Wagner despised education and got expelled from middle school. Furthermore, the author was suspended from boarding school and dropped out of two undergraduate courses. The author’s relationship with the traditional school setting was poor, resulting in many struggles throughout the education system. Since children are rarely allowed to raise their personal questions, the system frequently kills curiosity. Wagner demonstrates how harnessing a student’s preferences and abilities is crucial to true progress, yet, many pupils hardly have the opportunity (Wagner). Unlike Wagner, who read and learned slowly, some children understand much earlier than others. The pressure from teachers and parents turns a slow learner into an uneasy student.
The nature of Wagner’s relationship with traditional schooling was poor because the author experienced numerous struggles, such as slow learning and a lack of support from school teachers. The poor relationship had an influence on the author’s interactions with teachers and colleagues. Students whose parents or instructors constantly pressure them due to poor performance may skip many school sessions, while others would stop going to school. Wagner’s struggles and poor relationship in school made him drop out. The author’s mother took the author to a tutor each week for several years (Wagner). Mrs. Gray, the tutor, was compassionate and friendly, contrasting the instructors at school, and the author was fluent in reading by fourth grade.
In conclusion, the significant relationship in the memoir is the author’s connection with traditional schooling. The nature of the relationship is poor since Wagner is a slow learner and lacks support from teachers to improve the situation. Furthermore, the author believes that schools minimize children’s curiosity as it denies the chance to ask individual questions. This relationship negatively impacted the author as the interactions between teachers and classmates became poor. Wagner despised the school, and this made him expelled.
Work Cited
Wagner, Tom. Learning by Heart: An Unconventional Education. Penguin Books, 2020.