Before I had a chance to watch The Dead Poets' Society, I thought it was just
some random movie about characters from ancient times, relieving ages
past and this world's former glory. But, what I found is a truly
meaningful movie that has touched me deeply, made me cry, and made me
rethink about teaching (I'm a non-practicing teacher, by the way).
The
movie tells of the experiences of Mr. John Keating (so called 'Oh
Captain, My Captain' among his students), an English Literature teacher
at the Welton Academy who did not only teach his students literature but
also taught them to live their life to the fullest. The movie is filled
with lessons that will surely inspire teachers, and I have listed three
of them here.
1. Carpe diem. That was the first lesson he taught
his students: to seize the day and make their lives extraordinary. To
live fully, to live extremely and with passion, to 'sound [their]
barbaric yawps over the rooftops of the world.'
I think that
'carpe diem' actually involves a couple of steps. First, it requires
discernment... In order to let one understand what seizing the day means
for him personally, to bring light to that which his heart conceals.
Then, only then can he realize whatever it is he must seize, whatever it
is that his heart longs for, whatever it is that will lead his life to
its purpose. Second, it requires courage - courage to follow through on
whatever he finds. Because finding it without doing anything to fulfill
it is torture.
For a teacher of students who are yet on their
path to finding whatever it is they want to be in life, the significance
of this lesson can never be stressed enough. We must not only let our
students learn their Algebra or Physics or grammar, but we must also
allow them to discover their passion. And when they do, we must give
them room to explore it, exploit it, breathe its essence into their very
soul - until they feel the fire in their life, until they feel they are
truly alive.
2. The
important lessons are not in the book. The Captain was teaching
literature. However, instead of asking his students to study the poems
and examine them, as had been advised in their textbook, he helped them
appreciate it. He went as far as asked each of the students to rip out
the introduction in the book, which supposedly provided guidelines on
'measuring' a poem. With this he did not agree, and thus he asked each
student to rip out the pages. In his teachings, there were also several
chapters in the book that he skipped. And, he conducted his lessons not
only inside the classroom but also outside - in the courtyard, in the
hallways, even in the football field as they played sport while reciting verses.
In
teaching his students to appreciate poetry, he let the words flow from
their tongue, into their ears and through their whole being. He turned
poems into food for the soul, something to savor and taste and feel -
words that are not only confined inside the classroom but words that
actually live amongst his students, fueling the fire that inspired them
to live their life passionately.
It has always been a challenge
for teachers to bring their lessons from within the pages of a textbook
and into actual experiences that students can truly appreciate. It's
easier to stick to what is already there, written, ready for students to
digest. But, as Mr. Keating has demonstrated, real teaching involves
encouraging students to think for themselves. And in accordance with
this, he encouraged his students to widen their minds by trying to see
things from a different perspective (even if that means climbing a desk)
and learn new lessons outside the classroom - a good example for
today's teachers.
3. Find your own voice. The
Captain demonstrated this in a simple exercise that he let his students
perform outside the classroom - he asked three students to walk around
together. While they started walking at their own pace and style, soon
they were walking together following a single rhythm, with their
classmates clapping with the beat. With this he explained how it was
easy for people to follow and conform, but that it has its dangers. He
then proceeds to encourage everyone to walk together but at their own
pace, with their own stance and posture, the way they want to walk
without considering how others are doing it. It was this idea, the idea
of encouraging students to find their own voice and not to simply
conform to the standards, which brings Mr. Keating in conflict with the
administration, which believes that the curriculum, whatever has already
been set in place, should not be questioned.
I guess this is the
general atmosphere in today's academic institutions, many of which are
trying to create a controlled environment that will facilitate learning.
I know that this kind of system works, but I guess the problem has
something to do with how much space we give our students when it comes
to the development of independent thinking, how much leeway we offer for
making mistakes, and how much encouragement we reserve for those who
dare to be different.
John Keating:
I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.
Nolan:
At these boys' age? Not on your life!
Nolan could have a point there. He could be right
believing that the boys may not yet know what's right for them and
what's not, but we cannot deny these boys the right to their own dreams,
the right to finding their passion. And yes, they might find something unexpected, out of the plan,
scary even, during their search within themselves - one student, Neil,
for instance, found his love for acting, which was on a world totally
opposite the dream that his parents had for him, which was to be a
doctor. And who's to say who's right - the parents or the child? Was
that dream the real dream, the one worth pursuing? Or was it a passing
fancy that would end as soon as it came? Whatever that is, I guess we
just have to trust the child to find his heart's desire, maybe not now,
maybe not so soon, but we must trust that he will. By following his own
path. By listening to his heart's own voice. By braving the world out
there.
More quotable quotes from the movie HERE.
