Teacher man : a memoir / Frank McCourt.

[This book is a] tribute to teachers everywhere ... [The author] records the trials, triumphs and surprises he faces in public high schools around New York City. His methods anything but conventional, [he] creates a lasting impact on his students through imaginative assignments ..., singalongs ... and field trips. As [the author] struggles to find his way in the classroom, he spends his evenings drinking with writers and dreaming of one day putting his own story to paper. [The book] shows [him] developing his ... ability to tell a great story as, five days a week, five periods per day, he works to gain the attention and respect of unruly, hormonally charged or indifferent adolescents. His rocky marriage, his failed attempt to get a Ph. D. at Trinity College, Dublin, and his repeated firings due to his propensity to talk back to his superiors ironically lead him to New York's most prestigious school, Stuyvesant High School, where he finally finds a place and a voice.