Magical Teaching

Welcome to Mr. Smith’s high school classroom, a run-down portable on the edge of campus. He’s a rookie English teacher who suspects sly-eyed rats, leaky ceiling tiles, and an outlandish principal means he’s living the plot of an inspirational movie. He’s ready for the magic . . .

. . . until a motley cast of first-years makes it clear he’s the one who needs help. Feeling fragmented and frantic, it’s no wonder he smokes the cigarettes he confiscates from kids.

Magical Teaching assigns the hilarious and heartbreaking project of capturing the ups and downs of a single school year. Narrating with self-effacing honesty and a hint of hindsight, Smith speaks from the heart about his classroom—and finds it illuminated by the story of American education.

REVIEWS

“…a sharp and brutally honest book. It is at once a terror-ride through that first year of teaching and a nuanced homage… the result is a beautiful and funny story.” - Bret Lott, New York Times bestselling author

“Smith has the soul of a poet and the wit of a stand-up comic.” - LouAnne Johnson, author of Dangerous Minds

“Simply put, Smith's journal of everyday life in a new job rings true. Compelling and cringe-worthy, I laughed as often as I winced.” - Eric Hougan, author of Road to Teaching