Overview

A thought-provoking and fearless exploration of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and do better by all our students. An Amazon Best Non-Fiction Book of 2022 'Essential reading' - The Guardian 'Sharp and witty with moments of startling candour' - The i 'Revealing and beautifully written' - David Harewood _____ Before Jeffrey Boakye was a black teacher, he was a black student. Which means he has spent a lifetime navigating places of learning that are white by default. Since training to teach, he has often been the only black teacher at school. At times seen as a role model, at others a source of curiosity, Boakye's is a journey of exploration - from the outside looking in. In the groundbreaking I Heard What You Said, he recounts how it feels to be on the margins of the British education system. As a black, male teacher - an English teacher who has had to teach problematic texts - his very existence is a provocation to the status quo, giving him a unique perspective on the UK's classrooms. Told through a series of eye-opening encounters based on the often challenging and sometimes outrageous things people have said to him or about him - from 'Can you rap?' and 'Have you been in prison?' to 'Stephen who?' - Boakye reflects with passion and wit on what he has found out about the presumptions, silences and distortions that underpin the experience of black students and teachers. _____ 'Hugely important' - Baroness Lawrence 'Deeply compelling, intellectually rigorous and essential' - Nels Abbey 'Makes a powerful case' - Rt Hon Lady Hale

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9781529063752

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Reviews

This book is essential reading for teachers, those who run educational institutions, parents - but perhaps most of all for those Black children who may be currently going through school not realising why they are made to feel small, out of step and unworthy. For them in particular, it could be a ray of hope. * Guardian * I Heard What You Said makes a powerful case: until we have rid our educational system of its dominant whiteness (and, dare I say it, maleness) we cannot hope to give all our children (whatever their ethnicity or gender) the educational experience they need and deserve. * Rt Hon Lady Hale * This is the book I've been waiting for and the book every teacher should read. Brave, brutally honest, funny and necessary. Jeffery captures the Black teaching experience in such a powerful and potent way. The book of the year. * Ben Lindsay, CEO/Founder of Power The Fight and author of We Need to Talk About Race * This book is written with passion, fury, knowledge and, in spite of the painful subject, wit. Do you want to break down entrenched structural racism in schools? Then read this. * Patrice Lawrence MBE, prize-winning author of Orangeboy * I Heard What You Said is yet another deeply compelling, intellectually rigorous and essential piece of work by Jeffrey Boakye. The more people read this book, the better our education system will be understood and the better it will become. * Nels Abbey, author of Think Like a White Man * Personal and political, profound and playful, Boakye's sharp analysis of the classroom and the staffroom is essential reading for anyone with a stake in education. A book that should be discussed in every staffroom in the country; send a copy to the Secretary of State for Education! * Darren Chetty, author of How to Disagree * I couldn't put it down... Invites us to ponder how we can all change the education system. I Heard What You Said is a must read. * Laura Henry-Allain MBE * An incredibly powerful, gripping book; a compelling read for everyone associated with education. It's simultaneously energising, uplifting and optimistic and eye-opening and challenging ... an impassioned call to arms for change in our attitudes, our curriculum and the cultures that permeate the system. I hope it finds its way into every school and is read very widely. * Tom Sherrington (@teacherhead) * I found myself being educated, delighted, saddened, informed, surprised, shocked, touched and enlightened in turn. I Heard What You Said feels at once easy to read, yet challenging to hear. If you are willing to listen to the truths that it exposes, you will come away with your thinking developed. A must-read book. * Sue Cowley is an author, presenter, teacher and internationally renowned trainer, who has written more than 30 bestselling books for teachers *

Essential reading . . . perhaps most of all for those Black children who may be currently going through school not realising why they are made to feel small, out of step and unworthy. For them in particular, it could be a ray of hope. * The Guardian * I Heard What You Said makes a powerful case: until we have rid our educational system of its dominant whiteness we cannot hope to give all our children the educational experience they need and deserve. * Rt Hon Lady Hale * Revealing and beautifully written. * David Harewood * Written with passion, fury, knowledge and, in spite of the painful subject, wit. Do you want to break down entrenched structural racism in schools? Then read this. * Patrice Lawrence MBE, prize-winning author of Orangeboy * Sharp and witty with moments of startling candour. * The i * Deeply compelling, intellectually rigorous and essential . . . The more people read this book, the better our education system will be understood. * Nels Abbey, author of Think Like a White Man * A riveting account . . . Rich with entertaining anecdotes. * Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller * Personal and political, profound and playful, Boakye's sharp analysis of the classroom and the staffroom is essential reading. * Darren Chetty, co-author of How to Disagree * The book I’ve been waiting for and the book every teacher should read. Brave, brutally honest, funny and necessary. * Ben Lindsay, author of We Need To Talk About Race * I couldn't put it down . . . a must read. * Laura Henry-Allain MBE * An incredibly powerful, gripping book . . . It's simultaneously energising, uplifting and optimistic and eye-opening and challenging. * Tom Sherrington (@teacherhead) * I found myself being educated, delighted, saddened, informed, surprised, shocked, touched and enlightened in turn . . . A must-read book. * Sue Cowley, author, presenter, teacher * A signature blend of endearing wit and engaging prose. * K. DeMi Ryans * Timely and thought provoking. * Leninna Ofori (@healingoverhandbags) * An impassioned, articulate, and irresistible call to arms. * SchoolsWeek *

Author Information

Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster, educator and journalist with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Originally from Brixton in London, Jeffrey has taught secondary English for fifteen years. He is the author of several books: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials, and the Meaning of Grime; Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored; What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Questions; Musical Truth: A Musical Journey through Modern Black Britain; and I Heard What You Said. He is also the co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Add to Playlist. He now lives in Yorkshire with his wife and two sons.

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