Analysis OfThe Sanctuary Of School, By Lynda Barry

Even though she was at her house, she still hurried to get to school for the feeling of satisfaction and safety instead of staying at her house which is filled with fear and discomfort. Barry uses the main character’s actions to convey that the narrator only feels comfort when she is at school and that she always urges to be there. Secondly, in the passage that follows, Lynda Barry writes the narrator’s thoughts to show that just the sighting of someone’s safe haven can relieve panic. “ All I knew was a feeling of panic, like the panic that strikes kids when they realize they are lost. That feeling eased the moment I turned the corner and saw the dark outline of my school at the top of the hill” (Barry 1). The quotes conveys that just when the protagonist sees the outline of her school the feeling of discomfort simply disappears. The narrator’s mind finally went calm, as shown through the thoughts that went through her head. Thirdly, in the next excerpt, the author uses first person narrative to express the thinking of the central figure of narrative. “It’s only thinking about it now, 28 years later, that

Residential schools are educational institutions established for Indigenous children. It was funded by the Canadian government and administered by Christian churches with the sole purpose of civilizing the native children and assimilate them into the modern western culture. In the novel Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson describes the impact of residential schools on multiple characters in the story. Uncle Mick, Aunt Trudy, and Josh are just a few who have experienced many types of abuse-physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual. Those horrid memories left permanent emotional scars and still resides with them even until adulthood. Residential schools disrupted lives, isolated families, eliminated cultural identity and caused long-term problems among the Indigenous community.

Lynda Barry is a writer, teacher, and cartoonist who is best known for her comic strips about troubled family life. “The Sanctuary of School” portrays school as the haven that Barry found it to be during her childhood. School, Barry explains, was the place she felt safe and where she had the opportunity to utilize art as a coping mechanism for her home life. Through this narration of her childhood, Barry also addresses the importance of funding our nation’s education system and providing students with opportunities they do not receive at home. I believe that the message of the author is crucial as students in underprivileged neighborhoods may not have the creative outlets they need in school. The essay allows me to reflect on my own fortunate

“The School” is a short story written by Donald Barthelme and published in 1974 in The New Yorker. Donald Barthelme is a post-modernist writer known for his deceptively simple yet powerful and insightful short stories. “The School” is a story that takes a good hard look at the sensitive topic of death. The theme of this story is about the cycle of life and how death is an integral part of it. The story is written in first person narrative. The narrator here is the teacher and he talks about how he and his young students of 30 kids encountered death throughout their time together in class. He uses edgy humor and a conversational tone in his seemingly complex plot with a surprising effect that will stick with the reader long after they are done reading it.

In Lynda Barry's essay “The Sanctuary of School” the author addresses the ongoing issue of funding for public schools in America. She is trying to persuade her American audience, such as the school board, and parents, that we need to keep the public schools. Barry is the perfect person to argue the importance of public schools and art and the children who attend them because she was one of those children. She is now a famous cartoonist and author, and she thanks her public school experience for her success. Her essay was intended for the people who believe they aren't important, people who work for school boards, maybe some parents, and the United States Department of Education. In “The Sanctuary of School,” Lynda Barry uses a sense of

Time and time again I've found myself declaring education as the central pillar of my growth and development, that of which has been consistent throughout my life and educational career. From the age of 8 I've attributed school and learning as a way to escape the outside world, both willingly, and as an involuntary coping mechanism; school was a refuge, a safe place where I could build healthy relationships and escape my worries. I felt valued by my teachers, and I was given opportunities to contribute to a community, and for the first time felt autonomous- and that I could control my future.

At Hazelwood High School, they do things differently than at my school. At Hazelwood, most of the people worry about themselves and nobody else. Most of the school doesn’t get good grades and the school does not do anything about it. One day in English class Andy walked out when they were reading Macbeth because it was too emotional for Andy to handle. His friends were concerned and told the school counselor. They said, “But… but… it seems like… like… he needs help or somethin’.” Then the counselor said, “Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you boys this, but he is getting some outside counseling… So you boys can relax and be assured that he is getting whatever help he needs”(100). At Harrisburg High School, if someone had an issue like that, the counselors and teachers would be concerned, even if the person was getting outside help. Another thing about education that is different than mine is the school. In Ronda’s English homework, she wrote, “Our school building must have been built about a million years ago, because it was brown and tall and raggedy-looking, but it fit right in with the rest of the day”(16). At my high school, we are very fortunate to have a very new building to learn inside of. At Hazelwood High, they were not fortunate enough to have a new high school be built. Culture and education are very important pieces of people’s

She didn’t like school at all, she couldn’t seem to make friends, teachers always looked at her as the “problem child” or truancy, and she didn’t have the necessities to feel comfortable in school. With everything going on at home school probably was another thing Liz seen as a problem instead of an outlet. Liz could’ve benefitted from attention at school if she actually cared about it, applied herself and tried her hardest to ignore what people would say or think about what they would say. Liz could’ve used school as another way out. I would’ve went to school to eat, to talk to someone about what was going on at home to see if them was anything somebody could’ve done to help my situation. The resources that she could’ve got could have been helpful.

In particular, school is an imperative part of a child's life that shapes who we become as adults. The difference between the type of school a person goes to, can determine the kind of person they will become later on in life. For example, the author, Wes Moore, is sent to military school after he was placed on academic and disciplinary probation at his public school. While he is at Valley Forge Military Academy he learns several characteristics such as leadership skills, respect and discipline. Shortly after arriving at Valley Forge, Wes observed how a young man quickly caught every person’s attention and how he demanded respect from his peers, the kind you earn from being a true leader. He described how it was the first time he was beginning to truly understand his surroundings:

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

Personally, “The Sanctuary of School” offers the strongest conflict. Namely, the conflict of Man v. Society, because troubled children like Lynda Barry contend with those who think before and after school programs are unimportant.

Economics is the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth. In the readings Why College Shower Their Students with As, Staples and The Sanctuary of Schools, Barry we learn how economics influence educational environments. Staples argue the inflation of grades and how they will affect the value of diplomas. Barry’s argument is based on the lack of finance given to public schools. Barry states that the “people who live in this country believe that cutting the budgets for public schools is necessary.” Giving teacher poor salaries is all that is manageable, and that all fine art programs should be cut when times are lean. Along with the cancelation of before and after school programs, public schools

“The child soon learns not to ask questions - the teacher is not there to satisfy his curiosity” (Holt 73). This is what John Holt thinks the American education system is all about. He thinks that school is a place where individuality and creativity come to die. He wrote an essay that explains his belief further that is titled, “School is bad for Children.” Holt uses several rhetorical devices and logical fallacies such as generalizations - stereotypes, making assumptions, and “either or fallacy” that weakens his argument.

School, to me and among many peers of my age, is not a distant term. I have spent one-third of my life time sitting in classrooms, every week since I was seven years old. After spending this much time in school, many things and experiences that happened there have left their mark in my memory. Some are small incidences while some have had a great impact on me. However, regardless the degree of significance, things that happened all contributed to shape the person that I am now.

In my classroom, although the students will vary from ages 5 to 13, I would like to set an example for the students to follow. At that age, children establish who they are and what they believe in terms to what they are taught and how they are taught according to Freudian philosophy as well as my own. Teachers play a major role in a child’s life for the simple fact that the teachers probably spend more time with the child than the parent(s) especially in today’s society of economic demands.