Week 4: Bridge between film and teaching

When I think about the possible connection between film and art, I think back to my favorite high school teachers, Mr. Christner. He the class as a 45 minute show set with commercial breaks (in which he would crack jokes here and there within the lecture). That always stuck with me, and I remind myself of this at times when I am teaching. There should be some level of entertainment within the educational system. People, by nature, what to be entertained. I don't think that necessarily takes away from the rigor or goal of education, if in fact the goal of education is to create new boundaries for our students to explore in their own minds. Sometimes I will catch myself being content if the kids are quiet and working. Seeing as how I teach at a high school on the west side of Chicago, these are precious moments. However, the other side of me knows that chances are they are just memorizing (at best) and will probably not make an impact on who they are as people.