Ratburn

We're big Arthur fans here Chez Solo Mom. Five years after first being introduced to the bespectacled aardvark, his annoying little sister, and the rest of the population of Elwood City and Diva Girl still knows every time and channel that the show is on throughout the day; she'd watch them all if I let her, too.

Today's episode is all about Mr. Ratburn, Arthur's incredibly tough, demanding third grade teacher. I have to say, I heart Mr. Ratburn. He's the teacher with The Reputation. He's mean. He's hard. He expects things from his students. He expects their best and constantly challenges them to do better. And yet, he's got a full life outside of teaching, filled with hobbies and friends, and ways to interact with his students that show that he values them as people as well as receptacles of knowledge.

In the beginning the kids are afraid of Mr. Ratburn. Then they simply dislike him. Soon, however, that changes, as the most important lesson they learn from Mr. Ratburn is not spelling or math or science, it is respect. Respect for a job well done, for a challenge well met, for themselves and for those people who refuse to underestimate or undervalue their potential.

Everyone should have a teacher like Mr. Ratburn.

Diva Girl, it appears, is one of the lucky kids who does. "You know," she tells me, "Mr. G is a lot like Mr. Ratburn."

"Really?" I ask. I agree with her--he is a lot like Mr. Ratburn--but I'm curious to see why she thinks so.

"Yeah," she says, "he gives lots of homework (he really doesn't) and he's hard (he is)."

"Is that a bad thing that he expects you to do your best?"

"Well, no," she answers. "I like learning stuff, and I like it when I do a good job. I just wish we had less homework. Then I could watch two Arthurs."

Comments

Ah, priorities. Gotta love 'em.

So Arthur's an aardvark. I could never figure out what the heck he was everytime my son asked me.

I guess I was Mr. Ratburn when I taught 6th grade. One day my students said something about how the other 6th grade class was playing silent ball and I told them that they should have had their parents request Mrs. So and So if they wanted to play silent ball because we would never play silent ball in my class. I told them Mrs. So and So is a much nicer teacher than me. One student looked at me and said, "We learn a lot more from you, though."
I was flattered.

When the real "Mr Ratburn" retired, I got to interview him for our newspaper. Not only was he very proud of his rep as a hardass but he was an incredibly warm and caring teacher. It was one of the highlights of my reporting career (and it was the first I'd so much as heard of "Arthur").

Arthur was my favorite show for the girls.

I'm kind of a Ratburn too, although I have no problem with Silent Ball, Shuffle Your Buns, I like My Neighbour, etc in the right context.

I believe that kids will meet your expectations. Set the bar low, and they will sink; set it high, and they will rise to meet it. Especially since my expectation is simply "do your best and try to be better." If your best is a C-, great! Own that accomplishment. However, if your best is an A+, I think you should be ashamed of that B+. Once kids get that, and start to develop pride in themselves, their accomplishements and abilities, wonderful things happen.

Eden, I'd love to read that article sometime.

hey, where's this manual to teach kids that kind of respect in themselves??? I missed out on my copy when the kids were laid into my arms after 12 hours of labour. I try to relay my experiences with teachers that I respected because they knew I could do better and expected that of me. But it all gets lost in translation with the boy..sigh..