I can't go back. The past won't go away in this family.
Frank MccourtRead
There's nothing in the world like getting up in front of a high-school classroom in New York City. They won't give you a break if you don't hold them. There's no escape.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Teaching in a challenging environment demands authenticity and resilience from educators.
Frank McCourt's quote encapsulates the reality of teaching in a high-pressure urban classroom, where students are unyielding and expect genuine engagement from their teachers. This environment forces educators to be authentic, reinforcing the idea that there is no hiding or evasion in such an influential role; teachers must fully embrace their responsibilities and connect with their students to succeed.
Themes
TeachingEducationClassroomAuthenticityEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
In a professional development workshop, a speaker might quote this to emphasize the challenges and rewards of teaching.
More from Frank Mccourt
All quotes →Sit and quiet yourself. Luxuriate in a certain memory and the details will come. Let the images flow. You'll be amazed at what will come out on paper. I'm still learning what it is about the past that I want to write. I don't worry about it. It will emerge. It will insist on being told.
Frank MccourtRead
Kids all want to look cool, as if knowledge is a great burden, but they're always looking around. They remember.
Frank MccourtRead
That's what kept us going - a sense of absurdity, rather than humor.
Frank MccourtRead
A mother's love is a blessing No matter where you roam. Keep her while you have her, You'll miss her when she's gone -- Angela's Ashes.
Frank MccourtRead
You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.
Frank MccourtRead
Similar quotes
After your first job, is anyone asking you what your GPA was? No, they don't care. They ask you: Are you a good leader? Do people follow you? Do you have integrity? Are you innovative? Do you solve problems? Somebody's got to do that homework and redesign the educational system so that it can actually train people to be successful in life.
Neil Degrasse TysonRead
I was not a good student. I did not spend much _x000D_ time at college; I was too busy enjoying myself.
Stephen HawkingRead
I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.
Robin WilliamsRead
In our relationship with children and young people, we are not dealing with mechanical devices that can be quickly repaired, but with living beings who are impressionable, volatile, sensitive, afraid, affectionate; and to deal with them we have to have great understanding, the strength of patience and love.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead
Education should be the process of helping everyone to discover his uniqueness, to teach him how to develop that uniqueness, and then to show him how to share it because that’s the only reason for having anything.
Leo BuscagliaRead
How can our kids really understand the moral complexities of being alive if they are not allowed to engage in those complexities outdoors?
Richard LouvRead