First published 2018
Stuart Palmer faces another day at Cambridge Secondary College, where Year 9 students treat algebra like an enemy invasion. The whiteboard markers have dried up again, half his class forgot their textbooks, and someone just asked if they'll ever use quadratic equations in real life. Palmer knows the curriculum demands he cover stages 5.1 through 5.3 before term ends, but his students seem more interested in their phones than polynomials. Between administrative meetings and parent conferences, he searches for ways to make mathematical concepts stick in teenage minds that would rather be anywhere else. As exam season approaches, Palmer discovers that teaching isn't just about numbers and formulas. It's about connecting with kids who think they can't learn, finding patience when frustration mounts, and believing that every student can grasp the logic hidden inside mathematical chaos. The real equation Palmer must solve has nothing to do with textbooks.
Genres: education, mathematics, algebra, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Cambridge Secondary College
Period: Exam Season
Paperback · Cambridge University Press