"O Captain, my Captain." -Walt Whitman
When I was reading "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" What kept pressing upon my mind was the movie "Dead Poets Society". The above phrase is said numerous time throughout the movie. If you don't know what the movie is about or haven't seen it. It is about an English Teacher named John Keating, who inspires his students to look and think about poetry with a different perspective, along with telling the students that their future is for them to seize, Carpe Diem meaning seize the day.
If I might be so bold to quote the movie directly, "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
I might be a little biased since I love poetry and English in general but that scene is inspiring to me. We are all here for a reason and I think our Teachers are one of the most important parts of our life.
I don't think the Great American Teacher is dead, I just think they are going extinct. The world isn't helping Teachers to help the future generations. Besides the students parents we are the people who are teaching them and molding their minds to go out into the world and be our politicians, doctors, lawers, mothers, fathers, ect.. but what impression are we leaving them with? Will they thirst for knowledge and come to an understanding on why it is important?
Yes, this is a lot of pressure as a Teacher to think about. We are partially responsible for the students we have and send on in life. But it is rewarding as well! This is the reason I want to become a Teacher. I want to help those around me gain knowledge and open my students to a different way of thinking and understanding.
We all have the opportunity to become the Great Teacher not just the Great American Teacher. We just have to have the passion to change the world through our teaching to our students.
Love your blog, I know teachers must be well preapared to teach! As you say, teachers are one of the most important part of the students' life. So we should apply what Ernest Becker said;" Teachers should not fear to be a little more exciting, a little more courageous, a little more inspiring" I think that that is the key to have success. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI a 100% agree if we took our lessons as Teachers to the next level by doing unorthodox lessons that are engaging and motivating we would have better students prepared for the world.
DeleteHi Vanessa I like your post name. I really think that our teacher affect our lives in different ways. Many of them help us to learn with a meaning, others only make us feel so bored until we hate many subjects.
ReplyDeleteI remember the classes that my Teachers did engaging activities and made me really delve deep into what I thought more than any other class. Those classes/Teachers stick out even when you are an adult.
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