A somewhat overlong account that offers amusing anecdotes about teaching.
A veteran New York teacher delivers her first memoir.
Ehrlich is the kind of English teacher most kids would love. The author offers a detailed account of her nearly 34 years teaching in the rough-and-tumble New York public school system. Wry and no-nonsense, Ehrlich recalls incidents and encounters with her many students, fellow faculty members and administrative personnel. Her bemused attitude allows her to survive kids who neither work nor attend class, teachers who have stopped caring about students, and an administration that seems at best removed, and at worst hostile, ignorant and out of touch. The memoir is inhabited by characters such as Roger Roam Da Hall who “roamed da halls and right out da door never to be seen again”; the officious administrator Bea Z, Belle of the Hall, “who could be both callous and sympathetic in the same breath”; and Ehrlich’s irrepressible student Frankie, who is a “classic Italian-American wise guy wannabe.” This is a narrative that will appear familiar to those readers who have explored Bel Kaufman’s 1960s account, Up the Down Staircase, an incisive critique of the New York education system that shocked people at the time. Indeed, Ehrlich acknowledges Kaufman’s influence as a mentor. It’s not Ehrlich’s mission to offer the reader a revealing social critique, however. Rather, she handles her subject with a light touch to amuse rather than provoke. The most revealing portraits, Ehrlich saves for a special chapter devoted to students that she could not erase from her memory. This material might perhaps have been richer had it been worked into the entire book to offer more thematic context for her narrative. Addressed to both new teachers and veterans, Ehrlich’s book provides some amusing reading for those interested in the challenges of teaching.
A somewhat overlong account that offers amusing anecdotes about teaching.Pub Date: June 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-1463696597
Page Count: 404
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The sub-title of this book is "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools." But one finds in it little about education, and less about the teaching of English. Nor is this volume a defense of the Christian faith similar to other books from the pen of C. S. Lewis. The three lectures comprising the book are rather rambling talks about life and literature and philosophy. Those who have come to expect from Lewis penetrating satire and a subtle sense of humor, used to buttress a real Christian faith, will be disappointed.
Pub Date: April 8, 1947
ISBN: 1609421477
Page Count: -
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1947
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.
A former NFL player casts his gimlet eye on American race relations.
In his first book, Acho, an analyst for Fox Sports who grew up in Dallas as the son of Nigerian immigrants, addresses White readers who have sent him questions about Black history and culture. “My childhood,” he writes, “was one big study abroad in white culture—followed by studying abroad in black culture during college and then during my years in the NFL, which I spent on teams with 80-90 percent black players, each of whom had his own experience of being a person of color in America. Now, I’m fluent in both cultures: black and white.” While the author avoids condescending to readers who already acknowledge their White privilege or understand why it’s unacceptable to use the N-word, he’s also attuned to the sensitive nature of the topic. As such, he has created “a place where questions you may have been afraid to ask get answered.” Acho has a deft touch and a historian’s knack for marshaling facts. He packs a lot into his concise narrative, from an incisive historical breakdown of American racial unrest and violence to the ways of cultural appropriation: Your friend respecting and appreciating Black arts and culture? OK. Kim Kardashian showing off her braids and attributing her sense of style to Bo Derek? Not so much. Within larger chapters, the text, which originated with the author’s online video series with the same title, is neatly organized under helpful headings: “Let’s rewind,” “Let’s get uncomfortable,” “Talk it, walk it.” Acho can be funny, but that’s not his goal—nor is he pedaling gotcha zingers or pleas for headlines. The author delivers exactly what he promises in the title, tackling difficult topics with the depth of an engaged cultural thinker and the style of an experienced wordsmith. Throughout, Acho is a friendly guide, seeking to sow understanding even if it means risking just a little discord.
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-80046-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
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