17. Teacher Man

By: Frank McCourt

This book was my selection for our school's biannual professional development book club. Its a nice little thing they do. You choose a book about teaching, discuss it with some other teachers, they buy you said nice little book (the last one I read was Mediated, which I thoroughly disliked, and had a fun heated debate about it with some of the other teachers).

Teacher Man is McCourt's third biographical book after Angela's Ashes and 'Tis. I haven't read either of those, but he talks just enough about his Childhood in TM to give you an idea of his past (and develop enough interest to read the other two).

Although the book is about teaching, I didn't find it terribly helpful as far as professional development goes. That is more of a criticism as using it as a professional development tool then the book itself. That is, although his writing is as engaging as charming, it doesn't do much in the way of suggesting new alternatives for teachers. Or at least, his observations, while enjoyable, also seem obvious. He spends a great deal of the book discussing all of his initial mistakes and all of the problems in the system and the classroom that he was working against. Although the book is about his teaching, it is actually more about him learning- going through the process of becoming a good teacher by turning his failures into successes.

The interesting thing about the book is how he comes about realizing his own personal pedagogy- through these mistakes and failures. What he stumbles upon is essentially student centered learning through critical pedagogy - only for him it begins because he has no idea what to teach them, so he just takes whatever lands at his feet - whether it is a local production of Hamlet or a sandwich (which literally lands at his feet).

The sandwich story is actually quite funny, and worth picking up the book for... should it land at your feet.