Today's
educators praise the majority John Keating's instructional methods. First,
Keating values creativity and innovation in his lesson planning. He rejects the
traditional poetry textbook and rating scale for creating a relevant curriculum
that connects to his students’ lives. As a Spanish teacher, I see the value of
Keating’s ideas. Often foreign language textbooks are driven by grammar and
vocabulary. They do not give students a meaningful purpose for using the
language. Instead, we should create a communicative curriculum. Vocabulary and
grammar should be taught in a communicative context. For example, we should not
teach adjectives and the verb “ser” in isolation. They need to be taught
together for the purpose of describing others. ACTFL encourages teachers to
reject the textbook to make our subject more communicative and meaningful.
Second, Keating uses hands-on activities that support kinesthetic learners. He
has students walk in the courtyard to teach the importance of opposing
conformity. Students kick a soccer ball while reading poetry verses and stand
on Keating’s desk to gain a new perspective. In my classroom, I use brain breaks
to get students moving. Brain breaks help regain students’ focus and attention.
I also enjoy providing my students with manipulatives. On the first day of
learning how to conjugate -AR verbs, students practice dropping the -ar ending
off the verb and adding the appropriate ending. Moving the pieces around
prepares students for conjugating -ar verbs in writing and in speaking. Most
notably, Keating focuses on helping his students develop their individuality.
He uses poems such as “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost to show the
importance of choosing your own path, not the one that is most popular. Keating
even encourages students to express themselves through poetry. Todd, a shy,
introverted boy comes out of his shell as he sounds a barbaric yawp. Keating
prompts Todd ever so slightly to help him write an impromptu poem in front of
the class. Several students are inspired to revive the Dead Poets Society. In
an off-campus location, students meet to share poetry that inspires them or
read their creations. Keating wants his class to follow their passions, rather
than follow the expectations of their parents. Neil pursues his new love of
acting by performing in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Keating is so supportive of
Neil’s dream that he organizes an outing to attend the play. He respects Neil’s
desire to choose his path. He does not want Neil to conform to the demands of
his parents. Treating students as individuals and offering them freedom of
choice is a value our culture emphasizes. We teach and support the individual
student instead of the whole group. Teachers differentiate their instruction so
that they challenge each student appropriately. We accommodate students with
IEPs or 504 Plans giving extensions or modified assessments as needed. When
developing activities, teachers offer students different options. Students can
practice a skill or complete an assignment in a way that fits their particular
interest.
Despite
all of Keating’s successes in the classroom, his methods still face a variety
of critique. In the movie, the Headmaster Nolan is Keaton’s biggest critic. He
desires an orderly, disciplined classroom that does not question authority.
Because of Keating’s unorthodox methods, Nolan often has frustrated looks. He
is very disturbed when the students inform him that they ripped out pages in
their textbook and did not follow the set curriculum. Today’s educators can
find different critiques of Keating’s teaching. Keating is not a culturally
inclusive instructor. This type of teacher designs a curriculum that educates
minority students about themselves and finds ways to ensure that others know
about them too (Martin 56). Teachers bring new voices and perspectives into the
classroom through culturally relevant literature (Martin 209). It is important to
be a culturally inclusive educator because “a nation with as diverse a
population as ours does not need a unified curriculum nearly as much as it does
a unifying one” (Martin 57). Despite his vast creativity in lesson planning, he
fails to provide his students with a variety of perspectives with the poems he
chooses. Keating’s classroom is full of white male students who may not have
had the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of people. They attend
school with similar-minded young men. Keating could have used this opportunity
to open his students to the world. Learning about Shakespeare is important, but
students’ knowledge could have been enhanced by reading the works of Federico
García Lorca. His play, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, explores themes of oppression
of women and authoritarianism. The students of Welton would benefit from the
perspectives of women and, in the process, learn about society in Spain. In
addition to poems of Whitman and Frost, Keating could include some poetry by
Langston Hughes. A poem like Let America Be America Again would give his
students a new perspective on African Americans as the civil rights movement
was approaching in the 1960’s. Instead of these cultural ideas, he just used
literature written by white males of European descent. In our increasingly
global world, we must teach our students to interact with people of different
backgrounds. Appreciating perspectives of others strengthens empathy and
understanding. Next, Keaton isolates himself from his colleagues. He is only
seen working by himself. As a new teacher to the school, collaborating with the
other teachers would have eased his transition to the rigorous environment.
Like Keaton, I recently have been a new teacher at several schools. I owe much
of my successful school years to my helpful colleagues. I formed positive
relationships, brainstormed activities and assessments, asked questions, and
shared ideas with my Spanish team. While this was occurring, my colleagues
appreciated the creativity, new ideas, and hard work that I brought to the
department. If I made a mistake or was not sure how to handle a situation, I
always had a veteran teacher to help me. Collaboration is strongly promoted by
schools now. If teachers isolate themselves, they receive criticism for their
lack of contribution. I would highly recommend that all new teachers do not
follow Keating’s lead and find a collaborative mentor. Last, Keating did a poor
job of communicating with parents. Today, teachers are expected to email
parents regularly with announcements and reminders. Once a student shows signs
of academic struggle or poor behavior, teachers must individually contact
parents. Parents of students who appear to self-harm or have medical
emergencies are contacted immediately. Keating did not reach out to any parents
during his time at Welton. Before Neil committed suicide, perhaps Keating
observed some signs of depression. If Keating could have contacted his family,
or even informed someone at the school, maybe Neil would not have died.
Schoolhome,
a word inspired by the philosophies of Maria Montessori, provides “a safe and
secure, supportive and nurturant environment for children” (Martin 13). Once
homes stop teaching lessons, the school needs to take its place (Martin 18).
Welton Academy, a fictional East Coast private boarding school, serves
primarily white males from extremely wealthy families. It could be a great
environment to implement the Schoolhome. Unfortunately, Welton only chooses to
emphasize the home lessons of discipline. Parents are not around to teach their
children what is right and wrong, so the school takes on that responsibility.
Desks are placed in vertical rows to promote an authoritarian style classroom.
After Charlie writes an article on behalf of the Dead Poets Society, Headmaster
Nolan demands that Charlie reveals the others involved in the club. Charlie
refuses to give the information. As a result, Nolan physically beats Charlie
and tells Keating that his students should never question authority. These
actions show that Welton is far from the supportive, nurturing Montessori
Schoolhome. Furthermore, Montessori advocates helping students figure things
out on their own, rather than the teacher just telling students the answer
(Martin 11). At Welton, teachers lecture on a subject while students
frantically jot down notes. The textbook is the primary source of curriculum
inspiration. Students memorize information for the purpose of answering test
questions, not for any practical applications. In her Schoolhome, Montessori
desired to remove the barriers between the school and world. Members of the
community were invited into the school to share their skills (Martin 11-12).
Highly educated teachers work at Welton, but no community members offered
unique insights to students.
Attending
a boarding school now is different than in Dead Poets Society. Boarding schools
are more affordable than they were in the past. In fact, they offer substantial
financial aid to low-income families. A greater population of diverse students
exist, too. Today’s boarding schools better exemplify the Schoolhome philosophy
of a supportive, home-like environment. While top American boarding schools are
still academically rigorous, there is now a concern for the development of the
child, rather than just the student. Boarding schools offer music, theater, and
athletic activities to support interests outside of the classroom. Students
participate in work-duty programs and volunteer in community service. These
opportunities were unavailable to students like Neil in Dead Poets Society who
had to travel off campus to take part in the play. Another student, Meeks,
constructed his own radio, but he hid this from the school. Classrooms at top
boarding schools are unrecognizable to Welton. Harkness tables have replaced
individual desks in rows. At schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy, 12
students and the professor sit at oval tables. Together they collaborate to
understand the material. The teacher is not far superior to his class. All
students’ opinions are valued. Montessori would enjoy watching these
classrooms. In a Schoolhome, many teachers feel like they are “mother” to their
students providing them with care and concern. Both public and private schools
employ counselors and social workers to discuss anxiety, adjustment, eating
disorders, and more with students. Teachers are also available to offer help.
Schools in the past did not provide many resources to help the emotional
development of students. At my school, teachers run a Freshmen Advisory Program
to assist incoming freshmen. During first semester, students learn how to
navigate high school and see all of the available resources. The guidance
department supports several groups for girls and boys. Following Neil’s death
in the movie, the students were not given any resources to cope with the death
of their friend. They continued their regular schedule with no time for
mourning. After a tragedy occurs in today’s schools, teachers are asked to look
out for students and suggest speaking with the social worker. Our principal
sends emails to teachers detailing the student, the nature of the tragedy, and
what we can do to support them.
As I
reflect on John Keating’s instruction at Welton Academy, I aspire to teach like
him. When the viewer watches his lessons, it is hard not to become inspired
just like his students do. I respect the creativity and enthusiasm that he
brings to class every day. He connects with students individually, knowing them
as students and people. What I most admire about Keating is his lasting impact
on his students. Keating inspired Neil so much that he pursued a passion for
acting. At the end of the film, students stand on their desks shouting, “O
Captain, My Captain” to show their solidarity and respect for Keating. His
students may forget the poems they read in their English class, but they will
never forget the positive way he treated them or how he brought out the best
version of his students. I hope that I can make a small impact on my students
before they leave my class.
It is
quite possible for me to implement several of Keating’s practices into my
teaching this upcoming school year. Keating showed how poetry is relevant to
students’ lives and emotions. It is important for me to show my students why
Spanish is such an important language to study. With the growth of
Spanish-speakers in the United States and the globalization of our world,
people gain more travel and employment opportunities when they know Spanish.
Students develop a global perspective and cultural understanding. To highlight
these benefits, I created a “Reasons Why You Should Learn Spanish” PowerPoint
to share with my students on the first day of school. Also, when I start a new
chapter, I can detail how students could use the vocabulary and grammar in the
real world. For example, students may not be excited to learn clothing
vocabulary. But if I mention that students can use this vocabulary to buy
clothes at a store or market in Spain, they may see the importance of that
topic. I am not a parent yet, but Keating’s lessons have shown me the
importance of allowing children to become individuals. It can easy for a parent
to think they know what is best for their children and push them in a
particular direction. Dead Poets Society shows how parental control over
children can have serious consequences when Neil commits suicide. If I become a
parent, I need to support my children in their endeavors. I must help them
develop their identity. I can provide them with advice on what I think is best,
but ultimately children need to make that decision on their own.
Although I
am very inspired by Keating, I want to improve on some of his shortcomings. I
design my lessons using the ACTFL 5C’s of Foreign Language Instruction. Two of
these standards are culture and connections. We need to provide our students
with the perspectives of different cultures and help students make connections
to other places. I must be a culturally inclusive teacher. I never want to
isolate myself in the department. While I embrace the communicative teaching
method of teaching Spanish, not all of my colleagues have felt the same way. We
might disagree on some philosophies, but I still make an effort to share and
collaborate with my Spanish team. I hope to improve on communicating with
parents. Sometimes I can be intimidated to call parents or struggle to find the
time to write several emails. Keating’s lack of parental communication shows
the very extreme example of what terrible things could happen to a student. In
addition to monitoring academic performance, it is my responsibility to look
out for the mental and physical health of my class. It would be hard to accept
that something negative happened to a student on my watch.
John
Keating is an outstanding teacher in many ways. His creativity, innovation, and
connections to students are valued by teachers in the United States. Armed with
lessons on individuality and expression of emotion, students will never forget
Keating. I aspire to incorporate many of Keating’s teaching strengths into my
practice this school year. However, Keating is not a perfect teacher. He would
benefit from becoming culturally inclusive, collaborating with colleagues, and
communicating with parents. Perhaps with these improvements, Keating can seize
the day and make his teaching practice extraordinary.
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