An Inspirational Teacher

The third book in the Reluctant Detective series, The Killer Performer, is the first to feature a dedication to someone other than a family member. That dedication reads:

In memory of Alison Graham, teacher, friend, inspiration

and the lady who introduced me to Raymond, Dashiel and Ross

I thought it would be good idea if I explained a little more about why this wonderful woman meant so much to me.

I was a very shy child and often lacked self-confidence. The first time that I felt some measure of self-belief was in the drama class. Alison was Mrs Kennedy at that point and she had a way of controlling the class quite unlike any other teacher. In that first year, she inspired both respect and a little bit of fear among the pupils. I loved what we did in those classes and my confidence began to grow.

In second year, myself and a friend approached Alison with an idea for the school pantomime. I didn't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't a suggestion from my teacher to write the script. 

It was the first of several shows that I was involved in over the course of my school career. I have a very strong memory of our regular script meetings at lunchtime. At that time she smoked Gauloises cigarettes which have a very particular smell. She wore Blue Grass perfume and loved to drink coffee. The combination of those smells was so distinctive that any one of them can take me back thirty years to that tiny office in Possilpark Secondary.

During the production of the shows, Alison's leadership as a teacher and director coaxed more out of us than any of us knew we had. In a tough area, she did everything she could to involve as many of the student body as were interested. Every show had a large cast, loads of dancers and a big squad of stagehands.

She was also a guidance teacher and cared passionately for the pupils under her care. She did all in her power to help the poorest pupils who came from tough backgrounds - her 'wee efforts' as she used to call them. Although she came from a middle-class family and had been educated at a private school, her belief in social justice was absolute.

During my time at the school she was working with some colleagues to get drama recognised as an important part of the curriculum. She asked me to write an essay about the effect drama had on my life; I was only too delighted to help. Her work was rewarded and not only was drama recognised, it now forms part of the exam schedule.

As part of that drive to showcase what drama could do for people, a show was organised with groups coming from a variety of schools across the old Strathclyde region. Each group staged their own original play and ours won high praise. I don't think she was ever more proud of a group of pupils but everything we had achieved was down to all that she had taught us and the faith she had in us.

Among the huge number of conversations we had down the years, one day I mentioned to her how I was struggling to find a crime author that I really liked. The following day she brought in a copy of 'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler and 'The Maltese Falcon' by Dashiell Hammett. I read them in a couple of days and became hooked on hard-boiled noir fiction, a love I have to this very day. It was the beginning of a regular supply of books for me to read; she introduced me to Graham Greene, John Le Carré, John Fowles, Robertson Davies and a whole lot more. She also taught me about art - she had a particular passion for Picasso and the impressionists. She tried to educate me on classical music but that was the one thing that didn't stick. 

Over the years we became friends and long after I left school I still visited her and her wonderful husband, Stuart. When I introduced Kim to her, there was an immediate bond between them and Kim had passed an important test in our fledgling relationship.

Alison passed away in 2008, not long after we had lost Calum. She left a legacy of people she had touched profoundly during her life; people like me who were inspired by her love of life, her kindness, her humour, her intelligence and her sense of fairness. If every pupil was lucky enough to have a teacher like Alison, the world would be a better place. I know that after my mum and dad, Alison helped me more than anyone to become the person I am today.

Were you lucky enough to have a teacher like Alison? I would love to read about them.