Chapter 18 Summary

"In Loco Parentis"

In Loco Parentis, the Latin expression meaning "in the place of a parent" Crick returns to the termination of his history teaching position, and his interview with the Headmaster. In response to the Headmaster's views about the "gloom" and the "pessimism" inspired by history, Crick casts himself subtly as the parent figure, and the subject of History as a parental influence, to the children he teaches. He links in this exchange the scene from the grocery store where his wife Mary has stolen the unattended baby.

Chapter 18 Analysis

Tom Crick states, indirectly, that he has a faith and a belief in his students as a result of history - the business of teaching is children, not technology or efficiency. The Latin expression also refers to the fact that when in possession of the stolen child, he and Mary stood in...