G. J. Stroud

“Teaching and caring are one and the same thing. People don’t realise that.“

From Gabbie Stroud, the author of Teacher and Dear Parent, nonfiction titles that address the current challenges of teaching within schools, comes her fiction debut, The Things That Matter Most.

A moving and thought provoking novel, The Things That Matter Most is set in a small primary school in country NSW. It’s a new school year for the staff of St Margaret's Primary, and there are professional and personal challenges ahead. With morale waning under the increased burdens of an administrative registration review, pending litigation from a disgruntled parent over fees, and a sensationalist media exposé, all while managing issues in their private lives, the staff begin to question their roles.

The Things That Matter Most illustrates the issues in the education field that Stroud raises in her nonfiction books including, teachers overwhelmed by administrative paperwork, the ‘consumer’ expectations of parents, the reductive notion of statistics, and the commodification of caring. These valid concerns, among others, are shown in context, as the staff of St Margaret’s struggle to reconcile the demands made on them. Though my time teaching within the Education Department was brief and some time ago, I have had at least one child in public school continuously for the last 23 years (my eldest graduated in 2013 while my youngest graduates this year) so I’ve been witness to the increasing pressure teachers have come under, and empathise.

The story unfolds from the perspectives of Assistant Principal and teacher Derek; Tyson, a new graduate teacher; Year One teacher Sally-Ann; and Bev, the indispensable, if irascible, ‘office lady’. Fairly typical representatives of the profession- passionate, dedicated, overworked and undervalued; they are believable, well-rounded characters whom I had compassion for. I felt the extent of their personal drama’s were perhaps unnecessary additions to the plot though, pulling focus from the main theme.

The key character in The Things That Matter Most is a student, Lionel, an eager, charming 12 year old boy with a secret who reminds us what matters most.

Insightful, poignant and instructive, The Things That Matter Most is an important and powerful read.… (plus d'informations)

In the last couple of months several books with likeable young men have come by me. There has been Jarvis of Jarvis 24, Quentin of Paper Towns and now, Jonah. Just 17, he doesn’t seem to have the manual on life that other people have. The pressures of Year 12, losing his virginity and an older brother coming out in Canberra, all impact on him. There is some very well-written comic ribbing that is a feature of guys this age, and some wonderful descriptive moments. One of my favourites was a description of the dynamics of his friendship group – “ as though tectonic plates were shifting” – when Ferret breaks from the group. There is definitely a genuine voice here. The writing conveys well his life problems as he comes to learn not to sweat the small stuff. My only quibble would be that the girlfriend Mel does not come over strongly enough. I feared that it would be a simplistic surf and book, but it is much more. What is wonderful is that he DOES measure up; it would be great to meet him.… (plus d'informations)