What Happened to the Teachers Pet? was written as an inspirational tool to motivate teachers to teach from a perspective of passion for overall student success. Too often, society is allowed to dictate the state of our students and cast blame for substandard performance and failure onto the students, their choices, or their abilities. This book addresses the concept of that attitude which actually does reflect leadership. It points out the truth that lies behind our students so-called problems and discredits some typically misguided reasons why students cannot or will not learn. All in all, this book is dedicated to encourage teachers to teach like they mean it and believe in themselves.

If you thought you knew the story of The Teacher's Pet, get ready to be shocked. Hedley Thomas takes you behind the scenes with a blow-by-blow account of one of the most intriguing and enduring murder mysteries of our time - the crime, the podcast investigation, the sexual exploitation of teenage students, the courtroom drama - and how justice was finally delivered. Lynette Simms disappeared from Sydney's idyllic Northern Beaches in 1982 and was never seen again. Lyn was a caring nurse, loving mother and devoted wife. Her husband Chris Dawson was a rugby league star, a popular teacher and exceptionally close to his identical twin brother, Paul. But this facade of domestic bliss was shattered when Chris became infatuated with the family's babysitter - his 16-year-old student - a girl he moved into Lyn's home and bed just two days after her disappearance. Thirty-six years later, investigative journalist Hedley Thomas revisited the story in a record-breaking podcast series that captured the unconditional support of Lyn's friends, colleagues, neighbours and family, and an international audience. With fresh leads and old evidence resulting in a public groundswell for authorities to take action, Chris was arrested in late 2018 and after a dramatic trial was found guilty of murder in August 2022. Praise for The Teacher's Pet 'A monumental work. A burrowing, twisting, spine-tingling, genre-defining tribute to the power - and the cost - of asking questions. If you think you know this story, think again. No Australian, alive nor dead, has given more to journalism than Hedley Thomas. True crime storytelling as we now know it begins with The Teacher's Pet.' Trent Dalton 'A masterclass in investigative journalism.' Leigh Sales

Fifty-year-old science teacher Dale Portwit believes that the peak of his life has come and gone. A failed suicide, a food fetishist, so isolated that the Best Man at his wedding is a framed photograph of his former mailman, Mr. Portwit resolves to live entirely for the moment, to speak his mind at each turn no matter what the consequences. He sets his sights upon Mary Ann Tucker, Elkhart Elementary's plump, accommodating third-grade teacher. Their whirlwind courtship leads to wedding bands, a house in the suburbs, and an indulgent sex life -- so why aren't they happy? Perhaps a little revenge is just what this marriage needs. Decidedly odd, yet also oddly moving, Revenge of the Teacher's Pet is a skillful mix of comedy, poignancy, love, memory, obesity, top-ten lists, fish, and murder.

Originally published: New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001.

Teacher's Pet by Beverly Sommers released on Feb 23, 1988 is available now for purchase.