I feel that McCourt cherished teacher inquiry, and he shows this by putting so much focus on understanding his students and putting his effort into helping them rather than teaching to them. His experiences with letting angry students vent and agreeing with them, rather than stopping them, was the most enlightening to me. In my own experiences I have found it rather difficult to not take things personally and realize what a boon it would be to harness that trait and use it to help the students' understanding by releasing their frustrations.
He also demonstrated his views on inquiry by placing an emphasis on educating himself about his students' lifestyle and culture. I think that this is an often overlooked aspect of teaching, which is crucial to create a connection to the students. You don't need to "act like" the students, but it is important that you understand their perspective so that you can tailor your teaching towards them.
You need to constantly update your methods and keep them in touch with your students. In summation, I would quote the words of McCourt: "If you are teaching and not learning, you are not teaching".
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