Analysis Of Lynda Barry's The Sanctuary Of School

From the age of two, children are put into the school system, where they will remain for a quarter of their lives. Schools become a safe place for students where no matter what is going on at home or in their community, they know that when they go to school they are safe. The idea that teachers provide a positive, safe environment for children despite what is going on at home is prevalent in Lynda Barry’s, “The Sanctuary of School.” She mentions the positive effects on students, as their teacher’s involvement is important to ensuring their learning process runs smoothly in the classroom, despite what is happening outside of it. I agree with Lynda Barry’s stance stating teachers become a mentor for students, but I believe she overlooks the negatives …show more content…
Efficacy is a principal in which teachers base their teachings off. Teachers want their students to succeed, and they need to believe that they can reach every student, regardless of their background or learning style. Pamela Angelle, from the Journal of Educational Administration, writes about the representation of the idea of efficacy. She states, “‘teacher leaders … demonstrate a belief that they can bring about change, a desire to work for change about which they are passionate, and the knowledge and skills to do so’ (DiRanna and Loucks-Horsley, 2001),” (Angelle), proving efficacy comes into play majorly between teacher involvement and student achievement because teachers desire to see that change in their students. Teachers who have greater involvement in their student’s lives will easily be able to instill their passion and knowledge on their students, yielding academic achievement. These ideas hold true within Lynda Barry’s “The Sanctuary of School.” She discusses the importance of teachers and their involvement in the lives of their students. Specifically, she tells the story of her childhood and how her teacher made a positive impact in her life by getting involved. As she snuck out of her house, she walked herself to school in the dark hours before it started in order to get out of her home situation. Encountering her teacher, she began …show more content…
Ernest Zarra, author of “Teacher-Student Relationships: Crossing into the Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Realms” introduces this in his book as he explains, “those teachers …, who find ways to reach across one or both boundaries, are those who the students define as ‘cool’. The cool teachers are in touch with teenage culture, thereby finding acceptance in the teenage culture,” (5). At times, these “cool” teachers cause students to take advantage of their friendliness. From experience as a student, there are ways to easily persuade them into pushing back tests, more easily graded assignments, convincing them to not give homework, etc. This affects the student’s academic achievement as they are finding ways to get out of the things they need to do in order to succeed in schools. Both the student and teacher are at fault in situations as such. Students should be respecting the teacher’s lesson plans and the teachers should be enforcing those plans and not allowing students to make the decisions. When teachers become too involved in their student’s lives, the students start to see them as friends instead of