Lorde's essay was fascinating to me and actually a little shocking, until I think about what was actually expected in classrooms back then. In her essay, Lorde doesn't specifically state who is a good and bad teacher. Instead she allows us to decide by telling us a little bit about the backgrounds of the teachers and her own experiences with them. She talks about behavior and expectations and how the two coincide, as well as Family vs. Classroom expectations.
She shows the contrast between What you are able to do and What you are asked to, especially during her experience in a Kindergarten classroom where her abilities outweighed the expectations and as a result , was punished for knowing too much and not following simple direction.
When she attended Catholic school, the nuns separated the Good and Bad kids in the classroom and by ACCIDENTALLY breaking her eye glasses, she was forced into a dunce cap in the back of the room with no aid or guidance in her scholastic life, as if it was her fault for being born with bad sight.
It is shocking that things like that happened to children especially in a religious environment. Rather than encourage learning, some students were punished for it. Very sad experience.
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