Gryhpon
By: Charles Baxter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Charles Baxter
5 facts about the author, relate the story to the author's personal life and provide an image of the author
Charles Baxter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 13, 1947. He graduated at Macalester College and achieved a PhD in English in 1974. After he graduated, he became a teacher at a high school in Pinconning, Michigan for a year, but quit later and decided to begin teaching in universities. He started at a university in Detroit, then moved to Michigan to teach at a university there, and moved to Minnesota where he is teaching at the University of Minnesota today.
5 facts about the author, relate the story to the author's personal life and provide an image of the author
Charles Baxter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 13, 1947. He graduated at Macalester College and achieved a PhD in English in 1974. After he graduated, he became a teacher at a high school in Pinconning, Michigan for a year, but quit later and decided to begin teaching in universities. He started at a university in Detroit, then moved to Michigan to teach at a university there, and moved to Minnesota where he is teaching at the University of Minnesota today.
PREREADING REFLECTION:
What do you expect to learn when you have a substitute teacher?
When I have a substitute teacher, I usually expect to learn everything the normal teacher would teach us. However, I would also expect the substitute teacher to not know some of the things we are doing, and we would help her/him.
What are some strategies substitutes used to teach their classes? Which strategies work? Which do not?
Some strategies substitutes use would be reading the notes the main teacher gave her/him, and follow accordingly to whatever the notes say. This strategy works because he/she typically knows what to do and everything is fine. One strategy that does not work would be letting us do whatever we want, because nothing will be accomplished on that day. And one more strategy that does not work is discussing too long. A substitute might discuss on a topic for too long that the students don't get anything accomplished in class, and can result in more homework.
What do you expect to learn when you have a substitute teacher?
When I have a substitute teacher, I usually expect to learn everything the normal teacher would teach us. However, I would also expect the substitute teacher to not know some of the things we are doing, and we would help her/him.
What are some strategies substitutes used to teach their classes? Which strategies work? Which do not?
Some strategies substitutes use would be reading the notes the main teacher gave her/him, and follow accordingly to whatever the notes say. This strategy works because he/she typically knows what to do and everything is fine. One strategy that does not work would be letting us do whatever we want, because nothing will be accomplished on that day. And one more strategy that does not work is discussing too long. A substitute might discuss on a topic for too long that the students don't get anything accomplished in class, and can result in more homework.
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT:
Define each term as it is used in the context of the story. Provide a quote, in quote format, from the story.
Painstakingly - Tedious, Boring; Let us go on to your assigned problems for today, as painstakingly outlined, I see, in Mr. Hibler's lesson plan." (p. 69)
Cosmic - Supernatural; "Pyramids," Miss Ferenczi went on, "were the repositories of special cosmic powers." (p. 72)
Improvise - Do randomly, improv, do something without a plan; "I had to improvise, to outrage him." (p. 74)
Variant - Another kind of something; "After five minutes I found it. Gryphon: variant of griffin." (p. 76)
Fabulous - Amazing, astonishing; "Fabulous was right." (p. 76)
Pretense - Do without warning; "This time there was no pretense of doing a reading lesson or moving on to arithmetic." (p. 76)
Demoralized - Doubt, questioning; "He seemed demoralized." (p. 79)
Define each term as it is used in the context of the story. Provide a quote, in quote format, from the story.
Painstakingly - Tedious, Boring; Let us go on to your assigned problems for today, as painstakingly outlined, I see, in Mr. Hibler's lesson plan." (p. 69)
Cosmic - Supernatural; "Pyramids," Miss Ferenczi went on, "were the repositories of special cosmic powers." (p. 72)
Improvise - Do randomly, improv, do something without a plan; "I had to improvise, to outrage him." (p. 74)
Variant - Another kind of something; "After five minutes I found it. Gryphon: variant of griffin." (p. 76)
Fabulous - Amazing, astonishing; "Fabulous was right." (p. 76)
Pretense - Do without warning; "This time there was no pretense of doing a reading lesson or moving on to arithmetic." (p. 76)
Demoralized - Doubt, questioning; "He seemed demoralized." (p. 79)
CONTRASTING IDEAS:
Provide 4 examples from the text to support each idea
Provide 4 examples from the text to support each idea
Normal Teacher
Makes them do standard subjects "Take out your reading book. I believe it is called Broad Horizons, or something along those lines." (p. 66) Tells them to stop goofing off "Are you tormenting an animal? Put it back. Please sit down at your desks." (p. 64) She follows the lesson plans "We worked hard even though she talked a lot." (p. 80) She struggles in class to follow the lesson plan "The substitute hadn't always done exactly what he, Mr. Hibler, would have done." (p. 80) She tells them to practice multiplication tables "Miss Ferenczi had made John Wazny stand up at his desk in the front row. He was supposed to go through the tables of six." (p. 67) |
Strange Teacher
She gives them different multiplication answers "But, and I know some people will note entirely agree with me, at some times it is sixty-eight." (p. 67) She does fortune telling and tells the fortune of students "I shall tell your fortunes, as I have been taught to do." (p. 81) Stories are far fetched "I have seen this truth with these eyes. I know it because in a dream God kissed me. Here." (p. 78) Eats raw spinach and stuffed fig "It most certainly is food. It's a stuffed fig. I had to drive almost down to Detroit to get it." (p. 70) Wants to eat with the kids "But I shall continue to eat here, with you children. I prefer it." (p. 70) |