Drawing from what Heather touches on below, I have always had a really hard time swallowing Gruwell's writing. Heather talks about how amazing her teaching style is and questions, "How can anyone live up to that?" In my opinion, this is exactly what makes it so hard to read. It seems like such an idealistic theory of teaching that at times it's almost unbelievable. Obviously, these are her memoirs and she has actually accomplished all of these things, but I don't really feel like I benefit from reading things like this, but rather, I end up feeling discouraged and lazy.
I, like Gruwell, feel the need to diverge from my priveledged upbringing and teach less fortunate kids, but everytime I am faced with a story like this, I wonder if I am actually cut out for that profession. I know I can teach, and I do have a passion for it, but I cannot imagine spending that much of my day to day life devoted to my students. I think both Lora and Heather speak well about this issue of balance, so I'll try not to repeat anything, but I just have to say that I felt that guilty pang of not wanting to sacrifice my personal life for my teaching as well.
As I struggle with my personal feelings about Gruwell and her writing, I have to just take it for what it is and try to appreciate all that she has accomplished. I can't hep but wonder how the heck I would ever achieve even half of what she did, but all I can do is try to accomplish my own set of goals. More importantly, the fact that she has accomplished so much only works to pave the way for us as we get teaching jobs and realize that there are a lot more schools who need a driven teacher to spark change and reformation.
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