'Can't you tell ys more about about Ireland?'
'Yo, teacher man...' Joey again. Mouth to the rescue.
'Joey, I told you my name is Mr.McCourt, Mr. McCourt, Mr. McCourt.'
'Yeah, yeah. So, mister, did you go out with girls in Irelans?'
'No, dammit. Sheep. We went out with sheep. What do you think we went out with?'
The class explodes. They laugh, clutch their chests, nudge, elbow one another, pretend to fall out of their desk. 'This teacher. Crazy, man. Talks funny. Goes out with sheep. Lock up your sheep.'
'Excuse me. Open your notebooks, please. We have a spelling list to cover. Hysterics. 'Will sheep be on the list?'
Oh man. That smart-ass response was a mistake. There will be trouble. The goody-goody, the saint and the critic with surely report me: 'Oh, Mom, oh, Dad, oh, Mr. Principal, guess what the teacher said in class today, Bad things about sheep.'
Next day the principal sends for me. He sits behind his desk, talking into the telephone, smoking a cigarette. He keeps saying, 'I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'll speak to the person involved.' New teacher , I'm afraid. 'He puts the phone down. Sheep. What is this about sheep?'
'Sheep?'
'I dunno what I''m going to do with you. There's a complaint that you said "dammit" in class' 'I know you're just off the boat from an agricultural country and don't know the ropes, but you should have some common sense.'
'No, sir. Not off the boat. I've been here eight and a half years, including my two years in the army, not counting years of infancy in Brooklyn.'
'Well, look. First the sandwhich, now the sheep. Damn phone ringining off the hook. Parents up in arms. I have to cover my ass. You're two days in the building and two days you're in the soup. How do you do it? If you'll excuse the expression you're inclined to screw up a bit. Why the hell you have to tell these kids about sheep?'
'I'm sorry. They kepy asking me questions, and i was exasperated. They were only trying to keep me away from the spelling list.'
'That's it?'
'I thought the sheep things was a bit funny at the time.' 'Oh, yeah, indeed. You standing there advocating bestiality. Thirteen parents are demanding you be fired. There are righteous people on Stateb Isnlane.' 'I was only joking.' 'No, young man. No jokes here. There's a tinme and place. When you say something in class they take you seriously. You're the teacher. You say you went out with sheep and they;re going to swallow every word. They don't know the mating habits of the Irish.'
'I'm sorry.'
'This time I'll let you go. I'll tell the parents you're just an Irish immigrant off the boat.'
'But I was born here.'
'Could you be quiet for one minute and listen while i save your life, huh? This time I'll let it go. I won't put a letter in your file. You don;t realize how serious it is to get a letter in your file. If you've got any ambition to rise in this system, principla, asssisant principal, guidance counselor, the letter in the file will hold you back. It's the start of the long downward slide.'
'Sir, I don't want to be a principal. I just want to teach.'
'Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say. You'll get over it. These kids will give you gray hair before you're thirty.'
It was clearI was not cut out to be the purposeful kind of teacher who brushed aside all questions, requests, complaints, to get on with the well-planned lesson. That would hve reminded me of that school in Limerick where the lesson was king and we were nothing.
This book, Teacher Man is about a man in his mid-twenty's from Ireland that is now teaching at a school in New York City. He's having a hard time learning new ways to teach without getting in trouble with the school, principal and the parents all the time. He wants to be a good teacher while teaching the kids, but also not being to strict at the same time. He wants the kids to like, listen, and repsect him but also have them learn too.I thought this part of the book was a good example of perception because earlier on in the book it talked about the ways his teachers talk and acted in class. Since he grew up around that he is used to this and does not know anythign different. So this is a huge change for him and doesn't realize he can get in trouble for many things he may consider saying to the class. The principal and parents find some things he says in class are inappropriate and offensive, but Mr. McCourt does not. So he is going to have to learn this new way of teaching, and new rules quickly before he gets fired.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Confused... (Narative Photography)
When I am around other people I try and act like a completely different person. I'm so confused and I don't know what to do or how to act. I'm unsure of who I want to be. One part of me wants to be social and outgoing with everything I do and try new things... But the other half of me wants to be layed back and be the leader of the group, not a follower. They are both completely opposite from each other and that is what I am confused about. When I am older, which one would I rather be? Both sides would be too normal and regular... that's why I don't want to have both personalities. I want to be different from anybody in my family or in my friends.
My family has noticed that I have been trying out new personalities. They would rather me be more on the quiet and layed back side rather than outgoing because they think if I try being more outgoing than anybody I know that I will get into trouble... In life I need to be outgoing, but also not too obnoxious. At this point I am not listening to anybody's opinion on what they think and who i want to be. I am lost and confused... I don't want to be like everybody else. I want to be ME. Not a copy...
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Ten pictures that describe myself
Being a twin is a huge part of my life. It really is the best thing in the world. Being a twin is like living with your best friend 24/7! My sister is my best friend and we will always be close for the rest of our lives. Just like any other siblings, we have our arguments but no matter what we can always count on each other and cheer each other up!
Being Christian/Catholic has also been a big part of my life. I've been going to church since I can remember. Even now when I am able to make my own decisions and beliefs I still go to a Christian church every weekend. For me, church is a place where I can go and everything feels right. Nobody gets judged, and everybody there has a smile on their faces! Church is one of the best places to go when you need help or a break from anything.
DOGS! Animals in general are the best things! As I said in my memoirs, animals make this world go around. I have a Rat Terrier named Daisy who can make me smile no matter what. I dont know what a lot of us humans would do without our pets. They are our best friends, and even our protective little watch animals. I would do anything for my dog and she would do anythind for anybody in our family!
Most people who spend a lot of time with me realize that I am the type of person that is always trying to cheer everybody up and make the best out of situations. There are times where you might be upset or angry about something but you just have to make yourself cheer up! I am the girl that doesn't like to see people upset so I try and help them. Life is too short to be unhappy! I also try and make the best out of everything because there are people out there who could be suffering and having a way worse day than you so you have to think of things like that too.
Last year my cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia. It has been such a journey and an experience that no one will ever forget. It was a really hard struggle but she was so strong and is pushing her way through it. We all had to stay positive for her and have hope and faith. Going to Childrens Hospital 3-4 times a week has really opened my eyes to many things I was unaware of before this all happened. The whole time we all had to say to ourselves that everything happens for a reason. I have met so many amazing little kids throughout this whole time... The parents used to tell my sister and I when we would color with their kid that we made their day... but really those little kids made our day. It makes me realize how fortunate a lot of us are and we just dont realize it as much as we should.
What would we do without family? The most amazing thing about family is no matter what, they will always love you and will always be there for you. Family supports anything that makes you happy. Friends are a great support system also, but family is something way different! We can all work together and have amazing times. Family really is a great thing to have.
A big part of my life is track and field. I love it! I run sprints and it is the best feeling in the world racing as fast as you can trying your best. I love staying active so this sport is great for me because you're litterally running constantly. The best part is it's not all an individual sport. We have relay teams which are awesome! It really is a team effort and on race day we all give it 100% and try to win it for each and every one of us.
Something that also makes up a big part of my personality is that I am a very caring person. I really try to put others before myself. People that I am very close to, I will do pretty much anything for them. When I'm older I want to become an athletic trainer and I think that would be a great career for me because I would really care for the people who come in with injuries.
Something that I really try to live by is the saying never give up. Even when times get hard I always tell myself to never give up! To be successful in life you have to work as hard as you can to get where you want to get. So if you never give up then all of your hard work will pay off in the end.
Volunteering is something that I want to spend more time doing. I really encoruage people to start volunteering more. A lot of people have many things going on and are busy but when you volunteer you just get the best feeling in the world after you're done! To me, helping out somebody who needed the help really is one of the best things in life. Even if you can't go out do active volunteering... giving some money to a hospital or a foundation really helps out more than you would think!
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