I decided to show a movie today in class.
I KNOW.
It's not really something you are supposed to do. In fact, it is often frowned upon. Wendy Kopp is probably planning a beheading at this moment. However, I sensed my overall attitude veering towards being a bit too nasty to my kids (and not in a clever bitchy way, but something more abrasive) and I wanted to give us all a bit of a break.
Back in my day (re: 1990-1998), movies were shown quite frequently. This was pre-No Child Left Behind, so people did not get as up in arms about wasting precious instruction time. Our viewings ranged from such classics as "Babe" to lesser-known-but-still-rockin' gems like "Duck Tales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp." God, that one was a classic.
Today, I chose "Jumanji" because it is semi-educational because it is based on a book.
When I was teaching in a public school, June was known as "Movie Month." Instruction essentially stopped at the end of May (and in some classes like-ahem-the Union rep's, APRIL) and the movies began. I didn't really join this ship until my second year. I had a class of only boys and decided to show them "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." The extended edition. Why? Because it was four hours long.
At one point, Gandalf spends three minutes of screen time riding his horse up a mountain to the entrance of a castle. Without missing a beat, a student said, "Damn. That's one long ass driveway." How true.
This was the first time I have shown a movie in the past two years. Perhaps it is because I am about to leave the classroom and am so incredibly tired and drained from this school year. Or maybe it's because the kids need to sit back and enjoy each other's company without a worksheet in front of them.
Either way, the kids got a special treat and they were happy. And Mr. Vest was happy. And somewhere Anderson Cooper was happy. Because he was thinking about Mr. Vest.
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