Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
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Book Reviews of Teacher Man: A Memoir
Book Review: Thanks McCourt
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished this book an hour ago. It was delightful. When I was finished, the first thought that came to me was, wow, I want him to be my teacher. I am 26 years old and a teacher myself but I want to sit in his classroom, listen to his wit and knowledge, learn, and soak up inspiration - not even teaching inspiration, just inspiration.
I loved that McCourt was not preachy but was instead very real. He was honest about his difficulties in the classroom and didn't put up a front to try to prove anything to anybody or provide the coveted answer on how to leave no child behind. He did share successes but it was not until his fifteenth year of teaching that he said he was beginning to find his voice and feel comfortable in the classroom. This is so realistic because teachers really become experts after quite a few years of experience, and, like McCourt, the very best continue to learn and continue to make mistakes because they are trying new things instead of just going through the motions.
His writing felt genuine and his stories human. And really, the story (at least for me) was not just about teaching but about human experiences. Beautiful wit provided many laughs throughout.
No question on what book I'll read next - Angela's Ashes
Book Review: A lightbulb went off over my head
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't even finished reading this book yet, and I simply love it. My favorite part thus far has been that when he figured out how to teach writing by having the students at a tech high school in Staten Island write excuse notes to God from Adam and Eve, and excuse notes using other major characters of history and literature.
His despair at his own ineptitude, the university system's inability to teach the practical world of teaching, and his overall powerlessness in the face of teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s (and a bad marriage) has been an enlightening experience. So few people say "I had no clue what I was doing" and really own up to their own inability to cope. It's an extremely refreshing read for that very reason.
This book is everything...comic, tragic, bewildering, comforting, and overall, honest. That, of course, is what I have come to expect from Frank McCourt. I can't wait to get to the end!
And if I ever were fortunate enough to meet this man, I would NOT treat him as the Professional Irishman in the room...I'd want to know how it feels to work so hard to bare his soul on paper for millions of readers. THAT is what makes him special, not his brogue.
Book Review: Telling It Like It Is
Summary: 5 Stars
Frank McCourt really hit a home run with this memoir Teacher Man of his teaching days in NYC.I enjoyed also his previous memoir of teaching, 'Tis. Besides being entertaining, Teacher Man "tells it like it is" in many a classroom in this country which prides itself on its fine educational systems. To be sure, McCourt is an entertainer, a storyteller, a creative teacher, and then some. His experiences in the classroom, sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, sometimes poignant will touch the heart of any teacher who has been a teacher for at least five years.Also important is the reality of the teaching bureaucracy that is present in almost all public systems: "This is the situation of the public schools of America: The farther you travel from the classroom the greater your financial and professional rewards. Get the license. Teach for two or three years. Take courses in administration, supervision, guidance, and with your new certificates you can move into an office with air-conditioning, private toilets, long lunches, secretaries. You won't have to struggle with large groups of pain-in-the-arse kids. Hide in your office, and you won't even have to see the little buggers."
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Book Review: FRANK McCOURT INSPIRES US TO LIVE LIFE FULLY
Summary: 5 Stars
Teacher Man is one of the best books I have read in years. Written in a manner that brings you into the classroom with him, Mr. McCourt shows us that it is no simple task to teach students in a New York City school.
He shows such a depth of compassion for his students and delves deeply into the dynamics of how kids learn and sometimes try to avoid learning. His life in teaching, he asserts, was not planned and nevertheless an opportunity to do something significant for the young children he came in contact with.
What is most interesting is his insights into the fundamental flaws of the school system. He shows how many administrators leave the classroom before they themselves really get a grasp for what it is the teacher does. They flee the work of a teacher and become an obstacle to good teaching rather than a supporter and mentor.
No teacher or would be teacher should be without the insights and inspiration McCourt provides.
Furthermore, for those of us who spent our early life teaching, McCourt shows that there is a another life afterward and one that can be equally fulfilling. I have become a writer and hope to follow in his footsteps.
Book Review: Inspirational
Summary: 5 Stars
As a life-long educator (middle school, high school, graduate school, and seminary), I found Frank McCourt's personal account of his thirty-year teaching career to be mesmerizing. He is on target with his philosophy of teaching people to think, not simply teaching them what to think. He's also insightful in his use of "out of the box" methodology that fits his diverse students rather than a "one-size-fits-all" model.
Unfortunately, he's also totally correct in his assessment of the bureaucratic fights that a creative teacher must face when teaching in a public educational system that demands conformity and group think.
For teachers, "Teacher Man: A Memoir" is a refreshing challenge to fight for your students by fighting against a system that tends to reward mediocrity instead of meritocracy. For all other readers, this memoir will inspire you to adventurous living regardless of your vocational context.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction", "Soul Physicians," and "Spiritual Friends."