Toni Bambara's Short Story 'The Lesson'

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, is a story about the lesson Miss Moore gives to the neighborhood children. Miss Moore decides to take the children to F.A.O. Schwarz to show them the different toys that are available on Fifth Avenue. Once the children realize the cost of these fancy toys compared to the toys available to them, they become angry. When Sylvia thinks about what her mother would say if she asked for one of the toys she saw in the store, she also thinks about what her family could buy with the money the toy costs. When Miss Moore asks the children to state their thoughts about the store that had toys that cost the amount of what could feed a large family, Sugar states she thinks it is unfair and everyone should have an equal chance

In “I just wanna be average” Mike Rose recounts his years in vocational school, known as low level classes. Rose was placed in vocational school by accident, rose decided on staying enrolled with low level students. Rose observed his teacher and classmates and talks about them throughout his essay. Rose explains to the reader why many students don’t learn or don’t take school/education serious. Teachers show they don’t care about their students by giving lack of education and by using physical violence and all just to control them. Rose tells the reader some of the actions students take towards their education, students have slack off, get into fights and they party in other words they are becoming into troublemakers. Teachers should provide their education without any problem to help students learn teachers need to

The symbols present in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, depict the economic and social injustices faced by specific members of society, specifically the children in the story. The characters in the story are being mentored by Miss Moore, a woman from their block who has taken up the role of taking them out on weekly outings. The story touches on the situation of the children that are stuck in living in almost poverty. “The Lesson” focuses on the socioeconomic disparities between the different racial groups and how. Bambara uses several techniques such as irony, othering, and second person point of view to make the story meaningful and demonstrate the characteristics of the characters.

He continues his speech by suggesting that education should be more educational and teachers should motivate their students more. He uses Senator Ted Kennedy’s evidence-- “... office released a paper not long ago claiming that prior to compulsory education the state literacy rate was 98 percent and after it the figure never again climbed above 91 percent, where it stands in 1990”. He uses this statement in order to establish a purpose that if people trust Senator Ted then people are willing to trust him. Making the audience feel that they can trust

The short story “The Lesson” was first published in 1972. This story is in a collection called “Gorilla, My Love” with 14 other stories. Toni Bambara has also published two other novels which added to her collection. In 1977 she published “The Sea Birds Are Still Alive” as her second volume of stories. She also worked on a little bit of screenwriting. Bambara’s short fiction is notable for the creative language and her ability to capture the poetry of black speech. The author stresses the importance of knowledge for both individual growth and collective goodness. Most of her stories focus on young girls determined to make their place in the world. In “The Lesson” it shows us how wealth is unequally divided throughout America. Bambara portrays

Sherry’s own son, who always got by in school, was told by one of his teachers that he could either do his work or fail the class. The threat of failure motivated him to learn. She sees the resentment those students that were passed through school have for the system because as adults they value the education they threw away as teens. Sherry argues that teachers and parents must relook at the merit of failing because it can be a positive teaching

Social inequalities between black and white people are no longer as distinct as they were a few decades ago. Nevertheless, many people still have a lot of prejudices against African-Americans. The unfairness of socioeconomic status can be seen in our daily lives yet it is something that we push to the back of our minds.

While school may teach lessons, they are certainly not valuable life lessons. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird repeatedly shows the ineffectiveness of the education system in a child’s morals. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the Great Depression era in Alabama, where education was not the best. Teachers would only seek to teach their classes average, everyday lessons rather than valuable life teachings. Throughout the novel, Scout and Jem learn more and more valuable life lessons through real life scenarios than they ever would have ever learned at school. They learn morals such as courage, selflessness, and equality through their own lives. Therefore, real life experiences give more valuable lessons than education to Scout and Jem.

Currently, a substitute teacher I teach five to thirteen year old students with and without special educational needs. I take on many different roles while substitute teaching and enjoy discovering, investigating and reflecting upon these vastly different classrooms and schools.

There has been a multitude of famous individuals that have changed the course of human history over the years. With their work being the source of inspiration of many to simply having a likeable, repeatable demeanor, there is no doubt that to be regarded in that special collective of individuals. One of the most famous civil rights leader that advocated for 13 years, Martin Luther King Jr., discertation called, “The Purpose of Education,” that brings awareness to the importance of education and its overall relevance in tepid year of 1947. Dr. King brings clarity to his opinion in the beginning of his paragraph stating, “It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in society: the one is utility and

Former superintendent, Lawrence B. Shlack argues in his article, Not Going to College is a Viable Option, that too many students believe that going to college is the only option after high school in order to be successful. The main purpose of this article is to convince students to be less narrow-minded on the topic of post-high school decisions and effectively provides the reasoning behind his logic and provides alternatives. As a retired superintendent, Schlack proves that he has sufficient credibility and knowledge of high school students and what most of them are thinking. The use of pathos and ethos combined with his credibility appeals to the readers strongly by making the article relatable for most high schoolers. Knowledge and credibility on the topic along with emotional and logical appeals made Schlack’s article’s persuasion effective.

"In a sixth grade classroom, brownish clumps of plaster dot the ceiling where there once were sound-absorbing tiles" (p. 137). “We don’t have encyclopedias in classrooms. That is for the suburbs” (p. 85). These words are not my own - I am quoting from Jonathan Kozol, a Harvard-educated activist who observed several school districts spanning the range of the socioeconomic spectrum, from industrial Camden, New Jersey, to tony Great Neck, New York. In his time at each of these schools, he uncovers many truths that governments and the wealthy tend to glaze over in discussions of educational fund allocation. Through his vivid descriptions and carefully selected phrasing, he moves the reader to appreciate the significant chasm between public education for the rich and for the poor. Overall, the variety of examples demonstrate our society's inability to unite

In his final chapter, Gladwell goes into detail about how kids with wealthier families do better in school than those of poorer families. Gladwell brings up an academy in New York called KIPP Academies, AKA hell. The KIPP Academy is a school that low income families are able to enroll their children in. The schools have a high standard of academic achievement and push their students so they graduate ready to go to college and succeed. Research showed that wealthier kids were not only doing better in school, but they were improving on their own during the summers because of the access to outside sources of learning that the wealthier family had granted them. The poorer students would fall back over the summers because they did not focus on learning. They were more focused on taking care of the family and surviving.

As I was reading this I was thinking that it was written just for me. In the past I was the kind of person that had something to say about everything. I am working on this and reading this chapter made the point even clearer to me. Teacher or anybody for that matter need to listen more and talk less. When we as teachers start getting frustrated we should stop and think about the frustrations the students are going through and make those teachable moments.

Schools are the second place after home where students’ behavior and future educational success are shaped. At schools there are many elements or factors that can influence the teaching and learning process that may take place. Rasyid (2012) stated that there are four perennial truths that make the teaching and learning process possible to take place in the classroom. If one of these is not available, there will be no teaching and learning process, though the learning process itself may still take place, they are: (1) Teacher, (2) Students, (3) Material and (4) Context of time and place.