Review of What Did They Say?

[Catarina Luciane Silva]

[Following is a volunteer review of "What Did They Say?" by Todd Sherman.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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As a teacher, I'm always happy to read other teachers’ books, especially a book written by an English teacher from Pennsylvania, United States. It is a funny thing, reading. I would never know what the reality of a classroom on the other side of the world is if not through reading a report from a fellow professional. Don't be fooled when I say "report": this book is the fun part of teaching. 
Todd Sherman needed to record forever in a very personal book, while also being funny, what a dedicated and entertaining teacher he was. What Did They Say? is the culmination of years of teaching. His classroom had a dynamic of writing down great thoughts, and to our pleasure, Mr. Sherman remembers several of the moments when these important thoughts emerged. We have access to some of the Wall of Fame quotes that made it through the cut straight to the classroom wall, printed out so that the following year's students could also read them. 
Since Mr. Sherman couldn't choose the best ones, he categorized as many as he could into different groups, telling a story or making an occasional comment about almost all the quotes. The compilation is hilarious in itself, but the charisma and good memory of the author-teacher are highlights of the book. It's cool to know that he kept in touch with many of the students who had those great ideas registered, sometimes even commenting on their future and what that brilliant mind did after school. 
It's a very funny book and a gateway to children's minds; besides being a great way to free up some space in Mr. Sherman’s mind (since now that he's retired and recorded it in a book, he can finally delete the stories from his mind's hard drive! HAHA). Because he was an English teacher, the book is impeccably written. At a certain point, he even makes fun of his own phrases, disobeying grammatical rules in the name of style, such as ending the sentence with a preposition. I loved the book and I think it is just the right length. Because of all that, my rating is 5 out of 5 stars. 
Every young teacher should read it and be inspired by it! I managed to select three of my favorite quotes to encourage you to read the book as well and talk to me about it (because I am gonna love to know your favorites too):
“Do goats lay eggs?” by Nick
“My cat deleted my homework.” by Maisy Anne
“Do the answers have to be right?” by Caitlin

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What Did They Say?
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[Gerry Steen]

What a nice idea! Teachers have lots of stories to tell and students say the darnedest things. This sounds like a fun read. Teachers and students alike will enjoy this book.