Movie Mania

George is with me at a conference in Orange Beach for a few days. We have been trying to do things we could not normally do at home with kids. So far we have seen 2 movies. We saw Night at the Museum last night and Freedom Writers tonight. Both have turned out to be great movies!

My favorite of the 2: Freedom Writers because it is an educational flick. However, it is so much more than that. Hillary Swank plays a first year teacher and chooses to teach in a district that has voluntary integration in California. It is a very diverse group of students who are labeled as worthless. She is to teach them English.

It stereotypes most school systems perfectly. There are the "chosen" administrators who care less about kids and blame students when they act uncouth in their classroom. However, they never think to examine their own teaching techniques as the cause for the misbehavior.

Of course I won't give it away but Hillary does what is right for her students in the end.

I am so thankful to be employed with a system that believes in students and challenges teachers to do whatever it takes to get kids to learn at high levels. I get sad sometimes that I never was able to teach kids in that sort of environment. Most of my teaching was done in a system that cared more about their rules and regulations than what kids actually learned. If the desks were in a row and kids were quiet and working then you were a good teacher.

I am so thankful that my kids will learn in an environment that is open to do whatever to reach kids. If it means they stand on tables or sit on bare floors to learn- that's great. Sometimes doing what has always been done is not the best thing to do.

Spiritually speaking, I have to examine my life that way too. Sometimes I get into ruts and I do what I have always done but don't accomplish much. Staying comfortable can often be dangerous. I thank God for the freedom to write whatever I want on this blog and my prayers are with those who have to keep their thoughts private for fear of death. That is a reality for many people in this world. Go see Freedom Writers and if you are not inspired to write- something is wrong with you.