Movies and Me

   Seven men sitting around a table, in a church meeting no less, and the question was put to all. "What is your favorite movie and why?"

   I must remind you that all seven were either church elders or church staff. What do you think the selections might have been? These in no particular order:

   Dead Poet's Society
   Jaws
   Tombstone
   Jeremiah Johnson
   Hoosiers
   The Longest Day
   and another that I cannot remember...

   I noticed something abut the list right off, there were no "religious movies" in the bunch. So why those selections?

   The "why was it your favorite" question helped shed some light on the selections, and the reasons were as varied as the people. By and large it was because a particular movie, or a scene from it, hit a person right where they stood in their life at that same time.

   I know, in my case, it was because I was about to start a new career as a teacher, and, like Robin Williams who played the teacher in the movie Dead Poet's Society, I wanted to have an impact on my students in a positive way. Now, I do not want to hold up the movie as being all positive, which is was not, at least to me, but it was more the idea that those boys in his class needed to be encouraged to think for themselves, to go beyond the rote learning of that poetry class and think.

   Williams was a maverick, in his style, in his ideas, and in his presentations. All of the above eventually get him fired, but his thoughts do take root in some of the class.

   I was fortunate that, although I did sometimes stand on the table to teach and do other non-orthodox things in my classroom, I did not get the pink slip. I also spent so much time on getting the students to examine and think about things, that I did not get much past half way in the textbook before the school year came to a close.

   My kindly principal probably rolled his eyes a few times, if he did hear about this class on the second floor, but I think he knew my heart was in the right place, even if my methodology was a little askew. Perhaps he saw a reason in my madness. Some of the kids got it, too, even though they were still in the 8th grade.

   Williams, as Mr. Keating, had fun, and I did too. Lucky for me I did not fall off the desk.

   Now does all of the above make sense enough to make that movie my favorite? Hope so because it was.