I finished reading Frank McCourt's Teacher Man last night. It was really enjoyable in a sad, tough, funny sort of way. Before writing Pulitzer prize-winning Angela's Ashes, McCourt taught in New York City schools for 30 years, so he knows whereof he speaks. I'm married to an English teacher, and I could (by proxy) identify with much of what he said about the work: the grading (he actually does the math: 175 students a day x 350-500 words each = a teacher's weekend), the students, the uncertainties, the challenges, the triumphs, the heartbreaking stories and the kids he'll never forget.
As a homeschooler who tends to wander off the beaten curriculum path, his philosophy (or lack of) of education resonated with me. He writes:
"It was clear I was not cut out to be the purposeful kind of teacher who brushed aside all questions, requests, complaints, to get on with the lesson. That would have reminded me of that school in Limerick where the lesson was king and we were nothing. I was already dreaming of a school where teachers were guides and mentors, not taskmasters. I didn't have any particular philosophy of education except that I was uncomfortable with the bureaucrats, the higher-ups, who had escaped classrooms only to turn and bother the occupants of those classrooms, teachers and students. I never wanted to fill out their forms, follow their guidelines, administer their examinations, tolerate their snooping, adjust myself to their programs and courses of study."
It's a compelling book, often depressing, and brutally honest regarding his personal life, failed marriage, complaints about the Catholic Church. And, it's only partly about teaching. It's also the story of how a man spent 30 years figuring out who he was and what he had to say to the world. Then, he went off and said it.
4 comments:
Frank McCourt is an incredibly gifted writer. When I read Angela's Ashes, I so wanted to love it. There were times McCourt had me in stitches, I laughed so hard. And other times my heart cried for him and his family. But the end killed me. I so wanted redemption. Isn't that how all books are supposed to end -- with the key character learning a lesson or two and finding redemption? Does he finally find it in Teacher Man?
Hmm, that's an interesting question. My reaction is this, and it's colored by the preface to the book: he acknowledges that he had a "second act" in life, with the publication of Angela's Ashes, which he never expected to be a bestseller. He says he wanted, more than anything in life, to finish writing that book, for the sake of his family and its history, for himself, to know that a few beautiful women somewhere were reading it, weeping, and recommending it to their friends. But, after becoming a literary sensation, I think he also sees the capriciousness of fame and celebrity, the emptiness of it. He's still amused and bemused by the whole thing, I think. And I think he felt he owed it to himself and to teachers to talk about a huge part of what shaped him, beyond his childhood. It's truly a loving and honest look at the profession, and a keenly painted portrait of the dance between teacher and student, the dynamic of the classroom.
Because much of the book illustrates how lost he was for so many years, I'm tempted to say, no, he did not find that redemption. Not in those 30 years. His description of his marriage, and of the seemingly casual adultery, is so sad, as is his self-doubt and his sometimes self-loathing. (He will, however, have you laughing out loud at times, too ... the opening story about the sandwich is priceless.)
But -- in spite of those 30 years of teaching, and also because of them, I'm also tempted to say that he's learned much about what's real, what's important. The book jacket mentions his wife ... I hope this marriage is happier and more solid than the first one. From what I know, he still has many gripes with the Catholic Church, and it's hard for me to imagine anyone being truly at peace when he is at odds with his Church. But, perhaps that chapter of his life is yet to come.
Prayerfully, his next book will be about his beautiful conversion. Whoda ever thunk that Anne Rice would come back to the Church, give up her vampire stories and write a book about Jesus!
Wouldn't that be lovely? Yes, we never quite know what God has up His sleeve ....
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