Standardized Education In Charles Baxter's 'Gryphon'

Charles Baxter’s “Gryphon” provides an interesting look at standardized education and the way society views those who deviate from it. Baxter shows this through how the narrator Tommy views his new substitute, Miss Ferenczi. The character Miss Ferenczi tries to revolt against the clinical and strict standards of society and positively impact the morality and ethicality of herself, Tommy, and the fourth graders.

While some readers may think that Miss Ferenczi is either morally inept or somewhat delusional, she proves herself to be a person who cares to teach the children how to love learning. Miss Ferenczi continuously revolts against the clinically strict standards of education to teach the children the wonder of learning through her fantastic

“You ever see an animal that was half lion and half bird?” He crossed his arms. “It sounded real fakey to me.” “It could happen,” I said. I had to improvise, to outrage him” (Baxter 138).

This quote proves the interest the children having in learning about these things. Rarely do fourth graders happily discuss arithmetic to any extent. Miss Ferenczi is a positive influence by teaching them to be excited about learning through the stories she tells them. The conflict in the story is caused by the difference of what the accepted view of education is and the way Miss Ferenczi teaches. The accepted way of teaching is to teach children what is the right way to do specific things, such as math and spelling. Children are taught that these things are what are important for the standard version of success. They are shuffled through the education system, parroting the right answers to test questions back and forth. Tommy shows this as he “cursed the world of spelling and tried erasing it again and saw the paper beginning to wear away” (Baxter 135). Miss Ferenczi not only tries to instill a love of learning, but teach them to think about things complexly. Miss Ferenczi says things like, “’Do you think,’ she asked, ‘that anyone is going to be hurt by a substitute fact?’… ‘Will the plants on the windowsill be hurt?’… ‘Your dogs and cats, or your moms and dads?’… ‘So,’ she concluded, ‘what’s the problem?’” (Baxter 134). This idea of “substitute

As a fourth grader, Tommy’s morals and ethics are not fully developed, but readers can see that he values excitement and variety, which Miss Ferenczi provides. He defends her stories as fact in hopes that they are true and that the world is as fantastic as she makes it seem. He makes statements such as, “I had liked her. She was strange” (Baxter 138). The other fourth graders also enjoy Miss Ferenczi’s stories, which is seen through the way they pay very close attention to her. Throughout the story, the narrator makes statements such as, “There was not a sound in the classroom, except for Miss Ferenczi’s voice, and Donna DeShano’s coughing. No one even went to the bathroom” (Baxter 140). The children are interested and engaged in hearing what she has to say. The fourth graders value the idea that Miss Ferenczi is trying to impart: that learning can be fun and