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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Ashton-Warner describe the porch where she met with Tremaine?

2. What did her former students do when Ashton-Warner arrived to visit their new classroom?

3. Which student wrote about a father drinking all the beer at the party?

4. What was one of the items "missing" from the new classroom?

5. How long ago had the Maoris ancestors arrived in New Zealand from Polynesia?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Ashton-Warner disappointed with the pictures the new teacher had chosen to personalize the children's coat hooks?

2. In her discussion of pedagogy as marriage, what did Ashton-Warner mean when she said that "love interferes with fidelity"?

3. How did sentence length differ between whites and Maoris?

4. What did Ashton-Warner think about as she gazed at the empty site where her old classroom had once stood?

5. Why did Ashton-Warner write at the end of "Holidays" that she was no longer lonely?

6. How did the behavior of the children differ in the new classrooms compared to when Ashton-Warner taught at the school?

7. Why was it important to offer only present tense verbs to new readers?

8. What are the two worst enemies of teaching?

9. How did Ashton-Warner view the importance of handwriting?

10. What was Ashton-Warner's reaction to the traditional Maori music performed by the children under the direction of Kahu?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ashton-Warner rejected the use of corporal punishment, while pointing out that many prominent philosophers embraced it. Write an essay exploring this issue. Is corporal punishment ever effective? What short-term and long-term impacts does it have on children? Does it make a difference if it is administered at home or in a school setting? What other disciplinary techniques can be used, both at home and at school? Include in your essay whether most schools today allow corporal punishment and how attitudes have changed since Ashton-Warner first wrote "Teacher."

Essay Topic 2

As Ashton-Warner listened to a Maori adult teach her students a traditional song, she realized that she could not have done that because she was not Maori herself. She knew she could not bring forth the same passion that the Maori teacher did. How did being white affect Ashton-Warner's abilities as a teacher to a mostly-Maori classroom? Did it limit her in any way? Was she required to make changes to her technique because of the racial difference? Were there other situations (besides the traditional song) in which Ashton-Warner would have been at a significant disadvantage as a white person? Is it necessary to have teachers reflect the ethnic or racial makeup of their classrooms?

Essay Topic 3

Many of Ashton-Warner's children used violent imagery in their writings, some of it reflecting their daily family life, some of it made up. In most schools today, that sort of imagery would be a cause for concern. Is it wise to allow students to express themselves in their writing if it is violent? Should teachers and school officials question the content of a student's writing? Why did Ashton-Warner allow her students to write in this way? Were their any advantages to doing so? Could students with emotional problems or bad home environments benefit from having an outlet for their feelings at school? Or do schools have a responsibility to rein in children's violent feelings for the sake of the entire class?

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