Gryphon Response

     In the middle of the Gryphon by Charles Baxter, I got out my dictionary too and looked up the word "gryphon."  I found exactly what Tommy found in his.  I am not sure if I would call Miss Ferenzci as a teacher "fantastic" though, but this is the respectable opinion of the character.  Yet the other half of the definition is that a gryphon "has a eagle's wings and a lion's body.  I think this also holds true for her.  As a teacher, I think Ms. Ferenzci's ideas and lessons are definitely different, and most times misleading, but she can grab the attention of all the bored students with them.  An eagle's wings can also achieve an incredible amount of attention from the other animals.  Yet her ideas don't just get attention, they can really take off and fly for the students.  A lion however, is commonly though of as a fast, aggressive, and powerful hunter, yet Ms. Ferenzci has no intention to kill.  She also isn't as physically strong, yet her connections in the first day of class were very powerful.  They were enough to excite little Tommy to the point where he ran home to his mother and told her all about this new substitute.  Ms. Ferenzci is so strong, she was eventually overturned by one of the students. This is the same outcome for many top officials, especially who have ideas opposite of what you were brought up to believe in.   This is also the outcome of the head lion in the pack.  Eventually one of the other members will overthrow him and find a new leader.
     In the last paragraph, we find Ms. Ferezci's replacement, the 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Mantai.  I find it interesting, because I can find no connection between their temporary area of study, insects, and the rest of the story.  Yet the last line might have a hint at what the paragraph is trying to achieve, "Mrs. Mantai said that our assignment would be to memorize these lists for the next day, when Mr. Hibler would certainly return and test us on our knowledge." I don't think this only refers to what was taught in Mrs. Mantia's class that day, but also in Ms. Ferezci's class.  Although academically their may not have been as much to learn from their gryphon substitute teacher, they definitely were introduced to a new teacher and a new adventure in which to think about their subjects about to resume with the return of Mr. Hibler.