Quotations

From Barry Boyce, A Real Education, “’Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,’ says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. These are the social and emotional skills that a person who experienced ‘optimal nurturing conditions’ would develop during childhood and adolescence and bring with them into adulthood.”

From John Taylor Gatto, Against School, “…if we wanted to we could easily and inexpensively jettison the old, stupid structures and help kids take an education rather than merely receive a schooling. We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight - simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.” and “Now for the good news. Once you understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid. School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently. Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they'll never be bored. Urge them to take on the serious material, the grown-up material, in history, literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology - all the stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned. Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”

From Keith Gilyard, Children, Arts, and Du Bois, “But solid, practical reasons exist to resist the trend.  Again I think, ironically of Du Bois.  In 1891, while still a student at Harvard University, he delivered an address before the National Colored League in Boston in which he cleverly addresses the popular notion that practical or manual training was the most suitable course for Black students by providing numerous examples of the practical benefits of liberal thinking.  The effect of all true education, offered by Du Bois is ‘not only a gaining of some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more that it meant before…’”

From bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking, “The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone, actively inviting all students to think passionately and to share ideas in a passionate, open matter.  When everyone in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful.  In such a community of learning there is no failure.  Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”

From Jerry Large, Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed, “Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people. Here's a list of the others: self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity. The presence or absence of those qualities is a better indicator of future success than test scores or IQ.”

From Mike Rose, The Answer Sheet: Mike Roses’s Resolutions on Education, “14) I’m going to end by repeating my initial resolution in case the universe missed it the first time around: That through whatever combination of factors – from policy initiatives to individual effort – more young people get an engaging and challenging education in 2011.”

Which Authors Agree With Me?

Of all the authors we have read, I agree on some points from each of them.  Some less, others more.  I think that the previous blog post where we ranked the importance of the blogs that we have read is the best reference I have in writing about which author I agree with the most.  I ranked Jerry Large's article "Gift of grit, curiosity help Kids succeed" the most.  It was a shorter reading compared to most we have read and gives information in an easy to understand, conversational manner.

He mentions another author, "Tough also has a new book about what it takes for a child to make it: "How children succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character".  Large writes, "As the title says, if you want success, build character and the rest will follow."  I believe that is an important lesson. 

He later talks about the situations of two different schools.  I found the information interesting in contrasting the two different styles.  "The children at KIPP are overwhelmed with stress-inducing conditions in their lives.  The children at Riverdale were shielded from the possibility of significant failure.  They worked hard but weren't fundamentally challenged.  A big part of building character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn't allow a child to build grit."  What a profound statement. 

Group Blog: Argument for Art Museums

Topic: Art Museums
Audience: Grateful Dead Followers
Thesis statement:  While art museums might not appeal to Dead Heads, the EMP (Experience Music Project) would be a place of interest to visit.

We support it because:
1.)  Dead Heads are into musical and personal harmony.  They can add to their musical perspective.

2.)  Marijuana is legal in WA, so they can visit the museum stoned.

3.)  There is a guitar pillar sculpture like there is no other in the nation.  They can use it as inspiration for the Burning Man Festival.

Group Blog for top two pick 11.26.13

Top Two Pick of readings 11.26.13

We all agree that our number 1 choice is Jerry Large's "Gift of Grit, curiosity help kids Succeed". Truly in the real world children need confidence and character to actually become their own person and make their own decisions which puts them on their own path. They need "perseverance and passion for long-term goals".  We agree with Tough who says, "If you want success, build character and the rest will follow".

Our number 2 choice is bell hooks "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom".  We came to the conclusion that critical thinking is an important thing for children to learn as it helps them to make their own decisions and opinions about important matters in life. It helps children to look into the details and pull out the images and ideas to sort through choices in life. We should be like the children who "come into the world of wonder and language consumed with a desire for knowledge" who become "relentless interrogators".

At first, we didn't all agree with #2.  But after much discussion we concluded that "Teaching Critical Thinking" was a more important piece than Barry Boyce "A Real Education". Barry Boyce talked about being "mindful of others", where we decided that "Critical Thinking" was a more valuable asset in real world situations. We attribute this to critical thinking is more educational than being mindful of others, but being mindful is a subset of critical thinking.

Ranking Suggestions

 

1.)    Jerry Large’s “Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed”.  I believe that grit is an important lesson to teach children. “Perseverance and passion for long-term goals” are the underlying reasons why and how a person can accomplish goals.

2.)    bell hooks’ “Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom”.  I think critical thinking is of upmost importance in order to sort through choices in life.  The world needs critical thinkers with important views to share.

 

3.)    Barry Boyce’s “A Real Education” I think mindfulness is a good tool for people to use.  We all need to be mindful of others and how our actions affect the world around us.

4.)    Deb Aronson’s “Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program:  It was never about what we were doing, it was about who we are.” It is important to know who you are and where you are from when figuring out where you are going.

 

5.)   Keith Gilyard’s “Children, Arts and Du Bois”. This is last in my rankings because I think that arts and humanities is secondary to a person’s attitude and personality.  If you have the above attributes, you can succeed in this category.  The better adjusted someone is as a person, the more drive  they will have to excel, no matter what the subject.

Large, Boyce, Gilyard, Aronson, and hooks

Jerry Large’s column, “Gift of grit, curiosity help kids Succeed”, talks about the upbringing of children.  According to Wikipedia, grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”  He says, “A big part of character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn’t allow a child to build grit.”

Barry Boyce’s “A Real Education” speaks about mindfulness.  "Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them.  This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.”

Keith Gilyard commentary, “Children, Arts and Du Bois” is centered around the arts.  Towards the end of the article he states, "One of the best ends to have in view is that of the humanities as a widely recognized and amply funded force for the common good.  Creative arts programs are integral to this vision.”

Deb Aronson’s  “Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program:  It was never about what we were doing, it was about who we are.” Relays a story about how a program that was doing great things for schools was cut.

bell hooks, “Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom” talks about how critical thinkers come in many different packages, each with important views to share.

Rose vs Black

It is hard to compare the writing of Mike Rose and the video commentary of Lewis Black.  Although they both speak of the educational system and the changes that they feel should be made, the written peace was serious and the video clip was comical.  It was hard to take it seriously, even though it did have some good points if you looked past the comedy.

Rose states the we need “To stop looking for the structural or technological magic bullet – whether it’s charter schools or value-added analysis – that will improve education. Just when you think the lesson is learned – that the failure of last year’s miracle cure is acknowledged and lamented – our attention is absorbed by a new quick fix.”  In the video commentary, Black he says that “charter schools are great but most kids are in public schools.  What ideas do we have for fixing them?”  They both talk about charter schools, but it is not the best answer when it comes to education.

Rose also adds to the list, “To stop making the standardized test score the gold-standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness. In what other profession do we use a single metric to judge goodness? Imagine judging competence of a cardiologist by the average of her patients’ cardiograms.”  In Black’s commentary, he talks about how America is falling behind other countries when it comes to subjects like math and science.  Almost every other category we have fallen behind, except one.  Kids from the USA ranked number one in confidence.”  How is confidence supposed to help if we lack the basic other skills to get ahead in the world?”

 

What is High School For?

I would think that high school is for preparing young men and women for college.  It is not so much about getting them ready for the world of work.  When I think of work, I don't necessarily think if a job.  I think of a career.  That is what college prepares you for.  Sadly, most college grads are working retail or in the service industry, not the field in which they studied.  You don’t necessarily need a college background in order to work in these areas.  Most people don’t have corporate, professional, or specialty jobs.  Some jobs only require vocational or on the job training.  I believe that the world has more workers than people with careers.



I think high school is more about the social aspect of education.  If you are well liked you have self esteem.  If you are well liked by your teachers, they will grade you easily.  If you are well liked, you can succeed with good grades.  It is not about the work.  It is about the attitude.  If people like you, you get further ahead in the world.

 

I would like self expression taught in schools; Appropriate self expression.  We are used to seeing boredom and disrespect in schools.  I believe that if people can learn to have positive attitudes about themselves and each other, it would make it a better place in high school and beyond.

Sections in the Text Pertaining to Paper #3

The sections from our textbook, Writing Simplified, pages 32-37, pertain to paper #3.  We will need to organize as a way for classification of our writing.  This will help with deciding what order to put our thoughts together from the numerous resources in which we have to include in our final formal paper.  The sample paragraphs illustrate how you can write an in depth paper where the facts are needed to be placed in a logical order that would make sense to the reader.  It goes on to comparison and/or contrast which is another method of writing. Of course, this will need some aspects of both the classification and the comparison/contrast methods to write a good paper.  You need facts to back up your statements.  We used this method during our second paper. Cause and/or effect is the next section explained in the text.  I see the importance of this for our next paper.  As we are going to be more in depth in the final paper, we will need to give more direct explanations using quotes from many more sources.  Finally, the text covers argument.  This, to me, is the most important aspect in producing our paper because it is a persuasive paper.  These sections of the text undoubtedly will be a very useful tool in a successful final draft.

Freire and Gatto: Agreements and Disagreements

In reading "The Banking Concept of Education" from Pedogogy of the Oppresed by Paolo Freire and "Against School" by John Taylor Gatto, I find many similarities.  They both talk about the need for school in its current state.  They discuss the way it is and question if it is the way that schooling needs to proceed. 

 

Freire writes, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor.  Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqué and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat.”  He then states, “…it is men themselves who are filed away thorough the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge  in this (at best) misguides system.”  It make one wonder how we can improve the educational system.  Gatto asked, “Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling…Is this deadly routine necessary?  And if so, for what?  Don’t hide behind reading, writing, and arithmetic as a rationale…a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve –year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turned out all right.”  He goes on to describe famous people throughout history who were well educated without the traditional system of school, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln.

 

As for differences, it is difficult for me to find contrasts other than the fact that Freire stays with the original subject area while Gatto goes on into more depth that the first author does not expound upon.  He also uses other countries as examples which makes it hard to use as a comparison if one author does not cover that subject area. 

Group Discussion 11/21 on Scenes from Chalk-Rose,Black,Friere and Gatto

Gatto says in his article “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers' lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there.” This reminds us of the scene in Chalk where Mr. Lowrey is passed out in one of the back offices out of tiredness and probably boredom due to his lack of patience with what he perceived to be disrespectful students. Mr. Lowrey was later discouraged from teaching and thought about quitting at the end of the movie because of the environment in the school, having learned everything on his own, and thinking it was too stressful.

 

Friere said in his writing  “His task is to "fill" the students with the contents of his narration -- contents which are detached from reality, disconnected from the totality that engendered them and could give them significance.” In the first few minutes of chalk, Mr. Lowrey “deposits” mass amounts of data into his students “depositees” on the first day. He says that all students MUST have paper, he then shows a list on the chalk board with words and sentences telling the students they must be able to recite the meanings precisely.

 

 

Lewis Black shows the video of students trying to get into charter schools by luck of the draw lottery systems  in order to have a chance at a good future. This reminds us of the scene in chalk where Mr. Stroope talks to 2 of his students, one about not using big words that confuse the rest of the class, and the other about her knowing more than him about history and basically encourages them to be average.

 

Mike Rose says in his article “To assure that teacher professional development gets increased and thoughtful support.” In chalk, there are a couple scenes that remind us of this statement. One is where Mr. Lowrey is frustrated by his out of control class and goes to the library to check out a book on class management. Another is at the end of the movie where Mr. Lowrey talks about having learned to teach without any guidance. Not all teachers will develop good habits on their own and may develop bad habits or want to give up as Mr. Lowrey implied towards the end of the movie. 

"Chalk": Real Time Notes

Opening scene, Introduction.  Grew up surrounded by teachers...he would hear war stories...salary, administration...No one ever quit because they loved being teachers.

50% quit within the first three years of teaching.

First day of school...

History:  Mr. Stroup.

PE:  Coach Webb.

Show up, be prepared.

Mrs. Reddel:  Assistant Principal:  discipline... doesn't know what to do.

PE: Trust exercise, fall back.

"History is...society...technology...culture...what does it mean to you?"...silence...

Used to belive that administration means not taking papers home.  In reality, there is more paperwork, more reports.

Summer stories exchanged in class about love, travel, work.

How long have you been a teacher?  Mr. Lowery used to be in computer engineering...(looks at the clock) an hour and ten minutes.

Talking about math in the teacher's lounge.

Aptitude test, said that he would do well at teaching or veterinary medicine.

Mr. Fletcher was found guilty so Mrs. Reddel got the job as AP.

Mr. Sroupe -3 years

Coach Webb -2 years

33 weeks until summer...

Interview about growth and values...sarcasm, cleanliness, organization, lesson plans.

Lesson plans due Friday before the week you teach.

Fighting errupts...AP yells like a loon.  "Nothing to see here!"

As a PE teacher, there are instances where people think Coach Web is gay.  People think that all PE teachers are gay.

Teacher not ready for person to watch him teach his class.

Don't be a friend.  "I care about you and I trust you and I have your best interest at heart."

To stop fighting in classroom he focuses on the Preamble of the United States and talks about respect in classroom.

AP...Personal conversation with spouse, tells him 2-3-4.  Got home at 10.

"Focus needs to be on the students and not the class."

Put name on food in refrigerator in teachers lounge.

"55 days in Peking" about mail.

Tardy Policy.  PRC.

PE teacher starting walking club before school...tells fat teacher she needs exercise.

Teacher mad because he can't find his chalk and the class won't talk about where it is.  Has student teach class.  Walks out of class.

One week until thanksgiving...

PE teacher..."Students are what they think they make you think they are....You make students understand your expectations for them....They start performing at that level."

Teacher needs a book on classroom management.

Student using words that the teacher does not understand.  Another student knows more history more that teacher.  Teacher reprimands them ant tells them to dumb it down so he does not look stupid in class.

Yoga moves for PE.  Learning to breathe in slightly weird stretches.

History teacher says, "I tried to incorporate humor to make things more lively in the classroom.  Some people take jokes seriously."

PE...Found a love interest.  Enjoys work, looks forward to seeing him and getting to know him.

Janitor drops piano cleaning under it.

Staff meeting...Hornets won at volleyball...teacher to teacher...who checks personal email...teacher field trip...borrow ream of paper...run personal copies...borrow money from petty cash...it has to stop.  Taking cash, stealing paper, borrow stapler.  WIN...with integrity now.  They are supposed to be role models but they are doing these things.

Two weeks until Christmas...

Personal talk while eating lunch.  Twirls a baton.

Teacher calling home, asks student the number...leaves a message to dad about the student's grade.  No one there.

Dance in hall between PE and new teacher...Dream by male teacher.  AP walks in on him sleeping.  AP asks if he is dating anyone.  He has been divorced for two years.  Can't imagine having time for a person life.

History teacher goes shooting.  Misses.  6 out of 10 kids walk away with a college education.  Sometimes you get it.

AP talks to parent on the phone about a student and knives at school. 

Cell phones in classroom.  Get out of the classroom.

Teachers' night out at a tavern.  Flirting between PE and new teacher.  Telling of classroom horror stories.

Sixteen weeks until summer...

Teacher of the year...History teacher giving speech trying to get votes.

New teacher talking about getting respect.  Talking to students mother about the cell phone incident.  Mother has a good relationship with her son.  No back talk.  Son serves them wine.  She gives teacher a pep talk.

AP at school late again...calling husband on the phone saying she will be 2 more hours.

PE teacher complaining to AP about hall duty and tardiness.  People are not recycling right either.

PE--Bridging the gap between teaching and administration.--talking about AP.

Teacher of the year debate...He didn't win teacher of the year.  Discussion with class about Ms. Townsend.  He freaks out.  Turns a desk over.  "Have you ever went up against your grandma and got beat.  I got beaten by a grandma."

APs cover when they can't get subs and the last two days have been the best for her.  She misses teaching.

PE teacher watching carrying a soccer ball.

13 days until summer...

Free time in class.  New teacher lets kid check his cell phone.  Mr. Lowery raps.  He teachers history

He crammed for spelling be with the help of his students.

Staff meeting...what would Mr. Lowery do to change for his second year.  He is not sure if he even likes teaching.  He may not come back.

PE---learned that she needs to find a new way to approach people. 

AP---"It starts at home 1-57.  58 starts at school."

New Teacher---"being a teacher maybe is something you could learn but no one has taught me."  He packs up his stuff, puts his backpack on and walks out turning off the lights.

Paulo Freire group post

Our task was to read(after reading "The Banking Concept of  Education") "Lessons to Be Learned From Paulo Freire as Education Is Being Taken Over by the Mega Rich" by Henry A. Giroux and discuss then write a summary about how the website (article) complicates, enriches and/or confuses our understanding of the reading.  We decided to each write a short summary and submit to our blogs as a group.

 

Jane Welton

Reading the articles, I found that it enriched my understanding of the readings.  The article our small group read expounded on the article assigned for the class.  In "The Banking Concept of Education" it is written, "In this way, the problem-posing educator constantly reforms his reflections in the reflection of the students.  The students--no longer docile listeners--are now critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher.  The teacher presents the material to the students for their consideration and re-considers his [or her] earlier considerations as the students express their own." I compare that to a statement from "Lessons to Be Learned from Paulo Freire as Education Is Being Taken Over by the Mega Rich" which states, "...students learn how to expand their own sense of agency, while recognizing that to be voiceless is to be powerless.  Central to such a pedagogy is shifting the emphasis from teachers to students, and making visible the relationships among knowledge, authority and power.  Giving the students the opportunity to be problem posers and engage in a culture of questioning in the classroom..."  The first article gives a great deal of information and the second digs deeper, giving more details and examples to the first.  It created more understanding of what Freire had to say about the state of the world of education.

 

Patty Riley

Paulo Freires writing was/is difficult at times to comprehend.  In rereading it a few more times as well as reading and rereading the website article I was able to more fully understand what Freire was writing about.   From "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" Freire writes "The educated man is the adapted man, because he is better "fit" for the world.  Translated into practice, this concept is well suited to the purposes of the oppressors, whose tranquility rests on how well  men fit the world the oppressors have created, and how little they question it."  Giroux backs this up with " Central to critical pedagogy is the recognition that the way we educate out youth is related to the future that we hope for and that such a future should offer students a life that leads to the deepening of freedom and social justice. "  The web article gave me a new understanding of what Freire was detailing but although not in much simpler terms at least in more understandable detail so yes, I would say that the web article definitely enriched Freires writing.  It neither complicated nor confused this reader any further.....

Small Group Discussion Question on John Gatto

John Gatto asked the following question about school aged children, "Could it be that our schools are designed to make sure that not one of them ever really grows up?" I believe he means that in the current state of education, kids cannot grow into "themselves" to become well adjusted adults with a variety of useful attributes to offer the world.  They are raised to be drones to serve the needs of society.  The following are four examples from the text that assert this way of thinking...

Gatto shared a lesson about what his grandfather taught him about boredom.  "...if I was bored it was my fault and no one else's. The obligation to amuse and instruct myself was entirely my own, and people who didn't know that were childish people, to be avoided if possible. Certainly not to be trusted. That episode cured me of boredom forever, and here and there over the years I was able to pass on the lesson to some remarkable student. For the most part, however, I found it futile to challenge the official notion that boredom and childishness were the natural state of affairs in the classroom. Often I had to defy custom, and even bend the law, to help kids break out of this trap."

Schools want conformity.  Inglis breaks down schooling in six basic functions, including, "The integrating function.  This might as well be called the 'conformity function,' because its intention is to make children as alike as possible.  People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force."

"Maturity has by now been banished from nearly every aspect of our lives. Easy divorce laws have removed the need to work at relationships; easy credit has removed the need for fiscal self-control; easy entertainment has removed the need to learn to entertain oneself; easy answers have removed the need to ask questions. We have become a nation of children, happy to surrender our judgments and our wills to political exhortations and commercial blandishments that would insult actual adults."  We as adults lack self control because of what we were taught in our youth.  We expect everything to be easy.  When it life is not easy, we feel as if it is unfair.

"School  trains children to obey reflexively;...Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned."  This turns people to be servants to the world. 

There were other examples in the text showing how the educational system causes students to become child-like adults.  It is appalling to think that we still follow a system that is known to fail when it comes to helping people become actual successful adults in the workplace.  When will the changes Gatto illustrates, and others of similar value, occur in the realm of educating your youth?

My High School Experience vs. Gatto

I would have to say that my high school experience mirrored that of  Gatto.  I was bored in high school, I didn't try very hard.  It was the same routine, day in and day out.  People were put into groups and basically stayed within the bounds of that group all through school.  If you follow the routine, and keep your nose out of trouble, you can barely scrape by and do just enough to pass.  Teachers taught just enough to get everyone by and didn't really give extra attention to those who needed it.  All you had to do was pass the course, even just barely. 

It seemed as if the system was catered to a special breed: a breed of good people, good citizens, and to make each person his or her personal best.  I believe, just as Gatto that the system of school is meant to make good people and good citizens, but I disagree that it makes people their personal best.  As I stated before, in my experience, I didn't do my personal best.  I was not filled with knowledge nor was my intelligence awakened.  I just wanted to get through the academics by taking "easy A" courses and focused on my social life instead.

I believe that school did not help me grow up.  I feel that it left me as a child, following blindly the rules.  We were taught that all you had to do is go to class and just show up and do the minimum required.  It didn't take much effort as long as you did not bring attention to yourself you didn't have to participate much in classes.  I got along with school by taking easy classes and staying out of the limelight.

Formal Paper #2 Final Draft

Dedication to Inspiration

The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.  They were both positive examples of good teaching.

Mr. Escalante was an exceptional teacher because he was inspiring.  During a class, Mr. Escalante asked his students, "Did you know that neither the Greeks nor the Romans were capable of using the concept of zero?  It was your ancestors, the Mayans, who first contemplated the zero."  He goes on to tell them that they have math in their blood.  He wanted his students to know that people just like them had the ability of making strides in the world of math.  During a staff meeting at the school he says, "Students will rise to the level of expectation."  He believed that if he instilled value to what his students were trying to accomplish, they would certainly meet or exceed expectation.  Later he tells his students, "There will be no free rides, no excuses.  You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion.  Because of these two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do.  Math is the equalizer...You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else."  He tells them that the only thing that he is asking from them is desire.  He had enough desire to share and was willing to do what he could to help his students succeed.  He believed in them.

Professor Keating also used the example of history to inspire his students.  On the first day of class, he led his students to the foyer of Welton Academy and told them to look at pictures of former students.  As the boys took a closer look, he told them, “They're not that different from you, are they?...They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable?…But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it?”  He then whispers, “…carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”  This exercise was Keating’s way of telling the boys that they did not have to wait to have extraordinary lives, they could work towards extraordinary at that moment because it was already in them.  This is an exceptional lesson for anyone to learn, especially at a young age.  Professor Keating knew his students did not have to wait to be great.

Mr. Escalante was not afraid to let his confidence in his students be known.  He did whatever it took to convince others of his desire of having his students succeed.  When Ana announced that she was dropping out school, Escalante took action.  Mr. Escalante decided to have dinner in the Delgado’s Mexican restaurant with his wife.  Ana introduced Mr. Escalante to her father as her math teacher.  Escalante used the opportunity to tell Mr. Ramirez about the importance of Ana going back to school.  Escalante invited Ana’s father to sit with them at their table.  Without skipping a beat Escalate said, “You should get another waitress.  Ana can be the first one of your family to graduate from high school, go to college.”  Delgado pointed out that Ana’s mother, sisters and brothers all worked for the family business.  Escalante told him, “She can help the family more by getting an education…she should make her own choices…Ana could go to college, come back, and teach you how to run this place.”  Ana’s father did not take the advice too kindly.  He told Mrs. Escalante, “Your husband comes into my restaurant, eats…and insults me!”   She quietly replied, “Excuse my husband, Mr. Delgado.  He just wants what is best for Ana.”   The meeting worked because Ana returned to class.

Professor Keating also had confidence in his student’s abilities.  In contrast, Professor Keating did not pursue his students outside of the classroom, his students pursued him.  In one example, Neil Perry went to Keating’s small, crowded office for advice of a personal nature.  He began by saying, “I just talked to my father. He's making me quit the play at Henley Hall. Acting's everything to me.”  After some explanation from Neil, Keating inquires, “Have you ever told your father what you just told me? About your passion for acting? You ever showed him that?”  Neil desperately tells Keating that he can’t talk to his father.  Then Keating advises, “Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of the dutiful son. Now, I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. You have to show him who you are, what your heart is!”  Neil pours his heart out to Keating, doubtful that his father would even take his feelings into consideration.  Keating encouraged him to try to talk to his father, to prove to him how much acting meant to him by telling him, “It's not a whim for you, you prove it to him by your conviction and your passion! You show that to him, and if he still doesn't believe you - well, by then, you'll be out of school and can do anything you want.”  The play was set to take place the next day and Neil was nervous about talking to his father.  Neil desperately asked, “Isn't there an easier way?”  Keating told him, “No.”  I believe that Professor Keating gave Neil good advice about living his life in a way that he could be true to himself.  This showed his concern for wanting his students to succeed.

Mr. Escalante had high expectations that his students would try hard to accomplish their goals by making decisions of their own.  He had his students sign a contract specifying terms for spending extra time working for his class which included time in the morning, after school and weekends.  He wanted to make his expectations clear and made sure that each student had their parent sign it so he could hold his students to his rules.  As each student entered the classroom, Escalante collected the forms.  Pancho did not have his paper signed.  His excuse was that he was going to be busy during the weekends working for his uncle.  Later, Escalante drove Pancho’s car and used the opportunity to teach him a lesson.  Escalante told him, “No one cruises through life, Pancho. Wouldn't you rather be designing these things than repairing them?” He drove his car roughly saying things trying to make his point.  At a certain point in the ride he calmly asked Pancho, “Right or left?”  When he didn’t get an immediate answer, he asked him again, this time in desperation, “Right or left?”  Pancho hurriedly yelled in a panic, “GO RIGHT! GO RIGHT!”  Escalante turned right and screeched to halt in front of a dead end sign.  He told Pancho, “All you can see is the turn, you don't see the road ahead...”  He wanted him to see the big picture, not just what was in front of him.

As an exercise to teach his class about having the strength to be themselves, Keating stood on his desk and asked the classroom full of boys, “Why do I stand up here?...I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.”  He added, “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, ‘Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.’  Don't be resigned to that. Break out!”  The students took turns climbing onto Keating's desk to see a new perspective as he told them, “Now, don't just walk off the edge like lemmings! Look around you!”  The message Keating repeatedly tried to teach his students was to look at life through fresh eyes.

Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" were both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They produced new ways for their students to see the world.  They taught their students that they can overcome hardships, arise from struggles, and do extraordinary things to create something better in their own worlds.  In most instances, I believe the students learned much from the lessons they were taught.

Formal Paper #2 Rough Draft

Dedication to Inspiration

The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.

During a class, Mr. Escalante asked his students, "Did you know that neither the Greeks nor the Romans were capable of using the concept of zero?  It was your ancestors, the Mayans, who first contemplated the zero.  The absence of value."  He goes on to tell them that they have math in their blood. During a staff meeting at the school he says, "Students will rise to the level of expectation."  Later he tells his students, "There will be no free rides, no excuses.  You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion.  Because of these two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do.  Math is the equalizer...When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I.  You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else."  He tells them that the only thing that he is asking from them is desire.

Professor Keating leads his class to the foyer of Welton Academy and tells them to look at the pictures of some former students.  He tells them, “They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”

Ana a meek, quiet, shy girl announces that is her last day of calculus class.  Later that day, Mr. Escalante decides to have dinner in a little Mexican restaurant with his wife.  The brick lined interior is scattered with small tables.  Few pictures adorn the walls.  You can see the kitchen staff working in the kitchen through a small window as the sounds of cooking is masked by the Mexican music softly playing in the background.  After they finish their dinner, the restaurant owner approaches the table and asks about the meal.  Escalante points out a discrepancy in the check.  Mr. Delgado, the restaurant owner, calls to his daughter who is dressed in a light blue ruffled off the shoulder dress accented by white lace, and speaks to her in Spanish.  She introduces Mr. Escalante to her father as her math teacher.  Escalante uses the opportunity to tell Mr. Ramirez about the importance of Ana going back to school.  Escalante invites Ana’s father to sit with them at their table.  Without skipping a beat Escalate says, “You should get another waitress.  Ana can be the first one of your family to graduate from high school, go to college.”  Delgado points out that Ana’s mother, sisters and brothers all work for the family business.  Escalante points out, “She can help the family more by getting an education…she should make her own choices…Ana could go to college, come back, and teach you how to run this place.”  Ana’s father does not take the advice too kindly.  He tells Mrs. Escalante, “Your husband comes into my restaurant, eats…and insults me!”   She quietly replies, “Excuse my husband, Mr. Delgado.  He just wants what is best for Ana.”   Ana returns to class.

Neil Perry stops by Keating’s office to have a conversation about a personal matter.  He begins by saying, “I just talked to my father. He's making me quit the play at Henley Hall. Acting's everything to me. I- But he doesn't know! He- I can see his point; we're not a rich family, like Charlie's. We- But he's planning the rest of my life for me, and I- He's never asked me what I want!”   Keating inquires, “Have you ever told your father what you just told me? About your passion for acting? You ever showed him that?”   “I can't”, Perry responds.  Keating asks him, “Why not?” Perry replies, “I can't talk to him this way.”  Keating tells him, “Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of the dutiful son. Now, I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. You have to show him who you are, what your heart is!”  Perry says, “I know what he'll say! He'll tell me that acting's a whim and I should forget it. They're counting on me; he'll just tell me to put it out of my mind for my own good.”  Keating says, “You are not an indentured servant! It's not a whim for you, you prove it to him by your conviction and your passion! You show that to him, and if he still doesn't believe you - well, by then, you'll be out of school and can do anything you want.”  Perry informs him, “No. What about the play? The show's tomorrow night!”  Keating advises him, “Then you have to talk to him before tomorrow night.”  Desperately Perry asks, “ Isn't there an easier way?”  Keating tells him, “No.”

Mr. Escalante had his students sign a contract specifying terms for spending extra time working for his class which included time in the morning, after school and weekends.  He wanted to make his expectations clear and made sure that each student had their parent sign it so he could hold his students to his rules.  As each student entered the classroom, Escalante collected the forms.  Pancho did not have his paper signed.  His excuse was, “My uncle offered me a job operating a forklift Saturdays and Sundays.  I’ll be making time and a half.”  “So what”, replied Escalante.  He smugly replied, “Two years in the union and I’ll be making more than you.”  Later while Escalante is driving Pancho's car, he tells him, “Kemo, I don't wanna let you down but the money I'd be making will buy me a new Trans Am.”  Escalante tells him, “No one cruises through life, Pancho. Wouldn't you rather be designing these things than repairing them? Can't even do that, things got fuel injection” as he grinds the gears to the car.  “Kemo, you're gonna strip my gears, man!”  “Don't panic, Johnny, just watch out for the other guy”, as he grinds the gears again.  Calmly he asks, “Right or left?”  When he doesn’t get an immediate answer, he asks again, this time in desperation, “Right or left?”  Pancho hurriedly yells in a panic, “GO RIGHT! GO RIGHT!”  Escalante turns right, and screeches to halt in front of a dead end sign.  He tells Pancho, “All you can see is the turn, don't see the road ahead...”

While standing on his desk Keating asks the classroom full of boys, “Why do I stand up here? Anybody?”  Dalton answers, “To feel taller!”  Keating rings a bell with his foot, “No!  Thank you for playing Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.”  He adds, “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!”  The students take turns climbing onto Keating's desk to see a new perspective as he tells them, “Now, don't just walk off the edge like lemmings! Look around you!”

Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" were both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They produced new ways for their students to see the world.  They taught that them that they can overcome hardships, arise from struggles and do extraordinary things to create something better in their worlds.

Further Drafting Exercises

We received numerous worksheets to help us write our second paper.  They centered on exercises that prompt us to richly illustrate parts for our paper.  For me it was hard.  I am not a creative writing person.  It is difficult for me to try to break out of my bubble.  Try as I might, I am barely stretching out of my comfort zone.  It is tough and excruciating.  I feel like I am banging my head on a wall. 

Trying to go around and around to describe scenes in an interesting way is not easy for me.  I am literal.  I read EXACTLY what is written; there is no reading between the lines with me.  Tell me what you mean and mean what you say. Trying to describe scenes in the movies is more like word for word dialog with me.  I concentrate on the words and not necessarily on the way they are spoken or the body language of the person speaking.  

As I rework my paper in my mind, I am slowly going crazy.  I need to find the happy medium.  One where I fulfill all the parameters of the assignment AND where I feel like I did a good job.

Refine Your Draft...

The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.

“Stand and Deliver” takes place at James A. Garfield High School, a real school in Eastern Los Angeles in the 1982.  It was a coed public school in a poor area in the west coast.  The students were disadvantaged and lacked discipline. 

“Dead Poets Society” takes place at Welton Academy, a the fictional east coast prestigious private prepschool in for boys in Vermont in the 1959 where tradition, honor, discipline and excellence was the school motto.

At Garfield High, the educational standards are set low.  Most students are not expected to attend college.  They come from working class families whose parents did not go to college themselves.

At Welton Academy, tradition of families attending the school for generations is a common theme.  As a prep school, it is primarily meant as a place to prepare for college, usually an Ivy league school such as Harvard or Yale.  Most students plan on going to law or medical school.

At Garfield, students lived at home with their families where they had many responsibilities such as taking care of family and jobs.  They lacked textbooks, higher end classes and money for technology such as computers. 

At Welton, the boys stayed in dormitories, concentrated on their studies, and had many options for enriching extracurricular activities such as the school paper, drama, rowing, and fencing.  Welton was primarily a high society upper class population.

Jamie Escalante quit a good job from a company to become a high school math teacher.  He originally was supposed to teach a computer class, but the school was promised funding for computers for the past two years and did not have computers yet.

John Keating was a former student of Welton Academy where he was part of many extracurricular activities including the secret Dead Poets Society.  He is introduced as a new English professor.

Jamie Escalante demanded discipline from his students at Garfield High.  He spent a large amount of time ordering his students around, usually by raising his voice.  He used ridicule and threats as a scare tactic to put his students into submission.  I think this is because the students lived under tough circumstances and he knew that this was the only way to get through to them.  He also took the time to speak to parents to try to convince them to follow his lead in what he thought would be the best for his students.  He controlled his class.  He had each student sign a contract to make his expectations clear.  He made sure each student and parent signed it so that he could hold his students to them.

John Keating had a different approach.  It was opposite.  He exercised his dominance in a more indirect way.  He led his students in exercises to open their minds because he wanted them to think for themselves.  His ways could be considered unorthodox in comparison to the teachings of the other professors at Welton Academy.  He didn't just want his students to follow his lead, but allow each individual follow where their own mind would have them go. Keating wanted his students to think for themselves.  He didn't approach the students or their parents outside the classroom.  He didn't confront them.  The students usually sought Keating out instead.

Thesis Statement for 2nd Formal Paper

The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.

Begin Drafting Paper #2

Which two teachers will you write about and why?

At this point in time, I am planning on writing about the main teachers we have been studying during unit 2 of this class: Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating for the movie "Dead Poets Society".  I feel that I have ample material to write formal paper #2 from the resources I have compiled from watching the movies.  I will be a big feat trying to narrow down my notes to be within the 1,200-1,500 word count required while retaining the most important information.

I had originally wanted to write a paper using two personal teachers.  It has been so long since I have been in grades K-12, almost 25 years, and I have not been inspired as to which teachers I could write about.  I have given it much thought.  I would have to liberally use my imagination in order to have enough material to cover the word requirement.

I will begin drafting my paper after I watch the movies one more time while editing my notes to gain more detailed information such as quotes and character names.  I also have to think of a strong thesis statement.  It has to be worded just perfectly.  I am not prepared at this time to blog post the beginning of paper #2.  After re-reading WS 19-22 I plan to work diligently on an outline.  I also plan on studying WS 31-35 closely, as I wish to write my paper in chronological order according to the storyline of the movie, although I may have to make changes if I want to do a point by point comparison of each teacher.  I hope I can get my head together and write a wonderful paper worthy of a good grade.

Escalate vs. Keating

I believe that Jamie Escalate from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are extremely different.

Jamie Escalante demanded discipline from his students at Garfield High.  He spent a large amount of time ordering his students around, usually by raising his voice.  He used ridicule and threats as a scare tactic to put his students into submission.  I think this is because the students lived under tough circumstances and he knew that this was the only way to get through to them.  He also took the time to speak to parents to try to convince them to follow his lead in what he thought would be the best for his students.  He controlled his class.  He had each student sign a contract to make his expectations clear.  He made sure each student and parent signed it so that he could hold his students to them.

John Keating had a different approach.  It was opposite.  He exercised his dominance in a  more indirect way.  He lead his students in exercises to open their minds because he wanted them to think for themselves.  His ways could be considered unorthodox in comparison to the teachings of the other professors at Welton Academy.  He wasn't so much wanting his students to follow his lead, but to have each individual follow where their own mind would have them go. Keating wanted his students to think for themselves.  He didn't approach the students or their parents outside the classroom.  He didn't confront them.  The students usually sought Keating out instead.

The ways that they are similar are that the both want what is best for their students.  They both used humor in their own way to grab the attention of the kids to make an impression.  I think both teachers and their students were underdogs.  You could not help but root for all of them while watching the movies.

Even thought both teachers showed personalities that were from opposite ends of the spectrum, I think the were both good teachers.  They were effective in their own way and you could see that from the results they brought out of their students.  They each had to utilize different approaches to match the environments in which their students were accustomed.

How Do Garfield and Welton Differ?

Stand and Deliver took place at James A. Garfield High School, a real school in Eastern Los Angeles in the 1980's.  It was a coed public school in a poor area in the west coast.  The students were disadvantaged and lacked discipline.  Compare that to the school in  Dead Poets Society which took place at the fictional school of Welton Academy, an east coast prestigious private prep school in Vermont in the 1950's where tradition, honor, discipline and excellence was the school motto.

There were obvious racial and socio-economical differences between both schools.  This is due to the difference in time period, location and the nature of the type of school the students attend. 

A Garfield High, the educational standards are set low.  Most students are not expected to attend college.  They come from working class families whose parents did not go to college themselves.  At Welton Academy, tradition of families attending the school for generations is a common theme.  As a prep school, it is primarily meant as a place to prepare for college, usually an Ivy league school such as Harvard or Yale.  Most students plan on going to law or medical school.

Another difference is the availability of financial resources.  At Garfield, students lived at home with their families where they had many responsibilities such as taking care of family and jobs.  They lacked textbooks, higher end classes and money for technology such as computers.  At Welton, the boys stayed in dormitories, concentrated on their studies, and had many options for enriching extracurricular activities such as the school paper, drama, rowing, and fencing.  Welton was primarily a high society upper class population.

The two schools were completely different.  Money definitely plays a large role in the quality of education a student may receive.

Dead Poets Society Real Time Notes Part 2

For the first time, girls are brought to the cave...Gloria and Tina....Passionate Interpretation.

Knox arrives at a couples party...he did not bring a date.  Drinking and making out.  Chet beats Knox up for kissing his girl.

Article published in school newspaper demanding that girls get into Welton submitted to the paper by the Dead Poets Society.

Charlie Dalton says, "God says that we should have girls at Welton."

Gets paddle to bottom 4x and asked about names for the DPS.
Turn everybody in, apologize and won't get kicked out of the school.

Nolan to Keating...Tradition, discipline, prepare for college.

"Sucking the marrow out of life does not mean choking on the bone."

Neil's father shows up at school to reprimand him about acting the day before opening night.

Neil goes to Keating to talk...loves teaching and would not want to be anywhere else.  He urges him to talk to his father about passion for acting...he is playing the part of the dutiful son.  Prove it to his father with conviction and passion.

Knox tries to apologize to Chris with flowers, turned down.  Follows her to class and reads poetry.

Neil tells Keating that he talked to his father, in Chicago and won't make it to play.  He wasn't happy, gone for 4 days.

"Red"  Indian for virility.

Chris shows up to Welton and tells Knox that she could care less about him even though he loves her.  They go to the play together. 

Neil plays Puck in play.  His father shows up.

Knox holds Chris's hand while watching the play.

Neil's father walks in midway through the play and watches stone faced.   There is a standing ovation.  Mr. Perry sends him to the car and tells Keating to say away from his son.

At home with parents...defiance...Mr. Perry tells Neil to withdraw from Welton to go to military school then medical school.  He tries to stand up to his father...father tells him to forget acting.  Mother feels sympathy.

Neil sneaks into his father's study, uses a key to open a drawer and gets his father's gun.  He sits in silence for some time.  Father awakes to a sound, he does not find Neil in his room.  He walks into the study to find that his son shot himself.  Neil Perry is dead.

Todd, looks at grounds covered in snow, "It's beautiful." 

Keating alone in classroom, looks in desk to for the book Five Centuries of Verse.  Opens book, reads words printed in front and cries.

Thorough inquiry.  Cameron is a fink.  Board of Directors, Trustees.  Schools go down.  Honor Code.  Told Nolan.  They are not after students, after Keating.  "You can't save Keating, but you can save yourselves."

Norwanda, expelled.

Tom Anderson...parents at school for inquisition...boys signed a contract

Skipped Realists in textbook.

Instructed to read introduction, but it is all ripped out.

Outburst by Anderson...Keating asked to leave.

"O Captain, my captain" and boys stand on desks...half the class.  Teacher yells for everyone to sit down.  Keating thanks boys.

Dead Poets Society Real Time Notes Part 1

Welton Acedemy, 1959: Boys Prep School in Vermont.

Banners up in a procession with bag pipes for open ceremonies playing in front to Professors, parents and students.

Headmaster Nolan, "Tradition, honor, discipline and excellence."

Introduction of Mr. Keating, new English teacher, poetry. 

Showing of the differences between goodbyes of established older students and young first timers with their parents.

Intro of new kid to the campus. Todd Anderson, brother of valedictorian.

Mr. Perry wants Neil Perry to drop The Annual, the school newspaper to concentrate in getting into medical school.  Father demands respect tells his son what to do, won't let his son get a word in edgeways.

Chemistry, Latin, Trigonometry...Poetry.

Keating tells his students to call him "O Captain!  My Captain!"

"We are all worm food."

Keating has the boys peruse pictures in trophy cases to compare that they are one and the same.

He says, "Listen...Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."

Knox Overstreet meets Joe Danburry to have dinner.  He meets Chris who is engaged to Chet Danburry.

The english textbook...rate poetry...excrement.  Keating has the boys rip out the page.  He tells them to rip out entire introduction.  Headmaster comes in and checks out what is going on.

"Words and ideas can change the world."

Freethinkers.

Keating was a former Welton student.  The boys find an old annual and asks about Keating about The Dead Poets Society.

The boys secretly revive The Dead Poets Society and arrange to meet beyond the stream..."tonight".

Five Centuries of Verse

The boys sneak out across a field and into the woods into a cave. 

They tell ghost stories.

They sneak back to the school and start the next day.

They read passages from book in accents.

Keating standing on desk, "You must constantly look at things in a different way."  He has the boys follow suit.  He has them compose a poem of their original work.

Activity on school grounds...rowing...fencing.

Neil Perry.  A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Open tryouts.

Knox sneaks off to a coed school on a bike to look for Chris .

Neil forges a note to get permission to take the lead As Puck in the play.

Each students gets up in front of the class to read their poetry.  Todd does not write his assignment and Keating leads him in an exercise.

Keating writes on chalkboard..."I sound barbaric YAWP over the top of the world."

Todd says something profound from the top of his head, shocking him and his classmates with the outcome.

The boys smoke pipes in the cave.  The god of the cave is a lamp.

Knox calls Chris and hangs up.  Carpe Diem.  Calls back.  She invited him to a party at the Danburry's home.  Knox says, "The point is that she was thinking about me.  She is going to be mine."

Conformity.

Two paths converge in the woods...

It is Puck's birthday.  His parents give him the same gift two years in a row.  He didn't like it the first time.  A desk set.  He throws it.

The students In Dead Poets Society seem more likely to be free to do as they please.  Keating tries to teach them to keep an open mind compared to students in the first movie Stand and Deliver.  Escalante tried to have the students follow his rules.

Group Discussion: Dead Poets Society

Class group

Although Mr. Keen is a very good teacher, we noticed how within that Neal is a peer teacher to Todd. Todd is a shy boy, and Neal is part of the popular crowd. They are placed as roommates and Neal takes Todd under his wing. He insists that Tom goes with him to the Dead Poets Society, and includes him in all the study groups. Neal befriends Todd, and slowly Todd becomes more open and believing in what he says.  Todd starts opening up to Neal, like sharing about his birthday and birthday presents. Neal is slowly helping Todd grow as a student, and could help his academic career by not having the fear of speaking up.