential read for those currently practicing or wishing to pursue a career in education. Beryl’s approach to the way she educated the children she taught and the relationships she forged with them is something to be revered and practiced today.

The way in which this is written is of particular interest to me with Beryl leaning in to the vernacular of the children, and their parents, that she taught over the course of her career. I find it lends to truly appreciating this book and the extent to which Beryl went to fully portray everything discussed in the book.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Beryl came to the UK from British Guyana she arrived to a Britain that was unused to seeing black faces. Trying to get back into teaching was a very difficult uphill struggle. Whilst many schools were becoming multi-cultural, education authorities hadn't quite caught up! Eventually she managed to find herself back doing what she was made to do- work with children & teach.

Much has been in the news lately about the Windrush Generation, although she may not have been on the Windrush it was fascinating to read about the struggles of someone who lived through those days. I really warmed to Beryl. I found her attitude to teaching to be very modern- she appeared to be utilising Co-operative Learning long before it became in common usage. Her love for her work & for her charges shone through. In spite of the vile prejudice she & others endured, she came across as a fascinating warm person. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

[Hayden Byles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Gilroy documents her experiences as a newly qualified teacher in the 1950s, arriving in Britain from Guiana and ready to take the world of primary education by storm... Only the reality isn't quite what she expects. Gilroy talks in great detail about how she was able navigate the East-End as a black woman, an area rife with racial divisions, stereotypes and adversity. As she moves from place to place, desperate to find a form of employment that she isn't over-qualified for, she talks candidly about the incessant racism she endured from colleagues, parents and students alike. Even after proving her competency in teaching time and time again, her prowess is continually undermined by rumours that she uses voodoo and other forms of black magic to be a more effective educator. Gilroy's story is one of resilience and empowerment; an ambition to survive and eventually thrive in a schooling system which is far too keen to place whiteness on a pedestal.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Teacher, by Beryl Gilroy, with a foreword by Bernadine Evaristo. Started reading it a few months ago so restarted it to read it properly. It was written in 1975 and the way race is dealt with - including by the writer - is very much of the time.

I am going to confess that at some points the descriptions of the kids and their parents reminded me so much of Kate Clanchy's weird book that I wondered if KC had felt miffed that 'it was OK for a black woman to write things like that' - but if she did think that then it would be because she still doesn't get it. It's not because Beryl Gilroy is black that it's ok, it's because she wrote it in 1975 (and that's exactly why it felt like I was reading a book written decades earlier when I was reading KC's book).

It’s been compared to To Sir, With Love (Braithwaite) but I think Gilroy’s book has more depth - possibly because she had more experience in education when she wrote it. The introduction is also a good read.