tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85889656757425376282024-02-20T02:48:45.733-08:00Chapter 1Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-36774426384006341082012-04-04T08:53:00.001-07:002012-04-04T08:53:17.315-07:00Chapters 11&12<br />
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I cannot believe the ending to the book The Water is Wide. I
thought surly Conroy’s experiences and opportunities would have been a positive
thing for all people in Yamacraw. This was not the case. Conroy was dismissed from
his teaching job and this is truly unfair. Throughout the story, Conroy
provides many stories of lessons and activities he created to better the
student’s lives. I could practically feel his passion for teaching run through
my veins while reading his story. His intentions while on Yamacraw Island were
purely to help the children. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The allegations against Conroy were not true and played up.
The only things that Conroy could not deny were the allegations the school
system arose. The reasons and actions taken were out of Conroy’s hands. The
people in charge were not looking at the whole picture. They did not want to
look at the difference Conroy had made in his students lives. Rather, they
wanted to use their power in every way possible to make a statement. They used
their power against Conroy and the students of Yamacraw. The people in power
and the school board were not looking out for the students; they were looking
out for themselves. It was truly heart aching to hear that Conroy was fired. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The most touching part about the end of the book was when
the student’s parents came to defend Conroy. All the women in the town decided
to boycott the school even after being threatened financially. This shows that
just because Conroy did not follow the traditional teaching methods, he did make
a difference in his student’s lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I chose the last sentence in the book because it made me cry
my eyes out. It said “For them I leave a single prayer: that the river is good
to them in the crossing.” I think that this is very symbolic in the fact that
it relates the students physically crossing and also reaching their goals.
Conroy knows that it might be hard for them to leave the island and reach their
dreams. He also knows that physically it might be hard for them to cross the
river. Either way he wishes the best for his former students of Yamacraw. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I love this book because I felt that Conroy’s students were
not the only ones positively affected by Conroy. I think that his students also
helped Conroy become a better person as well. Both the students and Conroy were
influence by each others presence. I hope that I feel the same way when I have
my own class. <o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-87085308472583575992012-03-20T16:42:00.001-07:002012-03-20T16:42:24.569-07:00Chapters 9&10<br />
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"Gang, as your teacher, as the person responsible for stuffing knowledge into your porous little brains, I am ordering you to believe that those men are going to the moon" </div>
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I like this quote because Conroy is explaining to the kids that things are possible. They think that the moon is too far away to go to. It kind of relates to the children of Yamacraw having big dreams for their future. </div>
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Chapter nine was very influential
as a teacher. I think that we as teachers must be able to think like a
child/student. A teacher needs to know how to create lessons and activities
that students will learn from but also enjoy. I think that Conroy displays this
a lot throughout his book. He does not teach by the book of from the book which
many teachers seem to do. He does not cut corners with teacher and puts his
whole heart into teacher his students. I feel as though some teachers do not
have the passion for teacher which is almost necessary in order for students to
learn the most they can. Chapter nine and ten show how passionate Conroy is as
a teacher. He allows his students to sleepover at his personal home which shows
that he truly cares for his students. He comforts some of his students during
the sleepover because they are scared of ghost. He knows how to work with
children and make them turn their fears into laughter, which is awesome. It was
cool to hear about the Yamacraw people having a fear for ghost. I know that it
is common with most cultures but it is more of a major deal in Yamacraw. I wish
I could find a man like Conroy around Pembroke. I think that he is one of the
most compassionate people I have ever read about. Conroy is an also an
exceptional teacher because he takes his students on many field trips, which is
what the children of Yamacraw need. Conroy lets them experience things that on
the island they cannot do. I think meeting people such as famous basketball
stars can really help influence his student’s dreams for the future. Conroy
gives hope for the children of Yamacraw to get off the island and do whatever
they dream to do. I hope to be half as good of a teacher as Conroy. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-43489216645278753862012-02-28T13:46:00.003-08:002012-02-28T13:46:29.254-08:00Chapter 7&8<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> "I had a history of not responding well to lousy or pernicious administration, and though I tried to tell myself that she was the boss, and I would have to obey her instructions, I would be goddamned if she was going to turn me into a overseer instead of a teacher." This quote stood out to me because it shows that Conroy does not appreciate how Mrs. Brown talks to him just because she is the principal now. </span><br />
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These chapters really convey Mrs. Browns demeanor entirely.
I could tell that Conroy was trying to give Mrs. Brown the benefit of the doubt
about her actions and words. Once Conroy saw how Mrs. Brown responded to the
bed wetting situation, Conroy’s benefit of the doubt attitude went out the
window. He could see Mrs. Browns true colors shine like silver in the sun. She
was not looking out for the benefit of the students in the school, she was
doing what she thought was right. She only took her opinions and knowledge in
account and not Conroy’s. As soon as Mrs. Brown became principal of the school
once again, she became even more ridiculous. She was did not give Conroy
suggestions anymore, yet she threw out commands to Conroy. She scolds Conroy
for everything and takes her power to the head. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When Conroy leaves to go drop off the envelop to the school
board, Mrs. Brown comes into see what activities Conroy has left for the
students. He leaves the students magazines to cut out pictures from to make a
collage. Some of the students put up pictures of Pablo Picassos artwork. The
artwork was of naked women and Mrs. Brown thought that Conroy was way out of
line. Conroy simply explained that, yes the pictures were of naked women, but it
shows the art form of different artists. I think that the people of Yamacraw
are so narrow minded and ignorant because they are not cultured with things
outside of the island. Conroy is trying to show them culture outside of the island
because they are not given the opportunity to do this ever. Mrs. Brown takes
Conroy’s strategies and manipulates them into him doing something wrong. If
Mrs. Brown had come up in my face and started yelling, like she did with Conroy,
I do not think that I would have kept my cool. Conroy is very patient with Mrs.
Brown and his students and that is an attribute that I hope I can learn as I
become a teacher. <o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-14967559076752175232012-02-28T13:41:00.000-08:002012-02-28T13:41:47.885-08:00Chapter 5&6<br />
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“When I queried Mrs. Brown, she
told me that films were difficult to get to and from the island; in fact, they
were more trouble than they were worth.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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I think that this quote shows that
Mrs. Brown does not want to put forth as much effort as she can to help the
students of Yamacraw. She views something as difficult and writes the idea off
the board immediately. I think that this further proves that Conroy does put
his whole heart and soul into teaching his students and will go to any measure
possible, even if it is something hard to do, to help his students. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chapter five is very enlightening. The chapter
goes more in depth about Conroy’s students. It also gives more of a background
on the feelings and attitudes people on the island have toward Conroy and his
presence on the island. In the earlier chapters of the book, Mrs. Brown shows a
strong dislike for Mr. Conroy’s ways of teaching and what he is doing in the
classroom. Mrs. Brown does not seem to think that any of Conroy’s teaching strategies
are appropriate for the classroom and to better his students. She agrees that
the students love to sing and would allow them to sing all day if he let them.
She thinks that he should focus on only the core subjects and not on useless
things such as singing and field trips. When Conroy plans a trip to Beauford
for Halloween, everyone seems opposed to the idea, especially Mrs. Brown. The
parents of Conroy’s students opposed to the idea as well. Conroy eventually
reaches out to the parents and gains their trust. Once Conroy has trust from
his students and their parents, he is eventually allowed to take the trip to
Beauford. As a teacher, I think that it is very important to have the trust
from not only the students but the parents and those parents should be involved
in their children’s education as much as possible. I think that Conroy’s reason
for taking the students to Beauford is to show them life off the island. Some
of these children have never seen life outside of their community in Yamacraw.
This trip is very important because it gives the students hope and dreams that
they did not even know existed. Conroy shows his students that they can do
anything that they dream of and they do not have to stay on the island for the
rest of their lives. The trip was not all that special to someone that lives
off the island on main land, but to the children of Yamacraw, the trip was very
special. The white people were very welcoming to the children of Yamacraw which
came to my surprise. Celebrations such as trick or treating are a yearly custom
to children in America. The children of Yamacraw never got to experience such
thing, and took the event as one of the specialist times of their lives. This
really makes me appreciate my childhood and all the things I was blessed with
growing up.</span>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-19994800287509451602012-02-13T16:59:00.001-08:002012-02-13T16:59:13.698-08:00Chapter 4<br />
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“They are filthy savages who
shouldn't be allowed to have children.” This quote chilled my bones when I read
it. I know that this book took place during the end of segregation but to hear
a human being refer to another human being as a savage hurts my heart. I really
did not understand the severity of racism until reading Conroy’s experiences. I
since segregation was put to a stop that people would be more open to blacks
and coming together in unity. It also shocks me that the person who said this
was part of the only white family in Yamacraw. If they really thought that
blacks were “savages” why did they not leave to a place where they felt more
comfortable? <o:p></o:p></div>
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It shocked me to hear that there
was a school house built just for one child. The fact that he was the only
white child in the town should not give him the right to be treated in a
special manner. It made me quite upset that he had his own school house while
the other students were barely getting an adequate education while he was
getting a special attention and an education from a private teacher. I understand
that it was in a time of segregation, but Lou and Ted definitely took that to
their advantage and took advantage of Yamacraw. </div>
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This chapter brought light to
how bad segregation and racism was back then.</div>
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I really enjoyed hearing about Conroy’s personal life in
this chapter. It is cool to hear about how he got married to Barbara and find
out about what he does when he is not putting his heart and soul into teaching
his students in Yamacraw. It brings out
his character more and I feel like I can understand him better. To be quite
honest, I did not like Conroy at the beginning of the book, but I think I am in
love with him now. <o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-43284238667857863382012-02-06T18:20:00.000-08:002012-02-06T18:20:29.321-08:00Chapter 2-3<br />
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I could only imagine not being able to read or write. After
reading chapter two and three I can only appreciate the education that was able
to me. The students that Conroy teaches are not fortunate enough to have the
educational opportunities that I was given. Honestly, I feel that the students
were cheated and that it was not fair in any way. Conroy saw light in the
situation though. He knew that he had to do something for these kids and he
knew that it was going to be easy, yet he took on the task. Conroy took his
knowledge and used it in an unconventional way to help spark the energy in his
students. Although Mrs. Brown did not agree to the way Conroy started teaching
his students it defiantly worked. He began by teaching them about music by
playing records from the fifties and teaching them about the music and artist.
The students had books and a library but how could they utilize their resources
if they did not even know how to use them (read.) Conroy does not care that he is not teaching
to basic essential subjects as long as the students are learning from what he
is doing. I have most upright respect for Conroy because you can honestly feel
his passion for teaching with each word I read in his novel. I feel that I can
relate to him because I feel so happy when the students I help during field
experience learn something from me. It is like the light bulb in their head sends
me positive energy when it goes off. It is pure joy that children bring when
they smile after learning. I know teaching is my calling because it is one of
the only truly pure experiences that bring me happiness. I think that Conroy’s
way of teaching is one that I want take on with structure of course from the
North Carolina standards. He uses things such as the news to integrate into
lessons to help teach the students common knowledge and world news. “I then
told them that they had to look upon themselves in a different light, that they
had to be convinced of their basic worth, and that they could learn just as
fast as anyone else”. This quote was so inspirational and very true. Conroy
truly believed in his students. <o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588965675742537628.post-80568569295899468722012-01-20T11:39:00.001-08:002012-01-20T14:50:43.609-08:00The Water is Wide - Chapter 1<br />
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I absolutely love this book so far. I was not sure what to
expect when I opened to the first page. I did not know that it was going to be
such an old book and that Pat grew up during some major events in America. It
is kind of cool how he is very blunt with his opinions on the characters in his
book. He gave me a totally different perspective of segregation and the
mistreatment of blacks during the sixties. It shocked me to hear how the
principal at the high school would not remove the flag in respect for Martin
Luther King’s death and for empathy of the black students that were enrolled
there. It was interesting to hear that Conroy was walking by when the first
sit-ins started in Greensboro, NC. Even though he stated he would say the word
nigger when he was younger because it was that “forbidden fruit,” he did not
join in to riot, which was interesting to me. I think it took a lot of discipline
for Conroy to not explode on the black students that were yelling, spitting,
and clawing his arm because he was simply standing where they were. It is
really interesting to hear how to black responded to the death of Martin Luther
King. When Conroy says that they a black boy told him that they were going to
burn the who town down and act out with violence because MLK was killed it
shocked me. In all the textbooks and media, it made it out to seem that the blacks
did not want violence because of the awful violence they had endured for
several years. It is cool to hear first-hand stories of the reactions of
everyone during such historical events. I also found it interesting that Conroy
was Jewish and I think that it hit home when he went to see the concentration
camps and saw such awful pictures. In a way, maybe Conroy is relating his grief
from what happened to his people with the racism and hatred towards blacks in
his own country with. <o:p></o:p></div>Mary Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02035744801688788771noreply@blogger.com2