In My Homecoming Dance Sue Leamy Kies returns to her midwestern high school to teach English. Hilarious at times, heart-rending at others, this memoir, laced with lessons from literature and life, takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the American high school.

Endorsements

Why teach? In Wisconsin—and nationally—interest in participating in this labor-intensive and life-changing profession has decreased dramatically. If you have ever wondered why anyone would feel called to teach, read this memoir by Sue Kies, who gives us a close look at the reality and rewards of  a profession that has changed its methods but not its mission.

--Catherine Stover, educator and author of Three Ways to Write Memoir

Sue Leamy Kies’ memoir is a must read for anyone who has stepped inside a high school, whether as a student, a parent, or a faculty member. Kies writes with humor, honesty, compassion, and self-reflection about both personal and universal experiences as a teacher of teenagers she obviously cared deeply about and upon whose lives she must certainly have made an impact. I found Kies' book to be both enlightening and entertaining.   ~Peggy Joque Williams, author of Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles 

In My Homecoming Dance, Sue Kies offers a lovely reflection on her noteworthy career as an educator, combined with a fascinating glimpse into the timeline of education in Wisconsin. Readers will finish with an understanding of teaching in a small-town and what it means to be an educator over the past few decades.

--Christy Wopat, educator, and author of After All