Title: The Spirit of Clovelly Park: Learning and Teaching at Kingston College
Author: Frances-Marie Coke
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1532090806
Pages: 366
Genre: Educator Biographies/Memoirs/Ethnic & National Biographies
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
The ability to teach and help educate young minds is one of the more noble professions in our society. Teachers are the unsung heroes who take our children and help them grow and gain a better understanding of the world at large. As Aristotle once said, “The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.”
In author Frances-Marie Coke’s book The Spirit of Clovelly Park: Learning and Teaching at Kingston College, the author takes readers through the life and challenges of being a teacher and getting through to the young men at Kingston College. Mixing her own school years and troubles with her teachers and at home, with her later years trying to be a good teacher herself, the author relays the hardships and struggles of her career and the illustrates how teachers who grow and evolve to meet the needs of their students are some of the best teachers out there.
This was an illuminating read on education and the wonderful memoir of this fantastic author and educator. The path the author took on her journey to become a teacher was
truly interesting, with her book explaining how she initially tried a career in on-air journalism and instead found herself taking a career she never imagined for herself. However, the author and the students both end up growing and coming to understand one another and the school life in a much more intimate and clearer way.
This was the perfect read for those who enjoy education-based memories, and stories that tell of different countries and their approach to the subject of education. The author’s journey from her initial career to her work as a teacher, her foray into the world of copywriting, and even the interesting difference in schooling which saw for years the separation of men and women in school, made for quite an engaging read.
Overall, this was a magnificent, heartfelt, emotional and immersive read. Author Frances-Marie Coke’s The Spirit of Clovelly Park: Learning and Teaching at Kingston College is an original look into the education system and one young teacher’s journey into that world, and those fascinated with the education system will not want to miss this.
