"Make one mistake on your first day and it takes months to recover."

This quote alone sent shivers down my spine. Despite this very stern and frightening warning to start Teacher Man, I truly enjoyed reading this book. Much like the previous post, I sometimes have trouble starting a book especially if its an assigned one. But as soon as I picked up Teacher Man, I couldn't put it down.
While reading the book, I felt an instant connection to Frank McCourt. To start, we're both Irish and I always feel an instant bond with anyone sharing my Irish heritage. On a deeper level, I think we have very similar personalities. I can be an extremely sarcastic person and, at the same time, a very self-conscious and insecure one. Most of the time, I use this sarcasm, much like McCourt to aid me in uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.
What I got most out of this book was idea of being flexible in your teaching. All too often, teachers are worried about content standards and the thought of teaching for a test. McCourt initially felt this kind of pressure from his peers and administrators. It wasn't until he was really given free rein of his classroom that he found his own style and voice in teaching. As tempting as it may seem to conform and cave into pressure my first year, from reading this book, I will resist as much as possible in order to find my own niche like McCourt did.