Is There a Pigeon in the Room?
Published by Birlinn Limited
“Cameron Wyllie’s account of his four decades as a teacher is rich in anecdote and reflection, but its most notable feature is its generosity of spirit.” —The Scotsman
Is There a Pigeon in the Room? is a deeply personal book about Cameron Wyllie’s remarkable four-decade career in teaching. It’s a tapestry of anecdotes and reflections on topics like drugs, parenting and sex education, laced with stories about memorable individuals. What did he say to the Third Year after drinking too much gin with the Head? Who was Adolf? What happened to the horrible bus driver? While the intention is to make the reader laugh plenty, Cameron also deals with discipline, refugees, tragic events, his own status as a gay man and tells us the story of Tes, an Eritrean boy who inspired hundreds of young people with his love of education.
Cameron taught over 8,000 students in his career. Having been once described as “the place where Jean Brodie meets Kenneth Williams” the book also charts the surprising trajectory of a career which culminated in his appointment as Principal of George Heriot’s, one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious schools.
“An enlightening and excruciatingly honest look at what it’s really like to educate and prepare young people for their future. Packed full of hysterical anecdotes, colourful characters and told with such a lightness of touch—this is an earnest, laugh-out loud memoir.” —Emun Elliott, actor
“Cameron Wyllie’s prose, like his teaching, is funny, warm, surprising and not quite like that offered by anyone else . . . one discovers Mr Wyllie’s most interesting virtue: his unerring eye for the truth.” —David Greig, playwright
Is There a Pigeon in the Room? is a deeply personal book about Cameron Wyllie’s remarkable four-decade career in teaching. It’s a tapestry of anecdotes and reflections on topics like drugs, parenting and sex education, laced with stories about memorable individuals. What did he say to the Third Year after drinking too much gin with the Head? Who was Adolf? What happened to the horrible bus driver? While the intention is to make the reader laugh plenty, Cameron also deals with discipline, refugees, tragic events, his own status as a gay man and tells us the story of Tes, an Eritrean boy who inspired hundreds of young people with his love of education.
Cameron taught over 8,000 students in his career. Having been once described as “the place where Jean Brodie meets Kenneth Williams” the book also charts the surprising trajectory of a career which culminated in his appointment as Principal of George Heriot’s, one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious schools.
“An enlightening and excruciatingly honest look at what it’s really like to educate and prepare young people for their future. Packed full of hysterical anecdotes, colourful characters and told with such a lightness of touch—this is an earnest, laugh-out loud memoir.” —Emun Elliott, actor
“Cameron Wyllie’s prose, like his teaching, is funny, warm, surprising and not quite like that offered by anyone else . . . one discovers Mr Wyllie’s most interesting virtue: his unerring eye for the truth.” —David Greig, playwright
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