To Sir , With Love – E.R. Braithwaite
This
semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s own teaching experiences sets
out to show how one meaningful individual can change the lives of many.
E. R. Braithwaite, a Guyanese author, diplomat
and former Royal Air Force pilot due to the unavailability of any other job
offers was forced to accept a teaching position. He also notes through this
part-fiction part-memoir, the racial discrimination he suffered due to the
colour of his skin.
In the book,
an out of work engineer, Mark Thackeray is given a chance to teach in a tough
inner-city London school. He finds
it hard to be surrounded by undisciplined, unmotivated and unclean students. The
students’ antisocial behaviour, casual racism, penchant for violence and, worst
of all, self-hatred horrify him. However, his colleagues expect little of the
pupils. Driven to a breaking point, he ultimately decides to look past the
cynicism of the school management and the unruly nature of the students to
teach them lessons in self-respect and integrity.
“I felt sick at heart, because it seemed that this latest act,
above all others, was intended to show their utter disrespect for me. They
seemed to have no sense of decency, these children; everything they said or did
was colored by an ugly viciousness….they had pushed me about as far as I was
willing to go; from now on I would do a little pushing on my own account.”
He starts
giving them lessons from life rather than from textbooks. He takes them to
museums and tells them about his childhood. He insist they call him ‘Sir’ and
address each other with the prefix of ‘Miss’ or ‘Mr’, and asks them to respect
themselves first. As he tells them, he would treat them as adults and in return
they need to bestow the same kind of respect towards each other and their
teachers. He gradually begins to gain their confidence, respect and trust.
Sidney Poitier portrayed the unconventional Mark Thackeray in the 1967 film |
Published first in 1959, the beauty of ‘To Sir, With Love’ lies in the portrayal of relationship between a teacher and his students. The ups and downs in his life, his interactions with his class and their transformation from rowdy teenagers to young responsible adults makes this book a highly relevant chronicle for any teacher from any walk of life.
2 comments:
Oh wow, I remember this film, I loved it so much! The book sounds equally fantastic. Thank you for sharing your review! <3
I am so glad to find another individual who loves this classic movie <3, I have watched it a couple of times and have loved the insights i gained from it everytime! :)
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