Friday, December 13, 2013

3 Lessons From the Captain

Source
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.