The Glass Castle Site
Citation
Walls, J. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. New York, NY: Scribner, 2005.
Abstract
Jeannette Walls tells us the story of her family: a Dad who loves his children but who has been destroyed by his fight with alcoholism, a mother who loves to paint and has a teaching degree but doesn't have a work ethic, an older sister trying to escape to freedom, a brother who hates their parents and sees through their delusion, and a younger sister who she determines to save and get to college. Her parents move all of the time from place to place either because they have run out of money, their welcome, food, or her father has to run away from Child Services or the casino where he was stealing money. The children miraculously survive their bringing up and all make something of their lives despite some of the events that befall them: Jeannette gets burned as a 3 year old, falls out of the car and gets left behind during a move, her father spends all their food money on booze and she gets raped by a school boy at one home. Some of the most powerful memories are those from school where she talks about not having lunch money and a teacher helping her and her parents yelling at her teachers because they don't agree with the curriculum.
Philosophy
I will start with my reflection of her educational experiences: I would be that teacher who gives money to my student who doesn't have any for lunch. I understand that that there are many students who are poor and impoverished, the part of my life with my Dad was definitely a mild example of this since where I lived in Skowhegan. Students need to have food and be well-nourished to learn, so students who are too poor to eat depend upon the school to help them, this is one reason why I like the free lunch program that schools have been implementing. In past reflections on TWYH the class discussed parental involvement in the classroom and I am definitely a teacher who believes in making sure they are a part of their student's education, but even so I need to realize that there are in fact many parents who would rather cause trouble than be useful to developing a healthy classroom partnership. On the other hand, many times parents just need to sit down and talk with a teacher, because they don't understand the methodology behind school decisions which they feel are undermining their own beliefs and turning their children away from their own way of life. As a teacher I hope that parents do not feel I am trying to undermine their role or importance in their child's life. Lastly, sometimes teachers need to be there for children and get them excited about learning and give them choices for extending their education past high school because some parents are not there for their children or expect them to enter a meaningless work force after graduation. Whenever necessary, I will instill a value for learning in my students and give them the resources to rise above whatever place they currently seem to occupy in life and what oath their parents might have chosen for them that they do not share a zeal for, but I also have to remember that many parents would take this as an offense to them, so I will talk with parents and let them know what I see in their child and how we can work together to give their student a great future.
Citation
Walls, J. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. New York, NY: Scribner, 2005.
Abstract
Jeannette Walls tells us the story of her family: a Dad who loves his children but who has been destroyed by his fight with alcoholism, a mother who loves to paint and has a teaching degree but doesn't have a work ethic, an older sister trying to escape to freedom, a brother who hates their parents and sees through their delusion, and a younger sister who she determines to save and get to college. Her parents move all of the time from place to place either because they have run out of money, their welcome, food, or her father has to run away from Child Services or the casino where he was stealing money. The children miraculously survive their bringing up and all make something of their lives despite some of the events that befall them: Jeannette gets burned as a 3 year old, falls out of the car and gets left behind during a move, her father spends all their food money on booze and she gets raped by a school boy at one home. Some of the most powerful memories are those from school where she talks about not having lunch money and a teacher helping her and her parents yelling at her teachers because they don't agree with the curriculum.
Philosophy
I will start with my reflection of her educational experiences: I would be that teacher who gives money to my student who doesn't have any for lunch. I understand that that there are many students who are poor and impoverished, the part of my life with my Dad was definitely a mild example of this since where I lived in Skowhegan. Students need to have food and be well-nourished to learn, so students who are too poor to eat depend upon the school to help them, this is one reason why I like the free lunch program that schools have been implementing. In past reflections on TWYH the class discussed parental involvement in the classroom and I am definitely a teacher who believes in making sure they are a part of their student's education, but even so I need to realize that there are in fact many parents who would rather cause trouble than be useful to developing a healthy classroom partnership. On the other hand, many times parents just need to sit down and talk with a teacher, because they don't understand the methodology behind school decisions which they feel are undermining their own beliefs and turning their children away from their own way of life. As a teacher I hope that parents do not feel I am trying to undermine their role or importance in their child's life. Lastly, sometimes teachers need to be there for children and get them excited about learning and give them choices for extending their education past high school because some parents are not there for their children or expect them to enter a meaningless work force after graduation. Whenever necessary, I will instill a value for learning in my students and give them the resources to rise above whatever place they currently seem to occupy in life and what oath their parents might have chosen for them that they do not share a zeal for, but I also have to remember that many parents would take this as an offense to them, so I will talk with parents and let them know what I see in their child and how we can work together to give their student a great future.
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