New satire, Sips of Hemlock, tackles education privatization

By Reader Staff

Local author Gene Bans blurs the line between satire and reality in her recent novel Sips of Hemlock, set in the not-so-distant future in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane schools. The story imagines what the education system would be like if schools were run like corporations and teachers were akin to celebrities, earning staggering salaries.

“As a teacher and a parent, I couldn’t help but wonder — how would society really react if teachers earned millions? Would people celebrate it or resent it?” Bans wrote in a recent news release.

The future setting is inspired by current trends, such as the increasing privatization of schools and the prevalence of technology in classrooms and at students’ fingertips. Head teacher Tara becomes a global celebrity and is tasked with making pedagogical improvements using student data and an entire production team.

Throughout the novel, Tara struggles to balance her personal life with the stresses of navigating corporate and governmental power and greed. Her assistant, Emory, is in the same boat, pulled in two different directions by the man she loves and the lure of fortune and fame.

Told from the perspective of the two co-workers, the story imagines how privatization, greed and increasing technology would change education, for better or for worse. The speculative narrative draws from Bans’ life as a business owner and teacher with a decades-long career. She especially encourages current and former educators to read the book and consider how the education system might change going forward.

“The future of education is up for debate — and it’s never been more important to discuss,” according to the news release.

Sips of Hemlock is available online and in many North Idaho bookstores.