Prep schools are quite misunderstood by the general public, which usually sees these private boarding schools for the college-bound as musty bastions of wealth and privilege secure behind vast bank accounts and supportive alumni. They are tranquil islands of scholarly calm amidst the turbulence of the public schools. Well, it ain’t necessarily so.
St. Lawrence Academy, an Episcopal boarding school somewhere in the Midwest, has a few problems. The Headmaster is a dyslexic incompetent, the athletic program is afflicted with megalomania, the endowment is emaciated, the chaplain is a black magician, the consultants planning the schools future are insane ... and the food is really bad, too.
And Gladly Teach is funny, sarcastic, poignant, outrageous, light-hearted, serious, and more realistic than you would wish to believe. It is also short and has a happy ending. It is highly recommended for reading on long plane rides, at the beach, and at dull faculty meetings (as long as you sit way in back so the Headmaster can’t see you.) The author, a veteran (and completely burned-out) history teacher, hopes the book sells so well that he can retire early.
