Seniors--Beyond the Classroom extra credit #1
Post before class on Monday, May 17, for extra credit.200 words or 25 blog line minimum.
In the movie, Dead Poets Society, the inspirational English teacher, Mr. John Keating, used poetry to open up a whole new world of life lessons for his young charges. Instead of learning how to rate poetry like it was a song on American Bandstand (an old teen dance show during which teens rated new "records"), he encouraged his students to savor the spoken word, to think for themselves, and to "seize the day."Poetry, he said, celebrates the reasons we stay alive--for passion, love, beauty, and romance. Most of his students "got the message," though some resisted (that's only natural, don't you think).
So in the spirit of the DPS and John Keating, relate how one of your former(or present) teachers taught you some lesson that was important beyond the classroom.
If you choose a St. Mark's teacher, I'll like to notify him or her of your tribute, if that's OK with you.
All sections should post here; make sure you clearly identify yourself with your initials and section color.
posted by JTF @ 10:36 AM
24 comments
24 Comments:
One lesson that comes to mind that had a deeper meaning was Felix Culpa, which I learned in Mr. Taylor's class. He taught us about the regenerative power of love. Some may looked past the semi-circle that we were asked to draw for almost every poem we read, but it always was in my mind. Felix Culpa which translates to "fortunate fall" can be true in life's lessons. The circle starts at the top and thats when it is perfect then you start to move down the circle. An incident may happen and thats where its a decline and everything that once may seemed perfect is now in a spiral downhill. When you reach the lowest point that is where you must learn forgiveness and be able to move past it. That is hopefully when you are able to start to move up and things start to get better. When you reach closer to the top you can never hit the highest point because it is not perfect anymore. A tragic mistake was made and even if it may be forgiven it is still there. Life will get good again but it can never hit that perfectness that it once contained. Felix Culpa is present in many aspects of life. I sometimes think to myself about the power of love and sometimes when I am in a bad situation I like to think at one point am I standing in that semi-circle. As said, many of my classmates probably looked past that circle we drew many times over, but I still think of it often and how it truly is a part of my life. If Mr. Taylor did not teach us about it I probably would not be able to truly grasp the concept of forgiveness and how even though all was forgiven it can never go back to its previous perfect state. Another teacher, well coach, who taught me a lesson is Ike. He was my field hockey coach. In huddles before big games he would always remember do not look at the future or worry about the past but always think about the "now". Thats what state your in and the "now" is the only thing we need to worry about.
Over the years I have really enjoyed a lot of my classes mostly because of the teachers who bring a special life to the classroom. However, a teacher that taught me something outside of the classroom was Mrs. Joyce. Although she was never my actual teacher, I got to know her better than any of the teachers that have taught me. Mrs. Joyce is the teacher in charge of the Italian Exchange Program at Saint Marks. She is the perfect person for the program because she used her Italian background to get in touch with a school in her hometown and she was able to translate between the two languages. Mrs. Joyce taught me and all of the members of the exchange program about the Italian culture in the best way possible – through travel and actually living with an Italian person. Because she had such an interest in creating this program, she gave me one of the best experiences of my life. Through the exchange program, Mrs. Joyce showed me that it does not matter what language you speak or what background you are from or even if you have different traditions – you are still able to make a connection with them. Mrs. Joyce even told us that our year of the exchange is the group that has grown the closest of all of the years she has seen.
God knows that way after my years at Saint Mark’s, there will be one teacher I will never forget. The name of this prestigious man is Mr. Bruce Ingram. Also known as Brucifer, for reasons that not aware by me. I have had this walking dictionary for two consecutive years. Junior year for Honors Morality, and senior year for Honors Death and Dying. He likes to kid around about how it is called "Honors" because it’s a theology class. But what this man did was more than beyond prepare me for college. He inspires me. He makes me want to be dedicated. He taught me that perseverance, hard work, and a positive attitude can conquer all. After all these years struggling with his mom, he still musters up the stamina to come to class everyday; with a smile on his face and a comedic routine that livens his students. Bruce made going to Saint marks worth my time and parents money. I will never forget this loving man and the hand cramps his class gave me.
I have had many influential teachers throughout my school years but my English 4th grade teacher was by far one of the most amazing and influential women I have ever met. When I was in 4th grade and living in England I had a very heavy American accent and sometimes got made of for it by other kids. My teacher knew this but always commented on my great reading skills and use to work with me for hours to perfect my oral reading skills. Mrs. Smith, my teacher, understood that sometimes I was embarrassed about my accent and she knew that as a fourth grader it would be hard to show the other children that speaking differently and having an accent isnt a bad thing but instead something that makes me unique. So when it was time for the end of the year school play mrs. smith decided to give me the lead role as the may day queen. I had more lines that anyone else and was mortified. I did not want the part at all and was terrified as to what people would think. The day of the play came and the auditorium was packed, everyone's family was there and I thought I was going to pass out. When the play was over I had so many parents and students come up and compliment me on my performance. I knew then thanks to Mrs. Smith that it was okay to be different and that being yourself was what really mattered.
Through the years I have had many different teachers that have impacted my life but one teacher in particular sticks out above the rest. Our schools very own Mrs. Biafore-Wright. Mrs. Biafore is a teacher that i will never forget. She taught me my freshman and sophomore year in English. Mrs. Biafore opened my eyes to literature. One thing i will never forget is when she taught us about the imagery and symbolism in the "Great Gatsby." For example, the one character was named Daisy. She was named Daisy because of the colors of the flower. A Daisy is yellow in the inside but white on the outside meaning she appears to be innocent on the outside however; she is corrupted in the inside. But, although she taught me literature in her classroom she also taught me valuable lessons about life. She taught me to be confident, and that I can do anything if i put my mind to it. For instance, I never hesitated to ask her for help because she was always willing to help you. Another example is when I told her that my Junior year i was going to have a difficult English teacher and she told me that she believed in me and that i could do it. In addition to all these things, is that I never liked English at all but I became to appreciate it more when i was in her class. Thank you so much Mrs. Biafore! :) Another person that i learned so much from is Sister Redempta who helped me through a rough patch. She is always smiling and shows that she cares. Sister Redempta is a person I strive to be like when i grow older. She always makes it know that God loves us and to be happy. So I would also like to thank Sister Redempta because her and Mrs. Biafore are two people who best exemplify the spirit of John Keating that lessons are beyond the classroom.
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