Teacher Identity

I mentally reviewed all of the teacher movies that have come out over the past couple years. Since most of the white teacher/urban students films tend to really annoy me, so I came back to this clip from Dead Poet's Society.

The teacher, Mr Keating, beginning the class with a student reading the dry, uninspiring introduction of the textbook. Most students are shown day dreaming, doodling, or generally not paying attention, until Mr Keating gives his opinion that the introduction is "excrement." He then proceeds to tell the students to go ahead and rip out the introduction from the book. Next, he tries to create connections for them by comparing judging poetry to a popular tv show. Students been to get excited as Mr Keating has them ripping out the pages of the textbook, telling them it is not bearer of all knowledge and that just because the author has a PhD, he is not the ultimate authority.

It is interesting to see the students' initial hesitation since they have been taught to hold this type of academia in reverence and how the different students react. Also, at the end of the clip it is interesting the interplay with the administration of the school. The administrator immediately concludes that a teacher is not present because of the way the students are acting, not that the students are acting that way under the direction of the teacher.

I've also included one of my all time favorite poems about teaching by an amazing poet named joaquin zihuatanejo. Enjoy!