It was, however, nice to ask students to write without dictating the form. Whether or not we ever pass these tributes along is something that each student will decide for themselves. The writing was the exercise, the expression of their feelings. They were asked to write a tribute to them. I asked them to choose a person who inspires them, who encourages them to be their best. That being said, if we decide to, we can go back to those cards for a piece to develop. The goal was the thought, not a fully developed piece. Though I allowed for an expansion beyond the note cards they started with, I enjoyed the brevity that the note cards encouraged. Looking at two aspects of their personalities was a nice reflective piece. Charlie Dalton takes on the name Nuwanda to express himself bravely, and recklessly.Todd Anderson is a painfully shy young man.We wrote on note cards, each side representing one aspect of themselves, as inspired by characters in the film. I wanted them to explore two sides of themselves. We may go back and revise it, or it may just live as poetry of that moment, that day. I wanted them to see the power in throwing out words. Yes, I assessed it, but only insofar as I checked off that it was done. What was fun about this was the freedom they had. I wanted them to see what came out of a moment like that. I didn’t plan it, and simply had them start from a random moment, and gave them random directions as we went. In an attempt to compose something relatively pure, in the moment, I talked each of them through the process of pulling some ideas out. Like the scene in the film, we composed something on the spot. There would be some reading and reflecting, and there would be writing – all inspired by the film. When the dust settled, I had a series of things I would ask my students to do. I checked out what some colleagues had shared over the years. I opened my notebook and jotted down the notions in my head. Any shy student in my classroom, I mentally brand as a “Todd,” inspired by Ethan Hawke’s introverted character.Īnd assigning my students an essay on this film suddenly seemed like a glaring piece of hypocrisy. I wanted students asking, pushing and exploring under my tutelage. Like many of us, I place Robin Williams’ John Keating pretty high on my list of fictional teachers that inspire me. This film means a lot to me as a teacher. It was really wonderful, and I saw more insight and engagement with the analysis of the film than I had seen in years. All the analysis, and questioning of the film that had gone into student essays of the past made it to the whiteboard in my room, as I took notes during our hour long discussion of the film. They watched.Īnd when I returned, we talked about it. In actuality, I wasn’t even going to be able to watch the film with them, because I would be away at PD. My DPS lesson plan was becoming as stolid and devoid of passion as the introduction to poetry Keating has the boys rip out of their books. It works for this, and it’s a good piece to give them the “freedom” of an essay response to say what the movie inspires them to say.Īnd I kind of hate that I’ve done that. The film is rich, with lots to discuss and debate, much for students to ponder as they respond in writing. They’re not much longer for my building, and will soon be sallying forth to “Carpe diem.”īut, if I must be honest, I’ve always applied the Stink of English class to it by attaching an academic piece to it, often an essay. There’s something special about that movie and that group.
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