Chapter 17/18 Response

I really liked McCourt's analogy to the airlines and the oxygen masks. Save yourself first even if your instinct is to save the child. By the way, this is advice he gives to the young substitute teacher. I think it's not only practical but also a great illustration to anyone who's ever been on an airplane or, like myself, is a frequent flyer.

Chapter 15

This chapter was about McCourt's experiences with Parent-Teacher meetings. During the meetings he got a sense of what it must be like for his students at home outside of his class. He came to appreciate that each student comes from a different home life and that this is sometimes what is reflected in that student's personality and from this he learned better to teach each individual.

How would you deal with a Parent who appears to have substance abuse problems at a Parent-Teacher Night?

Teacher Man -- Chapter 17/18 Response

I thought the last two chapters closed the book rather nicely. In particular, I really liked the advice McCourt gave to the young substitute teacher:

“I know I’m exaggerating but [being a teacher] is like being a boxer going into the ring or a bullfighter into the arena. You can be knocked out or gored and that’s the end of your teaching career. But if you hang on you learn the tricks. It’s hard but you have to make yourself comfortable in the classroom. You have to be selfish. The airlines tell you if oxygen fails you are to put on your mask first, even if your instinct is to save the child.”

As a young teacher, I think this will be the hardest thing for me to do. I am very much a people pleaser, and I have to remember that I need to take care of myself first. If I don't help myself, I won’t be able to help my students either.

Finally, the story of Guy Lind was another heartwarming story. McCourt reminds us one last time to count our blessings and to be thankful for all that we have. Life isn’t easy, but we are alive, and we should appreciate the little things – like the time the students sprinkled confetti on our heads and thanked us with their smiles for the time they spent in our classrooms.

Teacher Man -- Chapter 16

Chapter Summary

In Chapter 16, McCourt shows a little moodiness. He loves his students, but he also resents them for their all-too-fortunate lives. He cannot connect with their problems, and he wishes his life could have been so easy. Fortunately, McCourt is later reminded that everyone—no matter what their class happens to be—has problems. Phyllis’ story about having to choose between witnessing the moon landing and witnessing her father’s death is a powerful reminder of that.

Next McCourt informs his students that everyone is a writer. People write in their heads all the time. When they see a friend, an enemy, or a secret crush, they are writing in their heads. They write about their plans, their wishes, their dreams—it’s all in there. It’s just not down on paper, and the students need to start getting some of that down on paper. This discussion then turns into an assignment where the students are asked to listen to their grandparents’ stories and to write them down.

The chapter closes with a discussion on grades. The students ask McCourt how they will be graded for the course, and he encourages them to grade themselves. They know how hard they worked during the semester, and they know what they did or did not learn. The more important question, according to McCourt, is whether or not the class freed their minds in any way.

Chapter Response

I thought Chapter 16 was an interesting chapter. I liked McCourt’s belief that everyone is a writer in their own minds, that we all have good stories to tell, and that it’s important to share those stories with others before we die. I also thought the assignment with the grandparents was great. I want to include meaningful and thoughtful assignments like these in my own class one day, and I don’t believe that teachers and families should consider one another to be the enemy (as some of the grandparents did).

Personally, I did not like the whole letting the students grade themselves assignment. I had to do this for a class I took at Montclair once, and people didn’t really take it seriously. They didn’t search their consciences for the truth like McCourt was hoping his students would. Most people I knew treated the idea as a joke and wrote down the grade they wanted even if it wasn’t the grade they deserved.

Thought Questions

1. Do you think it’s important to include your students’ life stories in your classroom? Why or why not?

2. How do you feel about McCourt’s decision to let the students grade themselves? Is this something you would do in your classroom? Why or why not?

3. McCourt talks about the lives of writers from the Beat Generation, and this gets him in trouble with a parent. What topics are considered to be controversial in your discipline? Do you think it is appropriate to include these topics in your lessons, or do you think these are topics better left for when your students are more mature and in college?

Teacher Man -- Chapter 12

Chapter Summary

With chapter twelve, McCourt gets a new lease on life. He’s offered a position at one of the most prestigious high schools in New York, and the apple of his eye, daughter Maggie, is born not long after. Professionally and personally, life is looking up for McCourt.

At Stuyvesant High School, McCourt makes friends with his supervisor. They have drinks together, and McCourt is trusted to teach whatever grade and whatever topics he wants. Never before has McCourt been given this much freedom in the classroom, and he enjoys every minute of it.

Unfortunately, at age forty-nine, McCourt experiences another major setback. His wife divorces him, and he is forced to live in less than ideal conditions. Along the way, however, he connects with an artist who looks at the world a little differently.

Chapter Response

Personally, I thought it was really nice to see McCourt happy for once in his life. People always say that having kids changes your perspective on things, and I think McCourt would agree with that. The love he holds for his daughter is unmistakable.

I also thought it was nice to see McCourt coming out as a “real teacher” for the first time. Having the freedom to choose who and what he teaches really seems to be making him into the teacher he always wanted to be. He’s teaching literature, and he’s getting kids thinking. He’s no longer just telling stories to keep the kids entertained.

Finally, McCourt’s depiction of how students perceive their teachers is really funny. It’s true though. Kids never really want to see their teachers as being anything but teachers. They don’t want to think about their teachers being involved in relationships or doing things that would be deemed “unteacherly”. They want to believe that their learning is the only priority their teachers have. After all, the lives of students are already complicated enough as it is. They normally don’t want their teachers’ troubles thrown into the mix.

Thought Questions

1. Do you think McCourt made the right choice in ignoring Janice’s home troubles? While grading her paper, he considers letting the guidance counselor know what he’s read, but ultimately decides against it. Do you think he did this because he wanted more evidence of sexual abuse or because he thinks it’s a bad idea to get too involved in students’ personal lives? What’s your stance on reporting sexual abuse?

2. Do you think McCourt is a “sell out” for taking the job at Stuyvesant High School? These kids are the best and the brightest that New York has to offer, and they actually want to learn and become successful. Some might say that teaching them isn’t really a challenge. Do you agree with this point of view or do you think that teachers have to overcome difficult problems and issues no matter who they’re teaching?

3. Do you think it’s inappropriate for the teacher to bring his or her own life into the classroom? McCourt goes through a difficult divorce and is forced to live in less than ideal conditions. Do you think he made the right decision in not telling his students about all this?