Growth: A Teaching Philosophy
The Water is Wide
He begins by establishing a trust with the children by engaging them in lively conversation about themselves and the island. Conroy’s philosophy was to toss out the worthless textbook that the children could not read and attempt to relate to them on their level. He believes that to learn, a student must think he is able to learn. Conroy builds the students self-esteem by telling them to, “ look upon themselves in a different light, that they had to be convinced of their basic worth, and that they could learn just as fast as anybody else” (p.54). Conroy believed this! That is what makes him such a great teacher. Pat Conroy believes that children can learn regardless of their circumstances and he uses every resource possible to make it happen. Mrs. Brown is the teacher next door and acting principal. Her philosophy is to put them in a seat, and drill it into their heads. Her very presence is enough to stifle the students. “…Give them seat work. Keep them busy. We’re not here to have fun. We’re here to educate. We got rules to follow” (p.117). If the students do not retain the information, she calls them retarded and tells them they are babies. Regardless, one helpful tool in the classroom is a world map, so that is where Conroy begins. He talks to the children about their island and shows them where they live in relation to the surrounding states and cities. Pat Conroy wants them to know that there is a huge world out there for them to experience. His teaching methods are diverse with music, movies, current events, guest speakers and life experience through field trips off the island. He knows that the exposure to new things will inspire growth. Mrs. Brown disagrees, and tells Conroy that there is no room in school for movies or music and she pokes her head into the classroom at every opportunity. In contrast, Conroy challenges the kids to learn classical music such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. When he asks the students if they think they can do it, they all yell, in the “pep-rally” style that he establishes with them, “YEAH!” Conroy tells them, “I believe you” (p.53). That is what set the tone for his classroom.
Conroy cares about the students and says, “They seemed to like me, probably because I did not beat them” (p.62). Violence is a part of the culture on the island; it is as common as the waves that splash upon their beaches. The children play sports aggressively and their pets are starving and abused. The children understand the violent discipline of leather straps and switches. The parents are usually drunk and the kids get beat at home and at school. Mrs. Brown administers the beatings and the kids “hated (her) with reason and justification” (p.159). She constantly humiliates them and makes them feel powerless. The contrast between Brown and Conroy had to have made a significant impact on the students. Mrs. Brown encourages Conroy to beat the children but he has never needed to beat a child and has no intention of starting here. 
Due to the neglect and abuse the children have suffered Conroy writes several letters to the board telling them of the condition of the children on the island. It infuriates him that they have not received the same education that the students on the mainland have: “With each question I asked I got madder and madder at the people responsible for the condition of these kids” (p.36). It is the board’s responsibility to fix the problem and Conroy tries to hold them accountable. He begins to understand that the Board of Education does not have the same philosophy of education that he does. The Board of Education is more worried about budgets, politics and chains of command than they are about children. At the end of the year, Conroy gets fired. He is told that being continually late to school, not following the chain of command, and charging his gas bill to the county is not acceptable, and that he must follow the same rules as the rest of the teachers in the county. He fights for his job, but realizes that he has already burned the bridges of the board members, and had he chosen his battles more carefully, he could still be teaching there. Conroy knows that it is his ego that got him kicked off the island and says, “As a bona fied ass-kisser, I might lose a measure of self respect, but I could be teaching and helping kids.”(p.289) 
Pat Conroy wrote this book as a means of closure to the experience and as a message to future educators both in and outside of the classroom. When someone makes the choice to become a teacher, the needs of the students always come before the teachers. Pat Conroy wants teachers to realize that it is okay to feel passionate about teaching. It is also important to remember that growth is good, knowledge comes through life experience, and education is a never-ending flow of events.
Please wait...