Summary Of The Story ' Gryphon ' By Charles Baxter

John Gatto’s essay, “The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher” was very interesting to read. Right away I was able to recognize his ironic and sarcastic tone. His essay gives sign not only to modern education but also modern society and what we build our lives upon. Gatto writing made me think beyond what I normally would and opened my eyes to more faults within our education system that I never realized.

Laurie also gets punished when he lies about Charles. At the meeting, Laurie's mother is ready to meet Charles mother, but she can’t seem to find her so she goes to the teacher. The teacher starts talking about Laurie. The teacher says, “We had a little trouble adjusting, the first week or so,” “but now he’s a fine little helper. With occasional lapses of course.” “Laurie usually adjusts very quickly,” I said.This quote shows that the theme is very accurate because the teacher is saying how Laurie wasn’t being a very good kid when they started school, but then the mother says that Laurie isn’t a bad kid. This is showing that the mother is starting to understand that Laurie is being influenced by Charles, but she may also thinking that there might not be a Charles. Earlier in the story, Laurie tells them how now Charles is being a helper which can cause some trouble later on. There is another part in the book where it happens very similarly. “You must have our hands full in that kindergarten, with Charles.” “Charles?” “We don’t have any Charles in the kindergarten.” This quote relates to theme because they are both the teacher and the mother figuring out that Laurie had lied about Charles. That there is no Charles in the kindergarten. This not only makes Laurie get punished but it also makes the mother feel embarrassed by asking and because she even asked the

The day I presented in that English class, and when I informed students of the University of Maryland’s huge endowment, I embraced the role of a substitute teacher as having “something.” No, I did not expect to be a substitute teacher forever, but having “something” was a lot better than having “nothing.” Even though I had “something,” when I was a substitute teacher, I still walked into classrooms (seemly) tiptoeing on a balance beam, too frightened to look down. Why may you ask? Join me now and let’s explore the

A typical routine of a fourth grade student in Five Oaks, Michigan shifted immediately when the unfamiliar substitute teacher entered the classroom. Mr. Hibler, the students’ normal teacher, came down with a cough and wasn’t in the classroom for a few days. Inside the school setting is where all the important and developing events throughout the story occurred. The students were used to the typical memorization of facts, predictable subjects, and uneventful classroom teachings. Miss Ferenczi disrupted this normality of the routine of a day the students had. “She said that the Egyptians were the first to discover that dogs, when they are ill, will not drink from rivers, but wait for the rain, and hold their jaws open to catch it.” (Baxter 256) The facts and statements she said to the students engulfed their thoughts. Leading them to be confused, intrigued, and curious to hear more. These were feelings they never expected to feel at school. While, more often than not, Miss Ferenczi was presenting mythical, untrue, or incorrect facts, the students mindsets shifted in the classroom. Boredom no longer invaded the students whenever Miss Ferenczi was speaking. “There was no sound in the classroom, except for Miss Ferenczi’s voice, and Donna DeShano’s

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.

Miss Ferenczi’s tutelage represents a breath of fresh air and a new experience for her students. Everything about her is foreign to the students yet not inaccessible. Hope and truth are connected within Miss Ferenzci; her style of dress, lunch choices, and forthright speech are prime examples. Miss Ferenczi has found her own truth, herself, as evidenced by her nonconformist attitude, elaborate dress, delightful stories, and a touch of humility. She exemplifies that all adults are not like those the children are accustomed in their community. Miss Ferenczi’s symbolism of truth is foreshadowed by Tommy when he notices his substitute’s peculiar marionette lines reminding him of Pinocchio. Pinocchio is a wooden boy who wants to be real and is a liar. Miss Ferenczi may be a real, in the flesh, person, but she is very surreal to Tommy and his classmates; they’ve never seen anything like her. Also, Miss Ferenczi bends the truth and tells stories of myths in order to provoke the students’ sense of thought, imagination, and wonder. The truths the children seek are far beyond spelling and arithmetic, but constitute the character the students will eventually mesh with and emit.

The preliminary settings are as ordinary as they can be. It is a “Wednesday afternoon” (245) boring classroom between a geography class and an art project. It is quite and peaceful in Five Oaks. In the background of a rural community consisted of “unemployed college graduates” and “stay-at-home moms”(246),Miss Ferenczi is a colorful stranger. She is a breath of excitement to the children's dull lives. She presents herself to the class in a very theatrical manner. First thing she mentions about herself is her royal Hungarian ancestors. Her tale fascinates the young minds. Tommy the narrator of the story, “does not take his eyes of the woman”(246). He notices a curious characteristic of her physical appearance “the two prominent lines, descending vertically from the sides of her mouth to the chin”(247). They resemble Pinocchio, who was never a real boy, but a prominent liar, further emphasizing the way Miss Ferenczi plays with truths and facts. Pinocchio reference is a push-pull phenomena. It brings to the story the argument of

Laurie, at first, did not seem at all interested. But when Laurie’s father and I both said that we knew that he was Charles, he just stared at us. “Laurie, or should I say Charles,” said Laurie’s father, “Your mother and I are very upset at your behavior.” “Lying to us is never the right thing to do. Not to talk about all the other trouble you have caused. Kicking the teacher, yelling in the classroom, being fresh, and telling other kids to say swear words is absolutely not ok Laurie!” I could see that Laurie felt a sense of fear. “Laurie,” I said, “Your father and I are going to have to punish you for what you have done. But first, we need you to apologize to your teacher and all of the students for your behavior during the past couple weeks. Do you know what it means to apologize?” “It means to say sorry,” said Laurie. “Correct,” I said. “So when you go to school today, I will ask your teacher to give you a chance to have a word

Gryphon by Charles Baxter is a really interesting text. The substitute teacher, Ms.Ferenczi tell weird stories to Mr. Hibler’s 4th grade class, and the main character Tommy thinks that the stories are true. Tommy is vexed, gullible, and inquisitive.

The twenty-five stories that are contained in the book, My First Year As A Teacher, are about real teachers and their experiences during the first year of teaching. Each story is different. Some are about memorable students while other stories are about some of the hardships that are encountered as a novice teacher. The diverse sampling of stories in this book gives insight of what kind of problems one might encounter as a teacher, yet they also describe how rewarding the profession can be. I found it rather difficult to choose only ten stories as my favorite but after much consideration and rereading I decided on the following stories because in many ways I could relate to the students as well as the teachers that are given life in these stories.

Jane was doing so well during the first half of her semester of 8th grade year that her parents decided to let her skip the rest of the semester to being 9th grade. Upon entering the 9th grade, Jane was shy and conservative. Not knowing what to expect. Her first hour teacher name was Mr. Russ. He was in his late 50’s, teaching English. He was very old-fashioned and stuck in old ways of teaching. He was very discreet and you could tell when he didn’t like you. When he first met Jane, he didn’t like her just based on her personality, and bubbliness. He instantly shut her down. One month into Mr., Russ

In the story Clover the teacher, a man that goes by the name of Graham, interacts with students in numerous ways. The author describes Mr. Graham’s unique characteristics in the classroom and at home in several ways. One way he describes the teacher’s characteristics is by telling what is going on in his home life and other things of that matter.

In “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter, a class of fourth grade students gets a substitute teacher. She is very eccentric but knowledgeable and tells the whole class a lot of myths and facts. It is up to the class to decide what is true or not.

In the short story entitled “Gryphon” by author Charles Baxter, the author begins to formulate a storyline about a young boy named Tommy and his experience with his new substitute teacher, Miss Ferenczi. Miss Ferenczi being a new substitute teacher in Five Oaks, Michigan provides Tommy’s class with a unique atmosphere. Ferenczi’s personality and teaching methods are particular features newly encountered by Tommy. Moreover, Miss Ferenzi’s is presented as a strange individual amongst Tommy’s class because of her attire and the two lines present across her face. Tommy and other classmates begin to alter their perspective on Miss Ferenczi’s as her character begins to unravel. Further, characters such as Miss Ferenczi and Tommy begin to change behavior through the continuation of the story. For instance, Tommy starts to develop his imagination and Miss Ferenczi begins her ascension as a fictional storyteller. As the story progresses, each character experiences continuous changes such as Tommy’s development of a sense of imagination and Miss Ferenczi’s implantation of fictional storytelling.