At The New Republic, Malcolm Harris reviews Nicholson Baker’s nonfiction book about his stint as a substitute teacher in Maine:
Maintaining classroom discipline is not high on his list of priorities, and Baker is surprised at the level of control he’s expected to exercise. “How could they do it?” he wonders on day 15, “How could these teachers spend all day saying ‘GUYS,’ month after month? How do they have the stamina?” He feels for the teachers, but he also doesn’t hold a very high opinion of what they do on a day-to-day basis.
