“The Sanctuary of School”, an essay by Lynda Barry, shows the troubles that she goes through as a child in elementary school and how she finds an escape. The author catches the reader’s attention by saying “I was 7 years old the first time I snuck out of the house in the dark” (Barry 721). It makes us want to keep reading to find out why she did it and where she will go. The story matters because she is telling about how she was neglected and unhappy in her home but finds a place of relief. “They were short on money and long on relatives” (Barry 721). Barry’s parents cared more about their finances than their children, forcing Barry and her brother give up their room to sleep on the couch. Barry writes about leaving early one morning to go
Whether one would like to admit it or not, change is a difficult and not to mention uncomfortable experience which we all must endure at one point in our lives. A concept that everyone must understand is that change does not occur immediately, for it happens overtime. It is necessary for time to pass in order for a change to occur, be it days, weeks, months, or even years. The main character, who is also the narrator of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”, realizing that “things felt less foreign in the dark” (Russell 225), knows that she will be subject to change very soon. The author makes it evident to readers that the narrator is in a brand new environment as the story begins. This strange short story about girls raised by wolves being trained by nuns to be more human in character is a symbol for immigration, as the girls are forced to make major changes in their lives in order to fit in with their new environment and adapt to a new culture.
In “The Sanctuary of School,” Lynda Barry makes an implicit (not directly stated) argument for arts education in schools. What is her implicit argument? Do you agree or disagree with her? Is arts education important? Why or why not? Lynda Barry’s short memoir, “The Sanctuary of School,” is a recollection from her early years as a child in elementary school. Barry illustrates that, as a child, she grew up in a less than stable home environment and describes how she went unnoticed in that household. Barry’s argument is that educational system is important to children, especially those with unhappy home lives. She wants education to improve in different areas, for example, more arts education in school, and before and after school program for
During the essay the author lost her innocence but graduated to a deeper appreciation and clarity of who she is and who she could become. In her school with no visible fences keeping the children within the schoolyard, there were the invisible fences of racism that tried to limit them from reaching their full potential. The author concludes, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death" (841).
In “The Sanctuary of School”, Linda Barry describes her experience as a child in the public school system. She was fortunate enough to have an caring teacher who emphasized creativity and art. This provided an escape from her mundane home life, where she is oftentimes inactive and bored. She sneaks off to school early in the morning in order to spend as much time there as possible (Barry). Barry and many other kids benefit from the solace that thoughtful teachers create with an expressive environment however, her experience isn’t true for everyone.
...eral topic of school. The sister strives to graduate and go to school even though she is poor while her brother blames the school for him dropping out and not graduating. “I got out my social studies. Hot legs has this idea of a test every Wednesday” (118). This demonstrates that she is driven to study for class and get good grades while her brother tries to convince her that school is worth nothing and that there is no point in attending. “‘Why don’t you get out before they chuck you out. That’s all crap,’ he said, knocking the books across the floor. ‘You’ll only fail your exam and they don’t want failures, spoils their bloody numbers. They’ll ask you to leave, see if they don’t’” (118). The brother tries to convince his sister that school is not a necessity and that living the way he does, being a drop out living in a poverty stricken family is the best thing.
“Mom, when I grow up, I’m moving to New York City!” I remember telling my mother at the tender age of twelve. That dream of living in the Big Apple stayed on the back of my mind until it finally became a reality. At was twenty years old, I was ready to come into my own, so I made one of the most significant decisions of my life; a decision that is most responsible for the evolvement of a young boy having to quickly become a man. I moved to New York City. Soon, I would learn that along with all the excitement and responsibilities associated with this new chapter of my life also came a ton of fear and many lonely nights. Fending for myself would be the only way to survive. After all, this was an enormous unfamiliar city
I chose the reading “The Sanctuary of School” by Lynda Barry. I believe art (and/or music) instruction in elementary school is beneficial to students. It’s a way for children to develop creative thinking. Students need to express themselves and discover their talents. As a child, I struggled with focusing. My Art teacher noticed my struggles and offered to help. She explained that art has different forms. Using art was therapy for dealing with the difficulty of focusing. I used sketching as a way of relaxation, and as an opportunity to use my imagination. Whether the art was drawing or writing, either choice brought comfort in school and at home. I believe teachers have a great influence on students. Students need to feel comfortable
I gulped. This was clearly not a good start to my family’s first night as permanent staff members at Rancho 3M Orphanage in Guadalupe, Mexico. I had found myself sitting in this cinderblock structure (the only blonde-hair, blue eyed girl for a solid 200 miles) on account of my parents. They had not just decided to merely move our entire family away from our hometown, but they had decided that as a family unit, we would trade our cushy, country club lifestyle to work in an impoverished area of Mexico, caring for children who had been abandoned. We all yearned to provide for them a hope and a future: a chance for an education. To be more than just street smart. To have their existence mean more than knowing which gang is better to commit their life to. My family desired for them to be book smart.
Emma grew up in Birmingham, a fairly large town in Michigan. Where her father and her grandparents had lived. She grew up in a fun, always exciting, house where her older sisters always brought new surprises. The Lewrys were very happy in Michigan, but soon after Emma turned four her mom grew tired of the rainy, cloudy weather, and they started looking for a new place to live. They had California in mind, because they visited Disneyland so often, and they decided to look there. Emma’s parents bought a house, and the family moved out there as fast as they could. When Emma got there she started at CDC preschool and met a group of new friends. She loved the California life. Then, she went to Solana Vista for all of her four years. In second grade, her best friend moved away, which created a big shift in her life. She had only her one best friend and no others. She felt alone. Then halfway through the year she opened up to new friends and that’s when she was the most happy. She was also was working very hard, and it paid off. In third grade, the principal asked Emma to represent the Solana Vista in front of the California School Board. Emma received an award for being responsible and a good student and said a few words about how she worked hard to receive the award at the meeting. This motivated her to never give up because she now knew tha...
Marie Locksburg lived at a large estate in Virginia, being in the heart of all the finery you could imagine. But it wasn’t as dreamy as you think. She had nine brothers and was ignored because of the fact that she was a girl and had let her family down. Her father only thought of her a girl to be marry into wealth for the family, her brothers thought of her as someone to boo at, and her mother thought nothing of her, she was always partying and such. Marie surpassed all her brothers in tutoring but no credit was given to her because, again she was a girl. Even when her schooling ended early, she still peeked at her brother’s science books, which was not allowed. Marie soon became tired of how she was treated and set off on her own.
For the most part, Jennifer enjoyed teaching in the town that she lived. She had no children of her own, but enjoyed teaching her seventh grade students with a new class arriving every year. She enjoyed living in the community and being able to watch as her students grew up and found their path in life. Jennifer’s school, Suburban Middle School, was home to over 1,000 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. It was ethnically diverse and about fifty percent of the student population came from economically disadvantaged homes. She felt that she was making a different. The school had an unusually high percentage of alumni as teachers and staff members. This tended to make boundary setting vital. Friends in the community
In his essay, “The First Day,” Published in his collection of short stories titled Lost in the City, author Edward Jones describes a little girl's first day of kindergarten, during the day she learns that her mother is illiterate. While the mother’s actions embodied the values of education, the child's most important lesson is seeing her mother flawed.
This book, Dare The School Build a New Social Order by George Counts, is an examination of teachers, the Progressive Education Movement, democracy and his idea on how to reform the American economy. The book is divided into 5 different sections. The first section is all about the Progressive Education Movement. Through this, George Counts points out many downsides and weaknesses of this ideal. He also talks about how he wants teachers to lead society instead of following it. In the second section, he examines 10 widespread fallacies. These fallacies were that man is born free, that children are born free, they live in a separate world of their own, education remains unchanged, education should have no bias, the object of education is to produce professors, school is an all-powerful educational agency, ignorance rather than knowledge is the way of wisdom, and education is made to prepare an individual for social change.
Soon after my mother’s employment, I had started Kindergarten and taken this transition with ease while other kids didn’t want to leave their mother’s side. Likewise, I found myself constantly making friends or trying something new. From then up until fourth grade, I had lived in Chowchilla, a gated neighborhood, and a decent sized home, but soon the housing bubble burst and we were unable to live there anymore.
It was the second semester of fourth grade year. My parents had recently bought a new house in a nice quite neighborhood. I was ecstatic I always wanted to move to a new house. I was tired of my old home since I had already explored every corner, nook, and cranny. The moment I realized I would have to leave my old friends behind was one of the most devastating moments of my life. I didn’t want to switch schools and make new friends. Yet at the same time was an interesting new experience.