Teacher Man......Chapter 6

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In chapter 6, Frank tells us a spur of the moment lesson having to do with excuse notes. When a child brings him a note that the student clearly wrote himself, Frank turns this into a real life lesson for his class.

This chapter of Teacher Man was probably my favorite. I see a lot of my own teaching abilities in Frank. I think a person, teacher or otherwise, should never stop learning. That learning can come from so many different sources. It could even come from your students.

I am the director of Pompton Lakes High School marching band. I use this technique all the time. When I am trying to think of something to add to the show, I will use my students suggestions and try them out. If they work, good, and ff they don’t, no worries. Listen to your students and they can most certainly teach you a thing or two.

Don’t be afraid to take some risks. I know that we as rookies in the field would rather get tenure and then stick our necks out. However, we are taking a risk trying a career we have never done, teaching materials we just learned, and talking to students we don’t know. What one more risk? Go with what you think is right.

Discussion:

Frank McCourt decides to sue an unusual lesson in his class one day. What are your feelings on his choice? Does his lesson have real world value? What kind of real world lessons can you bring to your classroom using your subject?

Teacher Man....Chapter 5

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In this chapter, Frank reveals his frustrations in dealing with parents of vocational students as well as one of his big breaks in his personal education philosophy. The chapter opens with Frank telling us of the number of lessons, schools, students, and statistics of he has encounter in his years as a teacher. Through high retelling of his first two Back to School Night experiences, we can see the frustration and confusion of the parents and Frank due to his story telling. We can also see the lack of support from the parents of these vocational students.

Unfortunately in America, we cannot do as many European countries can as far as education is concerned. When they figured out what they want to do with their lives, they begin studying that field and only that career. We in America, see that children should learn some basics before choosing a career path to study for and follow. I do understand the concerns of the parents in Frank’s class when it comes to the importance of his subject. If my son is going to be a plumber, why does he need to know these twenty dollar words? In Frank’s situation, this challenge of making his subject matter to not only his students, but there parents as well is an everyday struggle.

Towards the end of the chapter, Frank begins to realize that he can make his students understand things like grammar by teaching them when they are not sure that they are being taught. Through his stories and story telling, these kids can learn.

Discussion:

We future educators come from many different backgrounds and are studying many different things. How does the subject you are going to be teaching matter in the lives of your future students? Does it at all? Will your student’s life be different if they had not had your class? What does society feel about your subject matter?

Teacher Man....Chapter 4

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In this chapter, one of Frank’s students ask him why he doesn’t do “real work” instead of being a teacher. Frank starts off answering this question with retelling his past work experiences on the docks in Hoboken.

What did I just read? This book makes me laugh because I never know who is talking, what they are talking about, and who they are talking to. I know that Frank started talking to his class about his work on the docks, but then was the rest of the flash back conveyed to his students as well? I am not sure, but if it was, that is bold.

My reaction to this chapter is the same reaction I had to one of James’ discussion questions. I feel it is important for your students to know that you are human and have a life outside of teaching. Now, this is a very fine line. There are, of course, many things that are inappropriate to talk about in the class and many other things that you should keep for yourself. But, I don’t see a problem with discussing certain aspects of your personal life with your kids keeping in mind what is deemed appropriate. Remember, in loco parentis.

Discussion:

There is a thin line between inappropriate and ok for school. What is that line? What do you think should be left out of a discussion between you and your students? What if a student came to you with a problem that you have had experience in? Do you share your thoughts and lessons learned? What if this topic is not suitable for the classroom?

Teacher Man -- Chapter 10

Hey Everyone,

I’m trying to get my chapter posts done early because next week will be rough. (The final unit plans are due after all!) Anyway, please expect my posts to pop up before Friday if not before Wednesday.

Chapter Summary:

In Chapter 10, Mr. McCourt is forced to teach in (what he calls) a “melting-pot” school. At this school, a number of kids were raised speaking different languages and learning different cultural practices. As a result, much of what Mr. McCourt tries to teach is too language-dense for the students to understand or too much in opposition of what the students stand for. In an effort to connect with them, he indulges their off-the-wall, point-blank questions; he takes them to see movies and plays; and he tells them stories about how he used to teach English to tough, Puerto Rican cooks.

Chapter Response:

As a future ESL teacher, I really connected with this chapter. In particular, I thought the characterization of Mr. McCourt's ESL students was dead on. (ESL students really do ask you offensive questions without even knowing that they're being offensive!) I also liked that Mr. McCourt gave us personal details about his students. He always manages to make you feel for these "little terrors" by illuminating their troubling circumstances. The story of Serena, at least to me, was especially endearing this chapter. She was a smart girl (with a smart mouth, no doubt), but because of the color of her skin and the time in which she was born, nobody ever bothered to tell her that. Now, we've all experienced times when we were ignored or not acknowledged (at least in a positive way) for being us, but can we really say that we have ever experienced it to that level? I mean, I cannot even begin to imagine what that's like, and it's disturbing to me to think that certain groups of people have had to live with and are continuing to live with that amount of prejudice even today.

Thought Questions:

1. Do you agree with how Mr. McCourt chose to handle his students’ point-blank questions and challenges? For example, was Mr. McCourt correct to indulge Nancy’s off-putting questions? ("Why are you so uptight? Could you tell me how to be an English teacher who won’t be uptight?") Was Mr. McCourt correct to change the topic and to ignore Serena’s challenges? ("What am I telling you all this for? You’re just a teacher. You’re just a white man.") Why or why not?

2. Have you ever felt like you were an outsider based on the color of your skin, the language that you spoke, or the place that you were raised? If not, how else might you connect with students who feel like a minority?

3. Would you, like Mr. McCourt, allow the students to use their native languages in your classroom? Why or why not?

4. How does it feel to know that the success of these students largely depends on how much extra time and attention you are willing to devote to them? Is it fair to ask you to do extra work for these students or should these students be kept out of mainstream classrooms (i.e., in classrooms designed to specifically meet their additional needs)?

5. How did you view Mr. McCourt’s trips to see Cold Turkey and Hamlet? Was it an effective teaching strategy or just a way to “buy” the students’ favor? If you thought the trips were effective, was there anything that you would have done differently?

Teacher Man-- Chapter 3

In this chapter, Frank McCourt does a great job of describing through his own personal experiences the many road blocks and barriers that are put in our paths on our ways to becoming teachers. He talks of June, who he had a crush on, was easily led on by, and then had his heart broken by. That provided him with emotional stress and lessened his will to move foward in the education process. He then tells stories of his teacher's interviews where the interviewers made him feel worthless because of his responses instead of helping him through the interview and making it less nervewracking. And when he gets the certification, he tells of how hard it is to find a job because of the discrimination against his Irish Brogue. This leads me to my discussion questions on Chapter 3...

What, if any, roadblocks have any of you faced along the path to your teaching degrees? Only post what you feel comfortable posting.

What did each of you do to overcome those roadblocks and continue on in your education, remaining focused on the "light at the end of the tunnel" so to speak?

Teacher Man -- Chapter 2

I found chapter two of Teacher Man to be drastically different from chapter 1. In chapter one there was an overwhelming sense of humor. In chapter 2, Frank McCourt presents a picture of sadness of sorts. He tells of how schoolmates always picked on him and caused him to get into fights. He always came home with bloody shirts. He tells of his days learning about Catholicism and his being reprimanded for being a "very bad boy". Also, he puts great emphasis on the struggles he and his family were faced with. He explained how rough his mother had it raising her children. She seemingly had to fight for everything she got for the family. She had to bargain through the street shops of Limerick in order to prepare her son, McCourt, for his trip to Ireland. And chapter 2 wraps up with Mr. McCourt back in the classroom fielding questions from the students on why Shakespeare's writing's are difficult to follow. By not being able to answer the question for his students, McCourt shows us again, what struggles we will be faced with when we are teachers ourselves. Overall, I feel this chapter did well in tugging on one's heart strings, even if that wasn't it's intent.

Discussion Questions For The Group on Chapter 2:

Think about some questions your students might ask you in your teaching field. What happens if you don't know the answer? How do you respond to your students? And how do you prepare for the criticism that might arise from not knowing the answer to their questions as the teacher?

Teacher Man -- Chapter 1

In reading chapter one I found myself laughing more and more with every turn of the page. The stories Mr. McCourt encountered were priceless to say the least. There was the sandwich incident in which Mr. McCourt, in an effort to show the class who was boss, ate on student's sandwich that was thrown at a classmate and landed on the floor. That resulted in Mr. McCourt being questioned by the principle as to why he was consuming a sandwich at 9 Am in the morning instead of teaching. Then there were stalling questions the class presented to Mr. McCourt in an attempt to avoid work. They asked him everything from what he studied in Ireland to whether or not Irishmen dated girls in Ireland. His response to the dating question landed him in trouble yet again with the principle. This was due to the fact that he jokingly and sarcastically told the students that men in Ireland dated sheep not girls. Overall this chapter was a barrell of laughs and leads me to my discussion questions:

What do you think you would do differently if you were in Mr. McCourt's position and the children acted out?

How would you respond to children's absurd questions if you were in Mr. McCourt's classroom.

How would you deal with the principle of your school if you were called into question about your teaching methods? How would you justify your responses to him/her?