Chalk : Notes

• ·         50% of teachers quit within first 3 years of teaching
• ·         The students seem really bored, all of them seem amused by the little exercises the teachers make them do
• ·         Mr.. Lowrey seems very unsure, awkward and his students seem to know he doesn’t have a handle of what he is doing
• ·         Mrs. Reddal is AP, and her ‘best friend’ Ms. Web is relived about her new position
• ·         Mr. Shroope has to go over ‘goals’ from last year, no sarcasm, more cleanliness, earlier lesson plans
• ·         “Don’t be their friend,”
• ·         Mr. Shroope tries to show the students he ‘cares about them’
• ·         Mr. Lowrey has no control over his class
• ·         Mrs. Reddal  gets home from work late every night, after 10
• ·         Ms. Web talks to one of the teachers about ‘not honoring the system’
• ·         Mr. Lowery’s class plays with him and mocks him, asks if they ‘even need to learn this stuff’
• ·         Mr. Lowery gets books on classroom management
• ·         Ms. Web and Mrs. Reddal get in a fight because Mrs. Reddal is always busy and working
• ·         Mr. Shroope talks to students who are upstaging them
• ·         Mr. Lowery works to make his class more fun for students, integrating jokes and humor
• ·         Mr. Shroope talks to all of the teachers about ‘integrity’
• ·         Mr. Lowery mentions that teaching takes up so much of his time he can’t imagine having time for personal life
• ·         Mr. Lowery gets angry at a student and kicks him out of the classroom
• ·         Teachers get together and joke about the students
• ·         Mr. Shroope really wants to be teacher of the year
• ·         Mr. Lowery goes to the home of a student and his mom teaches him how to speak to students
• ·         Ms. Web and Mrs. Reddal ave difficulties with their friendship. Mrs. Reddal feels that her friends use her new position to manipulate outcomes
• ·         Mr. Shroope loses teacher of the year
• ·         Mrs. Reddal realizes that she wants to still be teaching
• ·         The teachers all compete in a slang spelling B—Mr. Lowery’s students coach him
• ·         Mr. Lowery wins the slang B
• ·         Mr. Lowery is unsure about whether he will return
• ·         The teachers reflect on their year and their interactions with others.
• ·         Overall, students often felt bored and confused as to why they were in the classes and learning the designated curriculum.
• ·         Teachers had difficulty with each other, and administration. Teachers didn’t always know how to correctly interact with the students. Some teachers, like Mr. Lowery, realized teaching wasn’t for them