Exit Slip 1: Frank McCourt

 In today's class, we learned about Frank McCourt and his past. Frank McCourt is an exceptional teacher who beat the odds in coming to America. I found that our breakout rooms had a lot to discuss on McCourts teaching philosophy. Forming a connection with his new students initially with his accent and his past helped him start on a good foot with the students. The accent inspired curiosity in students and was a good way to get to know the teacher. I find personally that I listen more intently when I have a prof or teacher that speaks differently from myself. He found a way to make a  seeming disadvantage in the eyes of education administrators an advantage.

I also found myself thinking about the mask teachers wear when in class rooms. McCourt mentions that most student know when you are not being yourself and that worries me. I want to be an open book for students because that's who I am, I find it very difficult to lie. But I know that many schools don't want the students to know every detail about there teacher. There needs to be a separation in personal details between students and teachers and it can be a fine line. McCourt found success in being who he was with his students but he by the time he was teaching he was a fair bit older than the class members and had a lot of life experience. He had lived in poverty, been in the war, and immigrated to a whole new country. When I begin teaching, I will be 23 year old, potentially only 5 years older than some students. That doesn't leave a lot of room for experienced differences. I fear that if I hide my personality and who I am to protect myself, they will end up rejecting me as an educator.