Discussion 1:Miss Trunchbull

Credentials, knowledge, critical thinking, and all other faculties of intelligence are important. However, a great teacher should be much more than credentials, experience and intelligence. In this discussion I will be comparing what I am being taught about being a caring, responsible, critically reflective and accountable teacher who should support learning in diverse educational contexts to the aggressive displays by Ms Trunchbull.

Miss Trunchball is described as the meanest headmistress to ever run an elementary school, who is hard and cruel. She believes that adults are always right and children are always wrong. She hates children to the extent she says to her an idea of a perfect school is that in which there are no children at all. She says small children are disgusting and compares them to insects.

A caring teacher is one who actively listen to students. A teacher who actively listens to students is listening for the meaning behind what students are saying, then checks in with them to make sure they’ve understood properly. This affirms students’ dignity and helps develop a trusting relationship between teachers and students. Miss Trunchbull does not give her learners the time of day. She does not allow them to express themselves, and they only have to listen to her.

As teachers we are accountable to the parents regarding the safety and wellbeing of their children. Miss Truchbull puts the wellbeing of the children at her school at risk. She does many things which put the children at risk:

•        She threw a girl over the fence and into a neighboring field
•         She made a boy who had stolen her chocolate cake eat a very large chocolate cake in one sitting in front of the whole school
•          She threw Matilda in the chockey
•          She locked Matilda into the chokey
•          She threw a boy out of the window of a class

All the incidents mentioned above could have been detrimental to the health of the learners and she would have to answer to their parents.

Miss Trunchbull does not support learning in diverse learning contexts. When she was visiting Miss Honey’s class she did not approve of the innovative way of teaching learners how to spell using a little spelling song. She forbids Miss Honey from using the same teaching method again. This means that she prefers teachers to use traditional teaching methods even if they do not suit the needs of the learners.

I think Miss Trunchbull is a perfect example to us as young aspiring teachers of what we should not be. We should aspire to be what we are taught here at school so that we can be able to bring out the best I the learners we are going to teach and make them the best they can be.

References

http://www.writeups.org/trunchbull-matilda-pam-ferris/