DRAGONS IN MY CLASSROOM

In this memoir, an English/dramatic arts teacher recounts a pivotal year at the Dragon School in Britain as part of an exchange program.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher in 1959, when I was six years old,” Kennard recalls in her opening. She was inspired by an especially compassionate and patient first grade teacher who worked with her to overcome her learning disabilities. The author was born almost totally blind in one eye and suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia. She determined early on that she would not be limited by these conditions and has spent a lifetime on a “journey toward perfection.” It was an expectation she had not only for herself, but also for her students. After teaching in a variety of places around the country, she and her pianist husband, Brady, moved to Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1990. In 1993, Kennard took a position as a sixth grade teacher at the all-boys Fessenden School outside of Boston. But after a few years, her quest for perfection brought blowback from parents, who complained that the author was setting too high a bar for the young boys. Fortunately, Assistant Head of School John Donovan offered her an ideal opportunity—participation in a one-year teacher-exchange program with the Dragon School in Oxford, England. In August 1998, Kennard embarked on an adventure that would introduce her to new teaching methods and, more importantly, to a less rigid approach to life. Through day-to-day vignettes, the author recalls in great detail the anxieties and excitement of immersing herself in British life and customs, gradually acclimating to the differences between the American and English educational styles. Meticulous descriptions of British mannerisms and culinary dishes are seamlessly woven into a narrative filled with articulate and illuminating dialogue. Unfortunately, the recollected conversations are often unrealistically formal in linguistic construction, even those between Kennard and Brady. Nonetheless, her portrayals of classroom experiences, creative lesson plans that integrate material from different disciplines, and interactions with students are engaging and thought-provoking. These sections will be of special interest to aspiring as well as seasoned teachers.

A well-crafted account about the search for greater flexibility when confronting life’s inevitable challenges.