Dead
Poets Society
I always loved Dead
Poets Society (D.P.S.) for tackling poetry and parental
expectations, especially the scene where the young student commits
suicide after performing his star role in Midsummer Night's Dream.
For some reason, that scene always stuck in my mind because it was so
sad that the family dismissed their son and the son felt that life
was no longer worth living if he couldn't be himself. I decided to
view D.P.S. because it deals with the Anglo-Saxon projection,
masculinity and expected gender roles, and a higher socioeconomic
status.
The first aspect
that must be established are the characters. In D.P.S. John
Keating, Neil Perry, and Todd Anderson are the main focus of the film
but, the main protagonist of the film is Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is
a compassionate, understanding, and enthusiastic leader. The culture
of D.P.S. is one of Anglo-Saxon traditionalism. Welton Academy
is a preparatory school full of boys from the ages of 14-18 all from
well off families. Promising the best education, Welton Academy
practices a rigid curriculum full of canonized writers and materials.
The primary conflict from the film actually arises from the teacher
Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating, a fellow Welton alumni, arrives at the
school and immediately attempts to instill passion and critical
thinking. Instead of sticking to the stuffiness of lectures and rote
memorization, Mr. Keating, by Welton standards, is unconventional.
Mr. Keating
incorporates culturally relevant teaching by utilizing cultural
competence. Because Mr. Keating attended Welton Academy, he is
already familiar with the culture of the school and is able to
incorporate a different lens in which to view poetry. As Nieto
states, “effective schooling relies almost entirely on creative and
passionate teachers” and Mr. Keating fits this description
perfectly (82). One of my favorite scenes is when Mr. Keating is
discussing with another teacher about helping their students develop
as free thinkers. The other teacher retorts that it is dangerous for
him to teach them to be artists while Mr. Keating replies, “not
artists George, free thinkers.” I absolutely loved this response. I
myself am an advocate “Many students are alienated, uninvolved, and
discouraged by school...schools are not organized to encourage active
student involvement ” and this scene best demonstrates the
conflicting pedagogues of these two teacher (Nieto 141). Mr. Keating
involves his students by nurturing their individual voices and
perspectives. While the other teacher emphasizes rote learning and
memorization. “Institutional discrimination generally refers to how
people are excluded or deprived of rights or opportunities as a
result of the normal operations of the institution” (Nieto 68).
With the case of the D.P.S. boys, they are unable to develop
critical thinking skills or their own voice because of the rigidity
of Welton Academy's curriculum and teachers. Mr. Keating continually
reiterates the importance of the individual by making them stand on
his desk to get a different perspective of the world and when he says
that “the longer you wait to find your voice the less your chance
of finding it.” Even Todd Anderson's parents buy him yet another
desk set unbeknownst that their son has no interest in it at all.
This also ties into the most important topic we've discussed, know
your students. Mr. Keating clearly knows Anderson's fear of speaking
in front of his class but he embraces it and helps him get through
it. Mr. Keating knows his student's fears and is able to incorporate
his own unique teaching style to fuel his students to become strong
critical thinkers. His effect on his students is best seen in the
final scene when the boys stand up on their desks and address him as
“O' Captain, My Captain.”
This film was truly
inspiring. It was amazing to see a teacher that was able to work
within the confines of rigidity to advocate critical thinking or, as
Mr. Keating calls it, “free thinking.” Mr. Keating and I would
get along very well. This film has impacted my own practice because I
too advocate and instill the same values in my classroom as Mr.
Keating. The message of the film provides hope for teachers that feel
they are stuck in the rigidity of the curriculum and emphasizes the
value of critical thinking and creativity. If you truly value your
students opinions and their unique perspectives they will follow you
anywhere. They will be inspired to learn from you. Teaching isn't
about rote memorization. Teaching isn't about being the all knowing
omnipresent being. It is about guiding a student down their path and
learning along the way. In the credential program, they frequently
discuss the value of collaborative teaching but I choose to utilize
the value of collaborative learning. I may be an educator, but I am
and always will be a learner.
No comments:
Post a Comment