The thing that I learned was the hope that these children give to the adults. Kozol's parents starting getting worse at the end of the book and his dad at one point thought that Kozol was his brother. Kozol knew he wouldn't be around for long but he would always pray for more years to come with them. I feel that the adults got through life a little easier knowing that they had the kids to make them happy, to brighten up their day. They just wanted to give the children a good eduacation and a good life and they did their very best. If my teachers put in as much effort as the ones in the book then myself and other students i went ot school with would be better off. They didn't take the time ti sit there and explain to us what we didn't understand they just kept lecturing to us to the point we had no idea what was going on. They would then blame us for not knwoing because we "weren't paying attention". No you just dont know how to explain it to us or don't take the time to help us understand. The teacher is a big influence in our education today because we need them to teach us the things we don't already know.
The note that stood out to me in the back of the book was the note that states: "Teenagers who come back to help as tutors. One is the boy described in chapter 16 under the pseudonym of Benjamin. Now doing well at secondary school outside the Bronx, he has become a skillful and empathetic mentor to the younger children." This comes as a huge shock to me because Benjamin was the boy who couldn't sit still and wasn't really on the right path to achieve greatness. Also not many people get to leave the Bronx and he has left and become successful and has not forgotten where he came from because he came back to tutor.
I agree with you Lacie that a lot of what kids do today has significant influences from the teachers and instilling the willingness to learn and understand. and the kids do have a more positive outlook when they ask a question or admit that they do not understand something and the teacher should take the time to speak with the student either in class or after class to ensure the student does not get left behind.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that in the notes, that Benjamin of all the kids, was one of the ones coming back to be a tutor, that was surprising but in a good way. While he was well noted for his inability to sit still, he really pushed himself going forward from what Mother Martha and Katrice was teaching him and worked hard for what he has today. I thought that was very inspiring.
Hi Lacie, It slipped my my mind how much the teachers and Kozol depend on these children for rejuvenation. I am glad you brought this point back up and I enjoyed reading your blog.
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