Crow Lake Summary

One’s environment plays a positive or negative role in shaping a person’s identity depending on where they live. Growing up in a bad neighborhood, one might be surrounded by gangsters, dangerous streets, and have a higher chance of becoming a burden on society. Growing up in a rich neighborhood, one might worry less and get whatever they want; so life is not a burden. But being exposed in a poor environment shapes one’s identity positively by motivating a person to grow and evolve for the better.

An important point I learned after reading Holler if You Can Hear Me by Gregory Michie is that teachers should care about their students because students will learn more if they know you care and then they will care to learn . Mr. Mitchie believes his students don’t care enough to learn about sexism, but the truth was that they were tired of spending 2 weeks on the same lesson. Mr. Mitchie will then get angry at his class and tell them that if they didn’t care to learn then he wouldn’t make them. In another instant a teacher named Miss. Reilly was tired of her class not listening to her that she threatened to quit, but a student named Samuel wrote her a letter and told her not quit. In another instant Mr. Shepherd was always

Towards the beginning of “The Lesson”, she had much more of a “we” attitude. For example, in the first paragraph, the word we is used excessively. Instead of her just hating Miss Moore, it was “we” that hated Miss Moore. It was “we” who laughed and “we” who watched the junk man. However, fast forward to the end of the story and she has become exceedingly individualistic. For instance, Sugar has the idea of racing Sylvia to a store, Hascombs, and instead of Sylvia bolting down the sidewalks, instead, she though, “I’m going to the West End and then over to the Drive to think this day through. She [Sugar] can run if she want to and even run faster. But ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin" (Bambara). Therefore, it is easy to see Sylvia is not as collective as she once was. She wants to be alone and because of all the emotions from the lesson, she needs time to think them out,

Teachers and their pupils need to have a positive relationship. Teachers build relationships with their pupils the minute they start the school environment. They do this through the way they interact with the child. For example, if a teacher was teaching a class of

Imagine yourself being a young teenage girl who’s been raped and now suffers from it. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, tells a story about freshman, Melinda who experiences high school in a way nobody should experience it. The summer before Melinda’s before freshman year, she had experienced an assault at a party. Ever since that situation had occurred, Melinda’s suffers being bullied at school, has problems at school, and struggles with issues at home.

The article “Confessions of a Drug-Addicted High School Teacher” by Jason Smith recounts the weekly experiences of an esteemed teacher in a conservative pocket in North California. Smith, while managing his student and superior’s complications is slowly deteriorating behind his own drug addiction issues. The main strategy used by Smith could be considered the credibility appeal; he attempts to reach his purpose by showing himself as trustworthy. Smith’s use of this rhetorical device in his writing effectively engages the reader interest and urges readers to consider how the teaching job is much more than just teaching, while his use of specific examples shows his familiarity of the subject and thus his ability to present a compelling argument.

The article concludes, teachers do not need to resemble their students in order to teach them; however, teachers must find ways to effectively relate lessons and themselves to students. The development of familiarity and awareness can create a better teaching experience and learning opportunities for students. Once material is more relatable and students are more engaged, teachers can then work toward assessing what students are actually learning in the

In the two written compositions- “Students”, a poem, by Tom Wayman and “Crow Lake”, a short story, by Mary Lawson- the relationship between students and their teacher are both emphasized in their shortcomings and strains. In both pieces, the students are uninterested in the subject being taught by their respective teachers and the teachers have either no interest or no ability to catch the interests of their students (these two ideas have their differences in each individual piece).

Do we control the direction of our lives, or do forces outside of our control determine our destiny? Ernest J. Gaines shows this with Grant, Jefferson. A good example of this would be Grant Wiggins. He shows that even though you may be an educated person, you can’t really choose on what you want to do. If you only have little options to begin with and if that is what society would want to give to you. Another would be Jefferson because he is locked up and can’t really do much. He doesn’t have much control because of his skin and because he got the death sentence without a fair trial.

Ms. Vasquez was the newest member of the first grade team at Westside Elementary School. She, along with three other teachers, made up the first grade teaching staff. Three years before Sally’s employment began, the first grade staff “adopted academic progress and social development criteria for determining whether students should be retained in grade” (Kowalski, pg. 59). While Sally was uncomfortable with retaining students, she was not yet confident enough in her position to challenge the veteran teachers. During her schooling, “Sally had been told that the negative aspects of retaining students far outweighed the benefits-a contention that was supported by several research articles she was required to read” (Kowalski, pg. 59). Ms. Vasquez

1) Analyzing - Evaluate E.B. White's use of description by writing a response that answers the following: do you feel you are the audience of White's piece?

If you ask any person to list the top things they would want in a dream life they would most likely account money and luxurious things, but are they necessary to achieve happiness? In Thomas Coraghessan Boyle’s short story, “After the Plague”, although the main character Francis Xavier Halloran (aka Jed) felt that he needed wealth and fame to be happy due to a broken childhood, after analyzing the literary element characterization reveals that Jed would rather live a simple life with someone he can connect with after he opens up to Felicia.

Doubt, a film taking place in New York during the 1960s, focuses on the accusation of a priest, Father Flynn, being a child predator by a nun, Sister Aloysius. The credibility of Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn are often brought into question throughout the film. As the evidence gathered was mostly circumstantial and created through assumptions, Father Flynn did not harm Donald Miller at any instance despite the constant pressure from Aloysius to admit his guilt by leaving the parish.

Parents are always supposed to look out for the best interests of their child. Anne Tyler authored the short story “Teenage Wasteland” which depicts the story of a strained mother and son relationship between the character Donny, and his mother Daisy. Donny is a teenage boy who is struggling with his grades at school and is exhibiting poor behavior. His mother, Daisy is concerned with her son’s grades and behavior, however, she fails at getting her son the help that he requires. Told through the point of view of the character Daisy, Tyler uses irony to tell the story of a teenage boy who is failed by the adults in his life who are supposed to help him flourish, including his parents, a psychologist, and his tutor.

The author did a very great job describing the weather and the emotions in this short story. It kind of reminded me of the winter here in Edmonton. Although we do not have it seven years straight, it brought me back to when its non stop cold for a solid six to seven months.