Dangerous Minds, The Ron Clark Story, To Sir With Love and Freedom Writers are just some of these!
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Recently, I was introduced to a book (which has since been turned into a movie and stage play) by Mitch Albom, called Tuesdays With Morrie. The true story of a student (Mitch) who re-connects with his College Professor (Morrie Schwartz) after he sees him on TV talking about his fight with A.L.S. The messages in this book are important for everybody.
Morrie's outlook on life as he fights the disease is amazing. He continues to teach through his stories and thoughts about what he is going through. It's a fairly quick read, and very well worth the time.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? What are your favourite teacher movies?
Jarrod Lamshed
5 comments:
I loved this book. Read it quite a long time ago now. I also found Dead Poets' Society & more recently School of Rock pretty inspiring.
On a non-teaching note you should read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - leads to some critical self-reflection.
I read it when it was first published. Buckets of tears! What a powerful book. I have tried (less successfully) to same visits with a former boss. I have not seen the movie.
@ Pam - How could I forget Dead Poets' Society?! Great movie. I thought of a couple more... The History Boys (though a little disturbing in parts!), Mr Holland's Opus, Lean on Me and Man Without a Face (a former teacher, but it still counts). And what about TV.. Boston Public.
Sounds like a good read for the holidays. I've read The Last Lecture too - it's awesome! As for movies - Dead Poets Society, Goodbye Mr Chips, To Sir With Love were the ones that made me want to become a teacher. Since then I've added Mona Lisa Smile, Dangerous Minds, Take the Lead & Mr Holland's Opus. Then there is Christy, which was originally a book and turned into a TV series (I read the book first). What do I like about all of these? They're teachers who made a difference, didn't underestimate the capabilities of their students as they challenged them and helped them to aim high. They were risk takers who were prepared to step outside the accepted norms and try something different for the sake of their kids.
I read it a few years ago, but I distinctly remember that I couldn't put "Tuesdays With Morrie" down. It was a compelling and emotionally engaging read, especially for those of us passionate about teaching...it is powerful stuff! Robin Williams' performance in "Dead Poets' Society" also made a lasting impression on me. Can I recommend the most influential piece of literature (around pedagogy) that I've read? Get your hands on "Pedagogy Of The Oppressed", Paulo Freire. Also, if you teach a child with Asperger Syndrome (or any Autism Spectrum disorder), Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time" is incredibly insightful.
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