Lessons from the Silver Screen Applied to Education
Teachers spend an exorbitant amount of time at school. The relationships created within the school walls last a lifetime. Engage with the people that are going to support, challenge, and grow you as an educator.
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There are a thousand areas where teachers can direct their attention. It is hard to know where you will get the most return on your energy investment. Be careful not to dedicate your valuable time to something that might come across as impactful, but ultimately has little to no benefit on student learning.
It is hard to know if the actions we take are having any impact on our students. The “thank you” is rarely there. Even if your efforts appear to be falling on deaf ears, you never know how a student really feels about the time and energy you put in to support them.
The best way to address any concern is when you are in a calm state. When things happen, and they frequently do, there may be little time to make a decision. It is important to come down from whatever initial emotion you went to in order to begin to remedy the situation.
“Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?” This is a pretty cheesy quotation that I often see on classroom posters. It is directed towards students, but I think the message needs to be heeded by educators as well.
Every year education gets more complex. There is more to do, more to worry about, and more to understand. In a profession that is often overwhelming, it is extremely important to maintain your focus.
Educators recognize that communication between school and home is essential for student success. One of the most common goals teachers and administrators set for themselves at the beginning of the year is to make more parent phone calls. However, sometimes our conversations with parents are not as fruitful as they can be and concentrating on depth rather than breadth might be a more worthy goal.
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Robin Williams (Patch Adams) admits himself to a hospital so that he can work through his emotional and psychological struggles. In this scene he becomes frustrated that his doctor does not seem to care, or pay attention to what he is going through.
The emotional toll education takes on teachers makes balance essential to a happy career and a happy life.
There is an assumption that those in leadership positions have all the right answers. Although they frequently do have more experience, greater access to resources, and the benefit of seeing things from a broader perspective than other teachers, questioning ideas, initiatives, and lines of thinking increases dialogue. Through discourse, more educators are brought to the table. More educators means more perspectives, and a greater chance at finding the right solution.
When reacting to student behavior are you asking yourself the right question: “Has anything you’ve done made your life better?”
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Why not be the educator who changes how a parent views school?
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There are many lessons that can be learned from the late great Patrick Swayze, but none may be more important than “Rule 3” from his famous Road House speech. What may come across as obvious is frequently overlooked in education.
*The video contains graphic language*