In this section we begin to get some serious insight into why Esme wants to be called madame (quite logical the way she breaks it down) and even what may have provoked Mr. Turner to making this an 'issue' with her...Any ideas out there on what the catalyst for his challenge to her on this REALLY may have been? :-)
I loved hearing about 3 big things in this section...
The success of the Addy book assembly was a satisfying culmination of some hard work, innovative ideas, and enthusiasm on behalf of Esme. You can quite literally feel how very proud she was for this to have gone as well as it did.
The entire story about Esme's childhood landlady and the library/whorehouse is not only humorous in a rather sad way but tremendously insightful into cultural diversity. That there are children who actually admire the way a 'whore' dresses and looks is something so foreign to me and the lifestyle I knew growing up it is incredibly hard for me to grasp. I think for me this was a huge cultural aha moment the first time I read this book. What about you guys?
The final occurrence that I found myself drawn to was the Christmas program...31 kids dancing a cajun Christmas program...If that's not a brave teacher I'm not sure what qualifies but what I really loved was the way she described her class on page 71
"My class was the most attractive, most festive, most ambitious, most original, and noisiest. They were the most smiling, most intricate, most cooperative. They made me proud. They made themselves proud." WOW! Just Wow!
Come to think of it I could likely use all that to describe my cohort! :-)
Now it's your turn!
Reaction:
What is one part within this section you found yourself reacting to in some emotional way. What was the part and what were the emotions it evoked? Why do you think it brought out these feelings in you?
Connection:
Can you make any connections to anything in particular in this section and any of your junior year EDU courses? Think specifically about logical thought, creative expressions, child development, children's literature, etc.
Extensions:
First of all...How do you feel about Esme asking the students to call her madame and her choice to not back down on this when challenged by Mr. Turner?
Second of all...Given what you've read to this point...How ready are you to have such a 'silly job?'
Lastly...Anyone have any 'ahas' oooh around the bottom of page 69?
For June 22nd You should read from the beginning of Part II up to but not including January 13th.
Can you believe June is almost over? Please tell me you're all doing something incredibly fun with your time...you've each earned it!
Believe it or not...I miss you all terribly!
Love ya!
Mean it!
Dr. VW
