A Chalkie of the State

An eight-year-old boy in the mid-Fifties sets his sights on becoming a teacher and embarks on a dramatic, funny and heart-warming six-decade journey from schoolboy to probationary teacher to deputy principal, finally escaping back to the classroom again. "Chalkie" is a compelling, richly entertaining story of great teachers and charlatans, lovely children and exasperating miscreants from a dozen state schools. At times gut wrenching and hair-raising, it is an eye-opening account that is a guaranteed reading adventure for anyone who was ever a teacher, student or parent in an Australian secondary school community.