To Sir with Love by E.R Braithwaite

Down the memory lane is this book.I had an excerpt from the book in one of my English prose class in school,and it was an instant love.."To sir with Love is an autobiographical novel" of an ex RAF (Royal Air force) pilot also an engineer who is forced to take up the job of a substitute secondary school teacher in London east end because he is unable to find any other job in spite of his qualification and experience due to racial discrimination..He is assigned with "top" class pupil who are a complete rebel, disconcert to learn,extremely disinterested to anything..Despite all the barriers he reaches out becoming not just their favourite teacher but a mentor to the whole class, standing tall as an example ..Rest is history..

His approach to the class is different, instead of treating them as pupil he decides to treat them as adults, and sets them with basic rules to be followed and demands respects back from them. Initially unresponsive, as days passes they all come together respecting each other.. He wins them by different vantage, he takes the class outside the school premises which is totally new to them to one of the museum and getting them involved in discussions there after.. Initially he is met with skepticism from the head of school,but as he discovers  positive outcome from the students he becomes appreciative of the whole effort .. ..He makes it a point to address his students as Mr or Ms followed by their surname that makes students feels like adults, he also asks them to address each other that way when in class..In due of course of time he finds out a teacher in him and realises that his students are helping him to grow as a person ...Pamela dare one of his students who storms out of his first class, admires him completely taking him as a role model, her mother comes to him seeking advice as she hopes that he is the only person who can  reach out to her,and indeed he does, that was the kind of influence he had upon his students..

His first day of class, his mental preparation to face the class whom the head and many staffs gave a negative points is wonderfully penned out with clouds of confusion shaping up which is then brushed apart by his belief in himself..
Set up during a time era whenthe racial discrimination based on color was at the heights are heart rendering. One such is during his visits to a  restaurant , he is refused to be served because of his skin colour and still he remains patient taking the insult gracefully while Gillian Blanchard(she is white) who accompanies him is left totally aghast...
In spite of all these years this novel holds its charm as you read over and over again.The title of the novel is a note written by Pamela dare on their teacher's farewell gift..