Soon after she was handed her scores, she launched into the tightly scripted reading curriculum. All day, she followed the schedule that every other fourth-grade teacher in the city follows. In the afternoon, Burr arrives toting a handful of proclamations, congratulating students for their work. It plays bittersweet to those who know that Webster's scores were disappointing. Freddie, a veteran of Amato's after-school, summer and Saturday programs, asks Burr why he and his classmates are being congratulated, when the writing scores went down so much.
Rewards really come through hard work.
Brunell wonders how much harder she can work. As much as she wants to stay in Hartford, she has some serious questions, even as she believes in Amato. We are walking them through answers. Our goal is to inspire the children to want to learn, to be inquisitive, to want to read. I don't understand how you inspire them by drilling.