Respect
- Do you believe teachers are respected in
Stereotyping
- There is a large focus on different stereotypes (Irish, Italian families ,dock workers and teachers) by McCourt. Do you believe the use of these stereotypical characters enhanced the reading of the book Teacher Man?
Insecurity
- What caused McCourt’s insecurity about his abilities as a teacher? Were these insecurities warranted? Do most teachers have insecurities about their teaching abilities?
Conformity
- Are there overt pressures for teachers to conform? How strict is the curriculum? Is there real flexibility in the approach teachers are allowed to use in the classroom? How great are the pressures from colleagues, administration, professors, parents and students?
Empathy
- In what capacity is a teacher to have empathy and understanding others? What are the expectations with respect to teacher-student interactions?
to answer the question about teachers and insecurity... McCourt felt insecure at the beginning of his teaching carrer he was expecting more postive attitude with the students but it turned out to be more difficult and here he started having a negative self talk.
ReplyDeletein my opinion, i think that all teachers in general worried about their first class. sometimes these worries turn out to be insecures if the teachers couldnt achieve what they want (curriculum or classroom management) . so to answe the question i think not most of the teachers feel insecure about teaching because it depends on their performance in their 1st class.
About McCourt's insecurity...
ReplyDeleteI think in some ways McCourt's insecurity played in his favour. He always says he's worried about not being the 'serious' teacher that sticks to lesson plans, gets 'results', and commands respect but his characteristic humility is what sets him apart from others. In admitting that he doesn't have all the answers (or a life plan) made him human in the eyes of his students. Becaue McCourt looked at things from the perspective of his students rather than from a place above them allowed him to reach even the most disillusioned students.
Respect....
ReplyDeleteIf one were to respect teachers one would need to have an understanding of what the job actually entails. I think there are far too many people out there who think because they went to school and were once a student that they too can teach, which is of course not the case!
Insecurity....
I think McCourt’s insecurities about his ability to teach were caused by what I’m sure most new teachers’ face- little training, lack of support and experience, what you ‘learn’ in teachers college has little to no relevance once you are actually in the classroom.
Conformity...
Yes I believe there is pressure to conform, board and school wide initiatives must meet compliance with ministry regulations and therefore teachers must follow implementation procedures. I would say the curriculum is fairly structured; however teachers have the flexibility to use their professional judgement in how they deliver the curriculum content. All of the overall curriculum expectations must be taught and evaluated in order to generate a letter grade or percent for student achievement which will appear on the provincial report card.
I read an opinion piece, criticizing McCourt's teaching style in Slate magazine. The author said the following:
ReplyDelete"In America, McCourt's colleagues are mostly defeated, when they aren't sadistic. Considering how hard it was for the extraordinary Frank McCourt to learn how to teach, one has to wonder whether individual teachers can really measure their own progress. That teaching, done right, requires all of a teacher's emotional and intellectual resources; we accord teachers neither the respect nor the pay they need to function well in their jobs; few public school teachers come close to the ideal or leave the students with anything like what they need to get by--all this seems like a good argument for better pay scales and reform in the educational system that produces teachers. But in the absence of a nation of McCourts, it is also a reason to insist on greater teacher oversight and accountability and less freedom to do as they please"
I find it concerning that this author seems to believe being extraordinary, defeated or sadist is something inherent to particular people, or to particular teachers. I believe the removal of freedom leads to the feelings of defeat, anger, disillusionment, and perhaps even the sadism seen. McCourt said himself he fell into this trap early in his career; he was cruel to his students, and they were cruel back. But he was able to break free by throwing conformity in the garbage. However, not all of us are so lucky, for a multitude of reasons.
Is she right? Are we truly in an absence of a nation of McCourts, or are there a million more McCourts out there, never to be realized if people like the author have her way.
I perceived some of McCourt's teaching insecurity to stem from his educational and lived personal experiences in childhood. As McCourt (2005) depicted - “that miserable childhood deprived me of my self-esteem, triggered spasms of self pity, paralyzed my emotions, made me cranky, envious and disrespectful of authority...kept me from rising in the world and made me unfit, almost, for human society” (p. 1). Thus, instead of perpetuating the oppression (and sexual victimization) he faced during his school years -he opted for an unconventional pedagogy and disregard for bureaucracy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Teacher Man, I too, was critical of McCourt`s pedagogy - questioning as to whether he was considering the interests of his students...or engaged in a self-seeking longing for restoration and contentment. This was evident is his powerful quote - I am called before the court, accused of leading a double life. To wit: that in the classroom I enjoy myself and deny students a proper education while I toss nightly on my celibate cot and wonder, God help us, what’s it all about (p. 211)...
On a side note - I discovered a web blog by one of his previous students which disclosed some interesting insight and tidbits on McCourt`s class...
http://www.calicocat.com/frank_mccourt.htm
Respect...
ReplyDeleteAre students respected in Canada? Do teachers consider their students as equals, as human beings? Are students subjected to as much coercion as in-mates? Robert Epstein has tried to answer this last question. He has conducted a research about the subject. His answer states that adolescent students are subjected to twice as much coercion as are in-mates and to ten times as much as are other adults. I guess that if teachers embody this coercion, it is conceivable that disrespect ensues from this situation.
I highly suggests Epstein’s book, The Case against Adolescence: Rediscovering the adult in every teen.
Great questions. I don't think McCourt is insecure. I think he has evolved over the years from a rather green teacher to a more experienced one. Also -- how can he remember all those details about his classes? I can barely remember last year!...:)
ReplyDelete