Entry 3: Bad Teacher

This story is about a writer who wants to make a difference. The writer decides to become a teacher. Not just any teacher, a teacher in the Bronx. The Bronx is known for having bad schools that don't care and students that don't want to learn. The writer tries to turn things around but is told he is wrong and a bad teacher for trying to fix things. IN the end, he can't deal with the idiocy anymore, and leaves the job. The main conflict is between the principal of the school and the narrator. The principal won't let the teacher do anything he wants to do. She shuts down all of his ideas and basically pushes him out the door. That is the resolution. The narrator leaves the school for good.

The point of the story is to educate the reader about the injustices and stupidity that rule this school. But not only this school, schools like it all across the country. The writer wants a change to occur. It is almost a calling for someone out there to try to do something. The writer tried and failed, and now they are asking if anyone out there thinks they can do better.

There are some writing techniques used that I found interesting and helpful. One that this writer uses really well is dialogue. There is tons of dialogue in this piece and it really keeps it entertaining and interesting. The writer uses it very well in that they are short but informative conversations. There is always a point to the dialogue, it is never unnecessary. Another thing I like is that he got the reader on his side. It may sound dumb, but I think it is really important to this story to have the reader on your side. If the readers liked what the principal did or didn't think anything was wrong, then the whole point to the story is lost. He did a good job of painting the picture and showing us just how terrible the educational system was. I also liked the chapter breaks that were used. To introduce you to a new scene, the writer made "chapters". Just small titles at the beginning of the scene to show that you were starting on something new and important. I don't know if I can use these for my memoir because the style conflicts with it, but I will remember it for the future.