School Life Memories: Why Early Academic Experiences Stay with Us Forever
When I look back on my life, it isn’t the titles or degrees that come to mind first. It’s the red brick schoolhouse in Plaza, Washington. It’s the gravel crunching under my shoes at recess. It’s the sound of my name being called in a classroom small enough that everyone could hear it clearly. My […]
Why Readers Call There’s a Pig on the Playground a Best Book About School Life
Some books about education focus on theory. Others focus on one dramatic story. There’s a Pig on the Playground feels different. Readers often describe it as a best book about school life because it reflects what school truly is messy, meaningful, funny, emotional, and deeply human. Written as a memoir by Deanna Gilmore, Ph.D., this […]
7 Books About School Life in 2026: Readers’ Choice
School stories stay with us long after graduation. The friendships, awkward moments, inspiring teachers, and life lessons don’t fade easily. That’s why books about school life are grabbing more attention to readers year after year. Today, bookworms are choosing titles that feel honest and relatable stories that reflect real classrooms, real challenges, and real growth. […]
Why I Wrote the Book
By Dr. Deanna Gilmore I would like the readers of “There’s a Pig on the Playground” know why I wrote this book. In 2023, after the Covid pandemic resided, I read in the newspaper that many teachers were quitting the profession and that fewer people were attending college classes to become teachers. This made me […]
The Schoolyard Stories We Never Forget Why Childhood Memories Shape Who We Become
Where Our Earliest Stories Begin Some of my earliest memories take place on a school playground. I remember the smell of damp grass after recess, the sound of swinging metal chains, and the laughter of children who didn’t yet know the weight the world could carry. Childhood has a way of imprinting itself on us […]
Eight Years in Remote Alaska:How Teaching in Inupiat and Yupik Villages Changed My Understanding of Culture and Community
Stepping Into the Unknown When my husband, Rick, and I packed our bags and moved to Alaska, we thought we knew what we were signing up for. We expected snow, cold winds, and the everyday challenges of living in rural communities. What we didn’t expect was how deeply those eight years would change us, not […]
What a Pig on the Playground Taught Me About Today’s Teacher Shortage
The Day Everything Went Sideways I will never forget the moment I glanced out my classroom window and saw a pig casually trotting across the playground like he was the new recess supervisor. My third graders were lined up behind me, eager to burst through the doors, but I knew releasing them into that madness […]