Some people would think twice before accepting the responsibility of educating twelve- and thirteen-year-old students, but for author Tommy Jones, teaching seventh-grade students would rate as one of the most rewarding aspects of his life. In this memoir, Jones recounts a thirty-five-year career at The Montgomery Academy in Montgomery, Alabama. In
Chalkboards and Clipboards,
Jones provides an informational, humorous, and sometimes poignant look inside this prestigious independent school where he taught seventh-grade life science and tenth-grade biology, also serving as a girls' basketball coach for twelve years. With personal anecdotes and related stories, he gives insight into the everyday experiences and the multi-faceted interaction between administrators, faculty, students, and parents. Jones provides a behind-the-scenes look into what goes on behind the classroom doors, in the halls, on campus, and in the gym of this school that holds many memories for this now-retired teacher.