Mona Lisa Smile: Comparison

The teaching style that Katherine Watson taught was a new pedagogy to her students and the institution. She was breaking the mold that was expected of her and in turn, challenging her students to break the molds that were expected of them as well. She opposed conformity and instead, sought to give her students choices, allow them to formulate their own opinion on thing and teach them to decisions for themselves. In Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times however, the character Mr. Gradgrind takes a very opposite stance on teaching than that of Ms. Watson. Gradgrind believes people should be taught the facts and facts only and that having an opinion is not necessary as long as you know the facts. Ms. Watson stood for individuality whereas Mr. Gradgrind stood for conformity, that is the main difference between the two I think.