Title: Adequate Yearly Progress

Author: Roxanna Elden

Publisher: Atria Books

Published: February 11, 2020

Cups of Tea: 3/5

**I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Thoughts

I found this book just to be okay. It was difficult for me to get through it as I thought I would like it more than I actually did. This novel showed a reasonable insight into classrooms in high schools today, and exactly what teachers go through on a daily basis.  

While reading this book I realized some similarities between the education in the United States of America and Canada where I am from. In Canada the education system does not push towards standardized tests as heavily as the US educational system does. . I felt that this book would be a perfect read with the turmoil over education in Ontario. While I was reading this book the teachers’ unions were on rotating strikes and the talks with the government kept “breaking down” after only a few hours of negotiating.

My boyfriend is a former teacher, and I could see him in a few of these teachers – staying late at school to do marking, caring for each and every one of his former students, and trying to teach meaningful and impactful lessons to keep students interested.

I expected more from this book based upon the synopsis and the catchphrase “funny but insightful look at teachers in the workplace…reminiscent of the TV show The Office but set in an urban high school.” This novel didn’t live up to my expectation, and I found myself disappointed. I felt that this novel dragged on, I enjoyed the beginning of the book, but by the middle and the end I just wanted the novel to be over.