Review: The Peaceable Classroom

The Peaceable Classroom by Mary Rose O'Reilley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been meaning to get this book for a few years, but have found it quite difficult to find. And that is a pity in my view because this book deserves to be better known. In this book, Mary Rose O'Reilley uses a course on war poetry to reflect on the simple question, posed to her in the maelstrom of campus politics in the Vietnam War, "How do we teaching English without killing anyone?". That seems an odd question, but, at a time when flunking out of college lost one their deferment from the army, it was legitimate one.

The result is a rather meandering, but incredible insightful reflection on how does one run a peaceable classroom. That is, how does one encourage peace, while teaching English. I won't do a spoiler, of course, and, besides, O'Reilley is the last to think she has the answer for that question, since she is rather a 'live the question' kind of person. But this book raises important questions about how we teach students, how we run our classrooms and the complicated power dynamics in them and what kind of society do we want to see.

And, O'Reilley is funny. Well, okay, funny in a curmudgeonly way, which is an acquired taste, but with a genuine heart for her students and the world around her. I would read her on the subway going into work at my school and just laugh aloud at a passage.

But, as a caveat, keep in mind, the book is written twenty years ago and reflects experience from the late sixties and early seventies. Sometimes the language is jarring. It was a jarring then too, but more so now.

But, yes, if you're a teacher or a student or just interested in how to teach, definitely read this book!

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