Jeremy Lomonaco - I'd like to apologize to every teacher I ever had

Title: I’d like to apologize to every teacher I ever had

Author: Tony Danza

 

Summary:

The book that I reviewed is called “I’d like to apologize to every teacher I ever had” and it is written by an American born actor named Tony Danza. This book follows Tony’s journey through his first year of teaching at northeast high which is Philadelphia’s largest student based high school. Like any other first year teacher a majority of the students will smell blood in the water and seize the opportunity to take advantage of that educator as soon as he or she walks in the door. For Mr. Danza it was no different, the students recognized the big screen actor they now had teaching their class and did not hesitate to push him to the limits. As the year goes along  his students start to realize his commitment not only in the classroom but extracurricularly as well and gradually gains the respect of his students as the year progresses.

 

Classroom Introduction:

Tony Danza starts off his biography by talking about his first class with his 26 grade 10 students and how it went. Chapter one, pages 10 – 16 talks about his first teaching experience. As his students started to pile in he ensured that he greeted them all one by one and like every starting teacher he began to place subtle judgments on his students based on the initial impression that he received. Much like what our education experiences have taught us he started off the class by listing a set of rules as well as his own classroom and professional philosophy. He also tried to come across friendly while still giving off the ‘I’m still the boss’ vibe. While Tony has made his impressions of his students he has 26 students doing the same thing back to him. “Does anyone else think it’s weird, that you’re teaching English?” (Danza, 2012, pp. 11). His students could sense his fear and nervousness and fueled themselves off his anxiousness and tested him to see how he would respond. It is bad enough to be a first year teacher in front of a new class but when you are viewed at as only an actor and there are cameras rolling in the background, naturally, it will be hard for students to take you seriously.

First impressions are vital for both the teacher and the students; views and opinions will be formed and may last forever based on that first impression. As future educators we have experienced this in our brief teaching experience. Tony ends this chapter by stating that he felt like he lost a 10 round fight unanimously. Respect is not given, it is earned and students are impressionable so for beginning teachers it is crucial that we get on the same page as the students and develop a stable and strong relationship with each and every one of them.

 

Hidden Roles:

Page 39 and 40 start off the third chapter; These couple of pages appealed to me because it touches on an aspect of teaching that most of us have already experienced in our first practicum block and will definitely see once we begin our teaching careers. What I am talking is being a “punching bag” for other more authoritative teachers. The beginning of chapter 3 titled ‘Do Now’ talks about how for the first hour of every school day in the first semester Tony Danza was on truancy duty which his principal Ms. Denaples assigned him to. Essentially what this meant is he has to constantly circulate the hallways as well outside and round up all the students who were late and/or skipping class and ensure that they got to class. These students were almost all troubled and led to confrontations and other negative interactions that led to him having to act quickly and effectively. This is by no means an easy job and something that ‘teachers on the lower scale’ would have to do.

I know from my personal experience there were daily occurrences where I was the guinea pig for my cooperating teacher, and although they meant no disrespect by it they are in a more authoritative position then me. Tony essentially has to slowly work his way to a position of more power which is something that all beginning teachers will have to go through.

 

Finals and Assessment:

The final chapter of the books talks about finals and how they are structured at Northeast high school. Page 222 mentions how the offices are stacked high with assessments and printouts because the system only cares about standardized tests. Tony Danza also finds out just before finals week that finals are optional and because they are not required most of the teachers do not give them and the students do not expect them. The only tests given are the PSSA’s and those are only taken by the students in eleventh grade. Tony Danza feels strongly about finals or some version of them because he thinks that he needs to provide something that shows what the students have learned and retained from that year.

What he decides to do to assess his students is set up a scavenger hunt all around the school and school yard to test the student’s knowledge from everything they have done that year. His scavenger hunt had stations that included questions, skits, plays and sonnets from books such as to kill a mockingbird and of mice and men as well as Shakespeare and Julius Caesar.

There are a variety of ways to channel students knowledge other then standardized tests and finding different versions of ‘tests’ could be an even better way to see what the students have and/or haven’t learned.

 

Critique:

This book really appealed to me because it focuses on an actual first year teacher which is something I will be in the near future. Danza does an excellent job in breaking down all of the aspects of teaching other than just standing up at the front of a classroom and lecturing. He touches on interactions, impressions and relationships with teachers and students as well as the positives and negatives of becoming a professional and how to effectively teach his students. Another aspect I like is his commitment to education realizing the importance of it while still willing to learn from the students and allow them to teach him. With being an actor I think he struggled for respect and it took a while until his peers and students took him seriously which is something that all beginning teachers will experience but probably not to that extent. I would have liked Tony to have touched more on his school days and how he was as a student but overall I think it is an excellent read for all soon to be teachers.

 

References:

Danza, T. (2012). I’d like to apologize to every teacher I ever had: My year as a rookie teacher at Northeast high. New York, US: Crown publishing group.