the missing teacher a memoir Lani V Cox 9781507524121 Books
Download As PDF : the missing teacher a memoir Lani V Cox 9781507524121 Books
You’ve probably heard of Waldorf, but most people don’t know what it is. Based on Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual philosophy and the idea of giving children a holistic education, it’s one of the fastest growing alternative educational systems in the world.
I entered the fairy tale world of Waldorf with the best intentions, completed my training, and began teaching at a fledgling school. It was not the positive and nurturing environment I’d expected, and two years later, when it became apparent I didn’t fit in, I was fired. I was devastated and lost my faith.
In the following years I went looking for myself, and found clues in the most unlikely places, between root beer and burgers, a shoebox and a book on tape.
the missing teacher explores the personality of education, looks into one of the most controversial education systems, and is a story about the education of self.
the missing teacher a memoir Lani V Cox 9781507524121 Books
Blogger Lani Cox is known for writing about being an American expat living in Thailand. Her new book is ‘missing teacher’ (stylistically spelled in lowercase) and is a memoir concerning her training as a teacher. Personally, I am interested in the overlap of expat issues and education. However, the memoir primarily takes place in the United States and only briefly delves into moving abroad at the end.Her account of training into the alternative field of Waldorf schools is very candid. Right from the beginning she shocks the reader with intensely personal anecdotes. The reader sees that Ms. Cox is an introspective person who went through many trials as she took up teaching.
The Waldorf system, sometimes referred to as a cult, is not your standard K-12 curriculum of standardized tests. She was trained in the peculiarities of their own system, which seeks to foster creativity and the spirt. The work was hard, and at times the reader wonders why she preserved. She was thrown into the first grade, and harshly criticized by various coworkers and parents while simultaneously learning to foster her motherly instincts. Any teacher will say it comes with the territory, but to her it seemed particularly harsh. When she lets her guard down, it goes from bad to worse.
Some of the more interesting parts focus on her Thai background and family upbringing, and how that relates to dealing with children and authority figures.
The story is too detailed in some parts. She gives other characters colorful pseudonyms such as Mr. Worm and Mrs. Squirrel, so as not to be identifiable. The children are numbered, #2, #10, and so on. Even in her personal life she calls an ex-boyfriend the unfortunately-labeled Mr. Angry.
Ultimately, she failed. The story is about failure, but it’s also about picking oneself up afterwards and refusing to give up. The fact that she went through the experience actually inspired her to never give up teaching, albeit through different avenues.
Like many first books, it could have been further edited. Sometimes it should have been organized as more of a narrative – though it is nonfiction. Still, memoirs are not easy and the book is a promising first attempt.
A recommended tale for anyone interested in the inner lives of teachers, and anyone who has ever worried they haven’t fit in, whether at work or at life.
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Tags : the missing teacher: a memoir [Lani V. Cox] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. You’ve probably heard of Waldorf, but most people don’t know what it is. Based on Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual philosophy and the idea of giving children a holistic education,Lani V. Cox,the missing teacher: a memoir,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1507524129,Educators,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Educators,Biography & Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography
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the missing teacher a memoir Lani V Cox 9781507524121 Books Reviews
I've lived close to a Waldorf school for the past ten years and my daughter took violin lessons there. I like the author's honest description of Waldorf education with its pros and cons. The book is actually a good primer on the Waldorf system as well as being a delightful personal account. To be honest, I always thought the Waldorfians were a bit cosmic, but I agree it’s not a cult as one of the chapters asks. A cult takes someone away from their family, friends and culture and isolates them. Waldorf schools certainly don’t do that.
I home-schooled my daughter who is now a sophomore in college. A lot of people think that’s cult-like, but I did it because the public schools are lousy and she was bored. Since I work from home, it went well, was easy for me and brought my daughter closer to me. I guess that means I’m not “the missing teacher”! This book exposes the fact that so many parents are divorced from their own children and really have no idea what they are learning or what the relationships are, or ought to be, between student, teacher and parent.
In the last chapter, the author reminisces about her own public schooling in Hawaii. It reminded me of my 8th grade experience at Washington Intermediate in Honolulu so long ago!
This book is a great read both as a memoir and a commentary on the critical subject of child education. The author lives, and teaches, in Thailand now and has an interesting blog at https//lanivcox.wordpress.com/
The Missing Teacher was a real page turner. Not what I expected in a memoir about a young woman's first teaching experience at a Waldorf school. But when Lani stepped into the classroom, she entered a battleground. Administrators, parents, and other teachers were all part of the dysfunctional politics of a small, new school fighting to survive and grow. Suspicion, hostility, and power stuggles hidden under the cover of Waldorf idealism grew in an atmosphere of constant gossip.
Lani was a target almost from the beginning. She was too young. She dressed wrong. She was too friendly with her students. She wasn't warm enough. She kept her mouth shut, changed her teaching style, spoke up for herself. Nothing worked.
The fallout from being fired lasted for years. In trying to understand what went wrong, Lani explored how her heritage and early experiences were related to her reactions to the Waldorf experience.
The author has a candid and humorous writing style, sprinkled with word play and metaphors that are fresh and funny. Most important in a memoir, she is brutally honest.
I know Lani through her writings about teaching in Thailand, and knew she had a past being a Waldorf teacher. When she announced her book was published about her pre-Thailand experience in the world of Waldorf, I had to read it. The Missing Teacher is her memoir of her young adulthood, the feelings of "now what" before she was led into the world of Waldorf.
She takes us through her teacher training and describes her enthusiasm for Waldorf philosophy. And then her actual teaching experience and all the frustrations young teachers have with classroom management and the awkward dance that must be done with both parents and staff.
Then it got - like a soap opera - the drama that went on at "Trembling Trees" made me cringe. I was astonished at Lani's patience and willingness to endure a ton of nonsense, to put it politely. She was treated unfairly by both staff and parents, and I felt bad for her and grateful that some parents and teachers stayed by her side.
This book is a bit like a way for her to tell her side of the story, a way to get hurtful resentment off her chest, as well as a way to serve as a precaution for those thinking of either putting their own children in a Waldorf school or becoming a Waldorf teacher. My sister was a Waldorf teacher and had a similar, though not as rough, an experience as Lani, so Lani is absolutely not an outlier in her experience.
Blogger Lani Cox is known for writing about being an American expat living in Thailand. Her new book is ‘missing teacher’ (stylistically spelled in lowercase) and is a memoir concerning her training as a teacher. Personally, I am interested in the overlap of expat issues and education. However, the memoir primarily takes place in the United States and only briefly delves into moving abroad at the end.
Her account of training into the alternative field of Waldorf schools is very candid. Right from the beginning she shocks the reader with intensely personal anecdotes. The reader sees that Ms. Cox is an introspective person who went through many trials as she took up teaching.
The Waldorf system, sometimes referred to as a cult, is not your standard K-12 curriculum of standardized tests. She was trained in the peculiarities of their own system, which seeks to foster creativity and the spirt. The work was hard, and at times the reader wonders why she preserved. She was thrown into the first grade, and harshly criticized by various coworkers and parents while simultaneously learning to foster her motherly instincts. Any teacher will say it comes with the territory, but to her it seemed particularly harsh. When she lets her guard down, it goes from bad to worse.
Some of the more interesting parts focus on her Thai background and family upbringing, and how that relates to dealing with children and authority figures.
The story is too detailed in some parts. She gives other characters colorful pseudonyms such as Mr. Worm and Mrs. Squirrel, so as not to be identifiable. The children are numbered, #2, #10, and so on. Even in her personal life she calls an ex-boyfriend the unfortunately-labeled Mr. Angry.
Ultimately, she failed. The story is about failure, but it’s also about picking oneself up afterwards and refusing to give up. The fact that she went through the experience actually inspired her to never give up teaching, albeit through different avenues.
Like many first books, it could have been further edited. Sometimes it should have been organized as more of a narrative – though it is nonfiction. Still, memoirs are not easy and the book is a promising first attempt.
A recommended tale for anyone interested in the inner lives of teachers, and anyone who has ever worried they haven’t fit in, whether at work or at life.
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