| Booktalk
#1
Have you ever felt like one
of your teachers just didn't like you? In Nothing But the Truth,
ninth-grade Philip Malloy was convinced that his English teacher, Miss
Narwin, was out to get him. She complained about him not working,
didn't smile at this classroom jokes, and gave him a failing grade which
kept him from being able to join the track team. Philip devised a
plan to get himself transferred out Miss Narwin’s class. Although
the school policy was to remain “respectfully silent”, he continually sang
along with the taped national anthem that was played over the school intercom
each morning. Philip’s attempts to agitate Miss Narwin by expressing
his patriotic freedom spiraled out of control and eventually caught national
attention. Did Philip ever get transferred out of Miss Narwin’s class?
Did he get to join the track team? What happened with Miss Narwin?
Find out by reading Nothing But the Truth. (Carolyn Davis, DCDavis1@homexpressway.net,
Sedgefield Intermediate Media Specialist, Berkeley County)
Booktalk #2
How could something as innocent
as humming during the Star Spangled Banner make news across the country
and cause an experienced teacher to take early retirement? Read "Nothing
But the Truth" to find out all about it.
Booktalk #3
Phillip Malloy is an average student that wants to run track. Margaret
Narwin is a veteran teacher that tries to instill of love of learning in
her students. The two collide when Phillip’s grades in Mrs.
Narwin’s class are not sufficient to keep him on the track team.
Phillip attempts to be removed from her classroom and homeroom in hopes
of finding a more lenient teacher. When this fails, he hums the National
Anthem and gets sent to the office for not standing at “respectful, silent
attention”. The events that follow are detailed in letter, memo and
diary form.
Mrs. Narwin’s stellar teaching record is under attack and Phillip is questioning
his own actions amid a storm of controversy. Did Phillip do the right
thing? Did Mrs. Narwin do the right thing? Does anyone even
know what the right thing is?
Read Nothing but the Truth and decide for yourself… (Laura Blevins,
laura_at_usc@yahoo.com,
University of South Carolina, graduate candidate) |
