Contrasting: Boy and Teacher

A few months later, everyone in school noticed the change from the boy who was constantly lost, to a boy who was outstanding in all of his classes and receiving merits from all his

‘A Talk to Teachers’ by James Baldwin published on December 21, 1963 is a very brave and direct message to teachers on how they are contributing to the prejudice in society during that time period. Baldwin’s tone in this essay shifts frequently however, the constant tone that enhances his purpose of this essay is urgency. Baldwin’s urgency to make teachers change the prejudice view on “negros” and the false history that is being taught about African Americans. For he refers to it as “any negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of being schizophrenic.”

While reading Journal 1 of The Alternative and reflecting on the assignment giving, memories of teachers flooded through my mind. I am unabashed to admit that I believed some teachers to be poor at their job, and have more than once thought that perhaps this wasn’t the correct career path for them. One such teacher was my 7th and 8th grade science teacher, who believed public shaming to be the preferable way of teaching adolescents. When a student would answer a question wrong in class he couldn’t help but laugh as well as bring it up throughout the lesson, refusing to let the student move past their mistake. He chose to

In his work entitled “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts”, journalist and author Alfred Lubrano poses the question of how receiving education can lead to a harsh reality. Lubrano explains that as a child works toward a higher education, there are certain aspects of life they are forced to leave behind as they enter into a new existence. According to Lubrano’s statement, “At night, at home, the differences in the Columbia experiences my father and I were having was becoming more evident” (532). Additionally, Lubrano states, “We talked about general stuff, and I learned to self-censor. I’d seen how ideas could be upsetting, especially when wielded by a smarmy freshman who barely knew what he was talking about” (533). In answering this question, Lubrano must explore the types of conversations that occurred with other family members, the disconnection from his peers, and how segregating himself from his family

These stereotypes of teachers inspire the general public by showing a “fairy-tale version” of what truly happens in the classroom. The movies make it look like there is always some huge triumph at the end of the day and everyone ends up learning what they need to learn. This does not always mean learning the classroom material. Breault states that in most of the movies studied the teachers are more focused on teaching life lessons as opposed to the basic knowledge that should be taught in the classroom. The article also discusses how the teaches are viewed as heroes who save the students and advocate for them outside of the classroom. The teachers in the movies are praised for never teaching with a textbook or teaching regular course curriculum. The pictures show that the real live classroom is a lot more structured than what is portrayed in

In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, racism and prejudice are clearly evident and talked about throughout the novel. The novel expresses the oppression of the blacks under a white-ruled society through the narrator, Grant. Grant is a well-educated black man who struggles to free himself from the oppression he has felt from the white community. Despite the fact that he is educated and a teacher, he initially lacks the vigor needed to take the first step against black discrimination. He has all this intellect, but does not realize until later on that it is not only intelligence he needs to overcome the oppression, but self-assertion, too. Education does not prove your intellectual worth in society; rather, it is what you do during difficult times that define your intelligence and strong character not just to yourself, but to the world.

The first thing I will talk about in this book is the positive and negative effects of physical contact with your students. Michie, the main character, was in an incident where he was accused of touching a student inappropriately. Although the truth was revealed that he didn’t do what he was accused of, it shows how physical contact with a student can have a negative impact on a teacher’s career. Even though Michie was merely trying to console a person, children look for attention in any way they can find. This incident nearly cost Michie his job, but at the same time, a big part of teaching is showing the kids you care for them. Michie believes it is hard to care for people if you keep them at arm’s length, and I agree. Physical contact is an

Injustice will always exist; the world will never be perfect. However, never has injustice been more prevalent in a society than during the pre-civil rights South. In his novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines explores the injustice of society in Bayonne, Louisiana, in the 1940s. An uneducated young black man named Jefferson has been accused of murder and has been sentenced to death by electrocution. He is not even seen as a man by the “superior” whites, but rather as a hog. Upon the realization that Jefferson will die seen as a hog and nothing better than an animal, Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, petitions the only educated black man in the quarter, Grant Wiggins, to “teach Jefferson to be a man.” While reluctant and frustrated at first, Grant eventually develops a deep connection with Jefferson, and their actions teach the people in the town a lesson about dignity and respect. However, not only blacks were affected by racial injustice. On the other side of the spectrum is a white deputy named Paul. Although he doesn’t face the negative side of injustice, he still is forever changed by his experiences. While Grant, Jefferson, and Paul, are different, one similarity they share is that racial injustice plays a powerful role in all their lives, and in the end, these men do all that they can to fight racial injustice: they win small victories through their actions such as standing up to the system and showing true courage.

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.

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be

A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, is a novel based on a court case involving African Americans and Caucasians in the 1940s. In this novel, an incident takes place where an African American man, Jefferson, arrives at the wrong place at the wrong time and is sentenced to the death penalty following a biased trial. Another man in the novel, Grant, also an African American, as well as a school teacher, must help Jefferson, whom the white people call a ‘hog’, become more of a man before his death sentence. In doing so, Grant undergoes a transformation as well throughout the novel. In order to explain how Grant has undergone a transformation throughout the novel this essay will explore how he changes as a teacher, how he learns from

Successful African American students, like Calvin, do not receive much attention in school systems and research. The underachievement and low- level course enrollment of African American males is well documented and seems to be a construct in the educational system. Behaviors from students tend to be a tool of coping that clashes with the Euro-American worldview of culturally acceptable behavior. When it comes to Calvin’s history teacher, I believe that she has her own preconceived notions and stereotypes about African Americans that seem to have affected her understanding of the Calvin’s classroom experience. When thinking about the comment the teacher made about the Calvin’s automatic reaction to be “negative and angry”, explains the teacher’s thoughts about African Americans having difficulty controlling their anger. According to Sue and Sue (2013), White Americans continue to cling to the images of dangerous, violence-prone, and antisocial

This comparison lends a sense of deep and sincere respect and awe for the teacher’s ability to educate their students to their fullest potential. The infallibility of these teachers becomes quickly contrasted against the malevolent legislators who have been targeted throughout the review. Tom Horne, in particular, is attacked for his overbearing and unnecessarily personal barrage against the Ethnic Studies program. His extreme disrespect and willingness to either stretch the facts, or completely invent them, make him a formidable enemy in a war where perception and public rapport are paramount. Horne has “openly lied in the past about his history of bankruptcy and has the unique distinction of being banned forever from the Securities and Exchanges Commission” ultimately showing just how insincere and conniving he truly is (Biggers 2). The legislator's inclination toward personal attacks and deception makes them even more able to dismantle the Ethnic Studies program Acosta had worked so hard to put in place. In a battle where the enemy supremely overpowers the students, changes need to be made.

Author and speaker of the compelling article Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results, Joanne Lipman informs the public on different teaching styles and which ones have the best results. Dabbling in the careers of journaling, editing, and writing, obviously attending Yale University has given Ms. Lipman many opportunities to succeed in life in different areas. Although, having such a sheltered life as a white and privileged woman will obviously give her a different perspective of this topic. Joanne is automatically given the upperhand and is taught from an early age a different way to think about different subjects. Ms. Lipman was fortunate enough to go to a high-ranking high school in New Jersey which could have molded her thoughts about teachers and their teaching strategies. When reading parts of the article we can find examples of her knowledge on the subject, “We’re in the midst of a national wave of self recrimination over the U.S. education system” (Lipman 4) the reader acquires the sense that she is exceptionally well informed on the topic of the education system. With this comprehension of the issue, I can assume that Ms. Lipman has primarily worked in the education field. The background of an author is an immensely important quality when it comes to their works of literature. Not only does it show their point of view, but also their bias which proves to be influential to the readers. Creative and factual, Joanne spreads her point throughout the article thoroughly,

Miss Caroline is a brand new teacher and has been trained to teach in a certain way. When she finds that Scout’s premature reading ability disrupts her teaching plan she has no idea what to do with her, and tells Scout not to read at home anymore. ‘Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore, it would interfere with my reading.’ This shows how society is oblivious to individual situations and this can cause achievements to be frowned upon.