Friday, February 24, 2012

Chapter 7 & 8 Fear,Straps & Rats

In my last post I talked about Mrs. Brown and how I just cannot understand why she feels that she must put fear in these little children. She is constantly staring them down, making a remark about the student’s intelligence and forever carrying around that large, thick, ugly strap. Do the parents not know what goes on in the school? Well, I believe by Mr. Conroy’s words on paper gives us a vision of how life was lived on the Island. This must be their way of life and that’s all they know how to handle situations. Beating these children is so wrong. I believe that there is a right way to correcting behavior and beating is not a way that I can imagine. I’m right behind the baby boomers generation and I must say that I’ve only received one whipping in my childhood life and I turned out ok. I thought it was hilarious that she accused Conroy of allowing the student’s to look at naked women. Conroy did laugh until he found out the strap went a swinging on the student’s in his absents. He felt awful.  This goes back to Mrs. Brown stressing how important it is to teach from the textbook, but why? Did she not use the textbook herself before Mr. Conroy came and what did the student’s learn? When Mr. Conroy attempted to get the student’s to use the books they could not. Furthermore, most could not even write their name much less add numbers. So, if the textbook did not work for her, why was she pushing Conroy to use it? Maybe it was to see him fail!!!!!!  In October Mr. Conroy gives up his house for three reasons one being the rats, yikes!! I thought the part of him waking to something in his bed was too funny.

3 comments:

  1. I think that this method is the only form of discipline Mrs. Brown knows to use that gets a reaction. As far as the parents go, I agree that that is how they were brought up and treated in school and they probably do not know the difference or know that anything is wrong with this method of punishment. Like Conroy says at the beginning of the novel, they are stuck back in time. I also thought it was humorous when Mrs. Brown accused Conroy of giving the children magazine with pictures of naked women. This incident just goes to show how close minded Mrs. Brown is. I think Mrs. Brown tells Conroy to teach out of the book because she doesn’t know how to deal with his teaching methods.

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  2. I agree with what you said on my post about both Bennington and Piedmont. Sadly, this happens all too often in education. It seems to me that corrupt figures who could careless about children would find their self fulfillment somewhere else, but a lot of politicians get in on school boards to do every thing they can to keep change from coming and doing things the right way. I can’t quiet understand Mrs. Brown either, but I think most parents sided with the teacher back then especially in low income areas. Things have changed since then, but some teachers still get away with a lot of abuse in the classroom even if it’s mental.

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  3. Good posts, Renee! Don't forget to include a sentence that you really liked from each reading assignment.

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