My Little Tribute to Robin Willams

This week has brought the sad news of the death of Robin Williams. It today also brought the news of the death of Lauren Bacall, which puts me in a bit of a bind because I thought she was already dead. And I may have told some classes that I teach with confidence that "she has been dead for years- I don't even need to Google that." Ooops.

Robin Williams. I think the devastation that everyone is feeling has caught most of us by surprise, but I think it was because his movies (and in my case Mork and Mindy) have always been in our lives. He was not only funny, but made movies that left you feeling inspired and "good." They made you want to be a better version of you. Well accept for One Hour Photo, where he played a stalker. That left you just feeling dirty.

The thing that I have found interesting is how many people have said that his film Dead Poets Society is what inspired then to become a teacher. Is there any better scene in a movie that the final scene when the boys are on their desk saying " O Captain My Captain."?

This is the stuff that teachers dream of. We all want to be inspiring and be that one person who changes children's lives. That teacher that they remember when they are older. And not the teacher that they remember because they always had bad breath, or walked out of the toilet with their dress tucked into their knickers. ( For the record I have NEVER done that.)

Well I have a confession. Dead Poets Society wasn't the film that did it for me. The movie that made me get inspired about returning to teaching was Dangerous Minds.  You know the 1995 film where MIchelle Pfeiffer plays the teacher that works at the school in a low socio economic area, turns their lives around and makes them want to be better (well apart from the one that gets killed)?  She taught the unteachables, and it only took her  90 odd minutes! She defied the rules and no one could make her stick to the curriculum. Not even the threat of Moderation or a Consensus Meeting (thats like a "in"teacher thing) She was a rebel in a nice skirt and a blonde bob. And the film had the totally cool song -Gangstas Paradise.

               

I can know safely tell you that being a teacher is not like Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds or even To Sir With Love for that matter. I can't imagine anyone thanking someone that has taken her "from crayons to perfume" because that sort of thing might get you a meeting with the lovely folk at Standards and Integrity.
                                         

Maybe it is a combination of the three. Every once in a while you will get some praise from the kids " Great Lesson today Miss- thank you." Which is followed by said teacher picking themselves up off the floor. Other days you will have a Dangerous Minds moment- " This is crap Miss." 

And then you will have the days when like I had today when I had a class of 16 year olds with the script from Frozen in their hands singing along to " Let it Go"and taking turns of being Anna and Elsa and fighting over who is going to be Olaf. ( I kid you not- even the boys). Don't worry though - my next class was like pulling teeth, and resulted me telling a child that he was a giant pain in my butt.        ( See - a Dead Poets Moment followed by a Dangerous Minds moment.)

I think regardless of what plans teachers go into teaching with, we all realise that it is not about us changing the children's lives, it is them changing ours. I know my students have taught me more than I have ever taught them. They teach me words, they tell me what is cool or not, they tell me when they don't like my clothes, or when my hair is messy (Did you sleep in Miss?).  Hell sometimes they even tell me when I am being grumpy. (Geez Miss, have you got your period because you are really grumpy today.) No I would never dream of saying that to a teacher either.

So Robin Williams- thank you for reminding me and other teachers of the reasons that we became teachers. You were an amazing talent who will be missed by many and never forgotten. I am sorry that you couldn't find the happiness that you gave to so many, and hope you are at peace. In your honour two of my classes have asked if we could have Robin Williams day on Friday. Well except for the one who thought it would be nice to have  Robbie Williams day) I agreed, but we won't be watching Dead Poets Society.   My heart is still to heavy for that.