Frank McCourt Teacher Man
Frank McCourt (1930-2009) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and returned to America in 1949. For thirty years he taught in New York City high schools. His first book, Angela's Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the L.A. Times Book
Award. In 2006, he won the prestigious Ellis Island Family Heritage Award for
Exemplary Service in the Field of the Arts and the United Federation of Teachers
John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education.
Long before he gained fame as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book
"Angela's Ashes", Frank McCourt was a high school teacher in New York City. This is what the book “teacher man” is about, so I want to present you some interesting extracts and quotes out of it!
"I think of the twelve thousand and wonder what I did for them. Then I think of what they did for me" (p. 66). I didn´t really find out what he thinks they did for him, but at least they enriched his life. I suppose he was indeed really happy with his life as a teacher, but sometimes he seems to be a little tired of teaching and tired of dealing with young people.
"Every class has its chemistry. They know you like them and they like you in return.
Sometimes they'll tell you that was a pretty good lesson and you're on top of the world. That somehow gives you energy and makes you want to sing on the way home" (p. 77).
I have a little work experience, only 2 years of shadowing “real teachers” in partner schools of PH OÖ, but I realized that McCourt is true with his quote. Good lessons, which students liked, make you happy. But what I think about if you claim a class likes you and you like them is, that it shouldn´t matter if you like each other. A teacher should be on a higher level, a more professional one, so that likes and dislike aren´t worth talking about. But I found out it ain´t easy!
There is always this relationship thing between teacher and students, and their
parents
Award. In 2006, he won the prestigious Ellis Island Family Heritage Award for
Exemplary Service in the Field of the Arts and the United Federation of Teachers
John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education.
Long before he gained fame as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book
"Angela's Ashes", Frank McCourt was a high school teacher in New York City. This is what the book “teacher man” is about, so I want to present you some interesting extracts and quotes out of it!
"I think of the twelve thousand and wonder what I did for them. Then I think of what they did for me" (p. 66). I didn´t really find out what he thinks they did for him, but at least they enriched his life. I suppose he was indeed really happy with his life as a teacher, but sometimes he seems to be a little tired of teaching and tired of dealing with young people.
"Every class has its chemistry. They know you like them and they like you in return.
Sometimes they'll tell you that was a pretty good lesson and you're on top of the world. That somehow gives you energy and makes you want to sing on the way home" (p. 77).
I have a little work experience, only 2 years of shadowing “real teachers” in partner schools of PH OÖ, but I realized that McCourt is true with his quote. Good lessons, which students liked, make you happy. But what I think about if you claim a class likes you and you like them is, that it shouldn´t matter if you like each other. A teacher should be on a higher level, a more professional one, so that likes and dislike aren´t worth talking about. But I found out it ain´t easy!
There is always this relationship thing between teacher and students, and their
parents