Hi, David.  It was good to see you in Sacramento two
weeks ago. 

I would like to share some titles from my list of
movies to inpire teachers working with young adults.  

Here are some that I like:

Coach Carter (2005)
This is a moving very modern (this took place in the
late 1990's) story where Samuel L. Jackson plays a
sporting goods store owner who takes on the challenge
of coaching a high school basketball team in a poor
shool in Richmond, CA, where the students are plagued
by violence, drugs, and a school system that assumes
they will not graduate or amount to much.  He ends up
benching the whole team after he learns they are
underperforming academically.  Even though he is hired
as a coach, not a teacher, his focus on academics and
the change in his students' attitudes is inspiring.  

Take the Lead (2006)
A new movie with Antonio Banderas playing a ballroom
dance instructor who volunteers to monitor detention
hall at an inner New York City high school, and ends
up changing the life of the kids, their self esteem,
and their outlook on life after taking on the
challenge of teaching them ballroom dancing. 

Lean On Me (1989 or 90)
Morgan Freeman plays Joe Clark, an inner city
Patterson, New Jersey, high school principal who
takles the issue of drugs and students' expectations
in an underperforming school and succeeds in spite of
having parents, teachers, and politicians against him.

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
Richard Dreyfuss played a composer taking a job as a
music teacher at a high school and facing the
challenge of teaching music to teenagers who are not
interested.  He of course ends up learning as much
about himself as teaching his students and inpiring
them with his passion for music.

To Sir With Love (late 1960's)
Sidney Poitier plays a black teacher in a white slum
of London facing kids who distrust him because of his
color at a time when he could not find any other job. 
Slowly through unconventional methods (including
throwing away the books) he turns the lives of the
kids around.  In the process, they learn to call him
"Sir."

And then there are two movies with similar theme where
the students are not challenged. These are rich
privileged kids also being changed by the passion of a
teacher:

Dead Poets Society (mid to late 1980's)
With Robin Williams playing an English teacher at a
prep school who attempts to teach appreciation for
literature to completely uninterested students.  As
students learn to challenge assumptions and behavior
expectations they and their teacher run into a very
conservative 1950's New England establishment.

The Emperor's Club (2002)
Kevin Kline plays a classics teacher at a prep school
who 25 years after teaching his first group of well
off New Englanders has an opportunity to see how
profoundly he has affected the lives of the majority
of his students.  He learns, then, that he has had an
impact even though he failed to change the one student
he had wanted to turn around early on.

I understand the first five movies to be based on real
characters while the last two may not.

I hope this list helps.  At least you will see some
great performances by some very good actors.

Have a great holiday.
federico 

--- David Rosen <djrosen1 at comcast.net> wrote:


> Colleagues,

> 

> I was asked today for a recommendation of a movie or

> book (such as  

> "Stand and Deliver") which would inspire teachers to

> have high  

> expectations for their young adult students, to give

> each day 100% to  

> their teaching.  What would you recommend?

> 

> 

> David J. Rosen

> djrosen at comcast.net

> ----------------------------------------------------

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> 

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> Literacy Education Wiki 

>

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> 



Federico Salas-Isnardi 
  TESOL
Chair Elect, AEIS 
Houston, Texas



 
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