Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press is a disturbing and enlightening read. Through his analysis of kill floor workers, drone pilots, and prison psychologists he reveals the dirty work we accept in America: work that needs to be done but is unpleasant enough we do not want to know about, or pay for. It is this hypocrisy of our society I found most intriguing. We do not say “don’t do this” to the work, but instead, “do it out of my sight.” He mentions this civilising process throughout the narrative and it is very disturbing. I am not sure that the moral injury he discusses fits the bill for teachers, but certainly I saw my time as a teacher carrying out dirty work for society: low paid, high expectations, looked down upon, and seen as the problem in education. And to this day, like the characters he portrays, I feel like I should have, could have, done more for those in my care.