A+Life+In+School+What+The+Teacher+Learned


 * __A Life In School: What The Teacher Learned__**
 * By: Jane Tompkins**

In __A Life In School__, Jane Tompkins tells the story of her experiences from beginning school through being employed as a college professor. All the while she speaks about her opinions on the American school system and her teaching theories and strategies. The book starts while she is in grammar school. Although she mentions a few teachers that she thought highly of, Tompkins hated school during these years because of her overwhelming need to impress her teachers. She discusses her college years where she attended Bryn Mawr and Yale. She has very inconsistent opinions about her classes and teachers. While still dealing with her need to impress, she learns a lot about discussion in learning. The bulk of the book, however, is about her years teaching at many different institutions. During her many years as a professional she develops many ways of teaching. She connects her job to her personal life and she continuously challenges herself and her students. She learns many new methods of teaching and in the end combines many to create her own. Although she went through many ups and downs regarding school in her life, in the epilogue of this book she states that she is content in how it all ended up.
 * Summary:**


 * Key Passages**