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Every Friday at 9am is when I feature an Indie author or blogger. I do not add the author’s name in the title, and so you need to watch this space because next Friday it could be you!

This week I’m going to feature Pete Springer, a former elementary school teacher for over 30 years, who wrote a memoir of his time as a teacher in his book ‘They Call Me Mom‘ to aid the next generation of teachers. He’s now working on 2 children’s stories, and also enjoys still keeping in touch with some of his former students. Now retired, he misses reading aloud to children, and instead reads to seniors in their assisted living homes twice a week. He also likes attending sporting events. You can find his blog on this link: https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/ He doesn’t blog every day, but always writes a very interesting post about once a month. You can also find out more about him by reading his guest spot on Marcia Meara’s blog.

Review of ‘They Call Me Mom‘:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for Instructors and Parents

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 15, 2023

This nonfiction is geared toward the teaching profession and those interested in joining the profession. I’m not a teacher, but my husband was, and my son and daughter are, so I read the book with great interest.
Mr. Springer touches all bases. He delves into working with co-workers, the administrators, students and their parents.
He shares the frustrations that teachers encounter in their chosen profession along with special students he’s had and moments he’s shared with them. He even touches on setting up the classroom.
And though, as mentioned previously, I’m not an instructor, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and appreciate how much of himself the author shared with the reader.
My take away: We need more folks like this talented man teaching our children. Recommended for the professionals, parents and those that just enjoy a feel-good read.

And here is my review:

As a youth, Pete Springer tried several jobs but found each one unfulfilling. By chance he agreed to help a disabled child and found his calling in life…to be a teacher. By reading this book I could tell that Pete really cared about his students; he made time for them outside of lessons, encouraged, rewarded and praised them, and involved parents. He encouraged self-confidence by inviting the children to share their stories and talk in front of the class. There is some humor too, as he describes incidences when teaching grammar and also sex education.

A woodwork teacher my son Leon once had would send him outside at the start of the lesson, stating ‘You’ll play up sooner or later so you might as well stand outside now’. I’m sure that if Leon had been taught by Mr Springer instead, he might have had a more illustrious school career. It takes a dedicated teacher like Pete to really strive to inspire and educate students in a fun and interesting way, and Pete had many tactics up his sleeve to ensure that his students enjoyed learning.

This is an enjoyable read, and also could be a reference book for new teachers as it contains helpful hints such as teaching methods and how to set up a classroom. I think my son’s old woodwork teacher could have benefited from reading this!

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