Concluding Post: An Apartment for Peggy

The movie An Apartment for Peggy (director George Seaton) was made in 1948.  This movie is a good example of how a professor changes his teaching ways and views on education. Professor Barnes has been retired for 8 years and is planning to commit suicide because “life is becoming repetitious and dull.” He feels that he has contributed all he can to life, that he has seen and done all he could.  However he meets Peggy and she changes his outlook on teaching and living. In this movie teaching is viewed as an act that is done to students.  The only person active in the classroom is the professor.  Learning is viewed a passive activity much like with Richard Rodriguez and learning by rote.  “...education is largely a matter of acquiring knowledge already discovered.” (Rodriguez p.89)  

This movie takes place after world war two and Peggy and her husband, Jason,  are looking for a place to live while he is in school to become a chemistry teacher.  The GI Bill of Rights states that they should have adequate housing . Peggy meets Professor Henry Barnes and ends up moving into his attic with her husband.

Peggy learns that one of her friend’s husband is stepping out on her and Peggy gets an idea.  She realizes that she and the other wives need to cross the bridge to educate themselves to help ensure a strong marriage.  Though these wives were not entering the workforce they needed to cross the bridge into the public world to educate themselves.  They needed to have this education in order to have “intellectual” conversations with their husbands.  

The idea Peggy has is to have Professor Barnes “teach” the wives about philosophy.  What happens is that as Henry lectures, the women start to ask questions.  Then a lively conversation starts among the wives and Henry realizes that he was “never an educator just an instructor.”  Other professors were watching this unfold and wanted to teach these wives as well.  The professors saw how teaching could/should look.  So more classes were added for the wives to partake.

There are many themes that run throughout this movie that make me think of the readings I have done for this class. In The Schoolhome  questions were raised about how women would cope or remain if they entered the public world.  Though the movie doesn’t have the women entering the workforce it does have them become educated and asking the why.  I believe that as the wives start asking the why there is the likelihood for them to grow away from their husbands.  That wives would start seeing their world in a different light.  Some wives may even want to attend college and enter the workforce.  At the minimum many want to be “educated.”

Again from the Schoolhome, is the theme that schools/classrooms should be an extension of the ideal home.  Professor Barnes allows this to happen when  authentic conversation  occurs when he is “teaching.”  He makes the connection to the women about what they know to the “great” philosophers.  From this point the wives really open up and realize that they want to learn more.  So Professor Barnes invites the women to start reading  books that they had never heard of to learn more.  

Another theme in this movie is that Henry feels that the younger generation is losing its traditions.   Unlike Richard Rodriguez who feels put out by losing his traditions, Henry sees that much is gained by this younger generation as they become educated.  It is not quite the same because the characters in the movie are not losing part of their ethnicity.  However, you can image that it could drive a wedge between the educated men and the women who are asking the why.   

One scene from this movie shows a young couple trying to get their baby to sleep.  They are having difficulties because of the loud music a group of professors are playing.  The wife wants the husband to go speak to his professor.  However, the husband feels that he can’t rock the boat because the professor may change his grade.

In this movie professors are regarded as all knowing and all powerful.  However, when the husband, Jason, speaks about becoming a chemistry teacher he comments that people feel that you become a teacher if you can’t become anything else.  He wants to teach to help people learn.  There is a conflicting message about educators in this movie.   The professors are there to instill their knowledge and teachers become teachers to help students learn.  

I like how this movie shows the evolution of Professor Barnes thinking about being an educator, “You have taught me.”   He started as  lecturer but then realized that education should be about asking the why.  Peggy explains to him her point of view on education, not only does information need to be taught but so does honesty and fairness.  This circles back the Schoolhome and how schools/classrooms should be an extension of the ideal home.   

I enjoyed this movie and appreciated how Professor Barnes evolves.  I liked that the movie took a serious subject like suicide and showed why life was worth living and how learning can/should happen throughout a lifetime. I enjoyed watching the group of wives have the lightbulb go on when they are conversing with Professor Barnes.  It makes you think of when you are working with a student and they finally “get it.”  You feel that great sense of pride for that student  The film confirms my belief that educators are not just instructors, we are much more.  I believe that  I appreciated this movie because of my feelings about how teachers need to be there for their students and how teachers need to connect with their students and their parents.  Though becoming a college graduate was never discussed in my family is was just assumed.  I can understand why Peggy felt the way she did about her husband finishing school.  That by having a degree he would be seen and feel “educated” and that he would have a rightful place in the workforce.   Though today’s world a college degree does not guarantee a successful career, college still helps students ask  the why.

From watching this movie and being in this class I can see the steps more clearly on what a teacher should be.  I think taking the time and meeting with parents is important.  Understanding what they want out of a teacher and expressing what you can give as a teacher is a step that should be taken.  It is necessary to see all students as individuals.  Creating a warm and safe learning is important.  Also, knowing who I am and what I want to achieve in the classroom is another step that needs to be taken.   

Cycle Three: The Relationship Between Schools and Homes

In the book, Schoolhome, I found the idea of bringing home to school interesting.  Home and school should be partners in a child’s education but I’m not sure if home should be brought to school.  Roland-Martin described how the home should look and feel, but who is to say that her home is the correct home to model a school.  This is not to say that I don’t agree with many of her ideas.  

“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must be the community want for all its children.” (John Dewey, The School And Society, 1899) I believe that most parents want the same things for their children.  Parents want their children to become educated and to succeed in life. However not all parents believe in the same things or how to achieve success.  How is this schoolhome not going alienate more students from their parents?  Even though the teachers may become more familiar with each student  I still feel that a wedge may arise between parent and child. I see this especially in the poorer communities where the school is taking on more of the home role.  But is this wedge worth it because a more active citizen is born from this classroom?   

Another idea I found interesting was Roland-Martin’s change on  learning.  Roland-Martin writes about the use of single sex education.  She suggests using this approach in some areas of learning.  I wonder who makes those decisions and how it is decided?  In our world of declining verbal communication I believe that single sex education would not be fruitful.  People already have enough problems communicating  especially with texting being such a popular way to communicate.  I believe that that schooling should be coeducational.  An emphasis on listening to other people’s points of view could/should be incorporated into schooling.  If the idea is to merge home and school then communication should be one of the three c’s discussed in the book, The Schoolhome.  

In the article, Coed versus Single Sex Ed, and in the book it was mentioned that school is a place to help kids ready themselves for the workplace and adulthood.  If more time was spent on communication between the sexes this could lead to a better homelife (marriages),which would lead to less divorces, which in turn could lead to more stabilized homelife for students.

Cycle Two: Schooling, Cultural Assimilation, and Social Mobility

After reading Hunger of Memory The Education of Richard Rodriguez I started thinking about my own ethnic background and culture.  What I came up with was a lot of nothing.  I called up my mom and told her that I was rootless.  Her response was that I was just clueless.   Thanks, mom.   

I then had a conversation with her about her growing up with a Hungarian mother and a Bulgarian father.  She reminded me about when her father came to Ellis Island that he had to change his first name, Marin, to Michael.  However, he kept his last name Lovrinoff.  Though my great aunt and uncle both changed their last names to Lorrin. My aunt even ended up having a nose job to have a more “American” nose.  

As we talked my mother mostly talked about the foods my grandmother would prepare for them.  Stuffed cabbage was always a favorite and chicken paprikash at Christmas were a couple she mentioned.   Yet she didn’t mention any traditions that they had other than going to church.

So after I talked to my mother I called my aunt up and got some more information from her.  Now she mentioned  back in the early 70’s she and her dad would go to a lake with other families to listen to live music and do Macedonian dancing.  She also mentioned the food aspect and added a few more items to my list like kielbasa, hurka and dobostorte.  The last one is the one I remember because it is a delicious tort.   

My aunt also mentioned the  importance of the church and what a big deal it was when a cardinal came.  He told my grandmother to make sure she spoke the language to her children.  However, she didn’t take his advice.  She reserved her  language for her sisters and the ladies at the church.  

Next I talked to my uncle.  What he had to say was much of the same, no real traditions expect the food and the importance of the church.  What he did mention to me that I found very interesting is that his father wanted his children to assimilate because of the discrimination he found at work.   My uncle also said, “with each generation we keep losing our heritage- it is being diluted.”

I have to say that I agree with my uncle.   Looking back at my own childhood we didn’t go to church, but neither did most of my friends.  My mom worked like crazy and she almost never cooked “real” meals.  About half of my friends moms worked, too.  I wasn’t introduced to Macedonian dancing.  What I realized was that I was a white girl who attended a white school, and had a white last name.  Other than being told that I had a big nose I don’t think my ethnicity had a part of my growing up.  

What did have a  big part in my growing up was that my mom read  The Feminine Mystique while in the hospital when she had me.  This book opened her eyes to a new way of thinking and behaving.  

I am Woman was an anthem in our house.  Stories like Hansel and Gretel were retold with Gretel being the dropper of the bread crumbs.  Books like Dick and Jane were pointed out that they were not the way life should be. Jane could play with boats, too.  When I was around 3 I even attended the Women's Caucus in Texas.   

My mom became active in politics and even ran for State Representative (she never won).  I grew up going to political events and being around people who were thinkers and doers.  My mom eventually became a lawyer.   She even once had a man for her secretary

What all that meant was that I could do anything I wanted.  Ironically I went into teaching - a typical woman’s job.  College was never discussed it was just assumed that one would go.  For all the wonderful and eye opening  things my mom did I never learned to be a good typist.  Her secretaries would type my papers for me because  this was a skill I didn’t really need because I was never going to be a secretary ( secretaries are awesome!).  

Cycle One: The Culture of Childhood

When I first became a parent I had these grand ideas of how I was going to feed my child healthful meals and snacks.  My daughter wasn’t going to taste sweets for as long as possible.  That idea didn’t last long, thanks to her grandma.  My child wasn’t going to eat fast food or processed food either.  However, my daughter could spot those golden arches a mile away ( she loved french fries).

Well for the first  few years I did a pretty good job making sure my daughter and then her sisters ate good meals and snacks.   When snacks were given they were always doled out by the guidelines for portions from the back of the box.  But mostly, I baked cookies, snacks and granola for my daughters.   I even made lunches for school when they were in the younger elementary grades.  

But time, circumstances and finances changed and the way I  feed my daughters have changed as well.  If I was having a hard time keeping up with feeding my daughters healthful meals and snacks I probably wasn’t alone.  

I started to think about school snack time and how when I was a teacher it was always something that brought concerns to me.  Handling the issue is it better to have some type of snack versus it must be healthful was often a topic of discussion in the teacher’s lounge.  Do teachers even have the right to control what kids bring for snack was a question I often asked myself.  I know with my youngest daughter her snacks differ greatly from her middle sister’s because of her  ADHD medicine.  Since the medicine upsets my youngest daughter’s stomach she often would eat saltines for snack (not what I consider nutritious) but it would fill her up and settle her stomach.  

So how much input should schools and teachers have in deciding what to eat for snack time?  Is it okay for teachers to only allow healthful snacks and and who decides what is healthful?

I believe that parents should be the ones making the decisions about what is appropriate for their children to eat.

However, I feel that schools should educate parents as well as children about nutrition.  Schools should also revise school lunches.  Since so many children eat school lunches which are notorious for not being healthful why is snack time such a big deal?  

 

 

Introductory Post

Hi, my name is Jaimiee.  I currently teach pre-k at a preschool. Previously I have taught first and third graders over a fourteen year time span.  I am preparing myself for my second round of public school teaching.  Which I hope will happen this fall.
 
I have three daughters that keep me very busy.  When I have time I like to kayak.  I also like to watch old movies.  I love film noir movies. Though I have a soft spot for Doris Day films, too.

When I started thinking of movies to watch that dealt with teaching I had in mind an old movie but I couldn't come up with the title.  However, it was about a professor who had to retire and felt that he had nothing left to offer.  So, his answer was to end his life. As he is stockpiling pills a young married couple come to live in his attic.  The war was going on and there was a housing shortage.  The young girl gets the professor involved in teaching the wives about different topics and a friendship blooms.  The professor helps the young wives become "educated" and the wives help the professor feel useful again.  I think what I see in this movie is that teachers need students as much as students need teachers.  Throughout the movie both professor and the young girl continually teach one another.  The professor also learns that his students, the wives, have a lot to teach him about teaching.  He even reflects on how he taught in the past and how he is currently teaching the wives.  This movie just makes you think about teaching and how it changes and as a teacher you are always evolving.

So, since I couldn't remember the title I re-watched  Summer School, with Marc Harmon.  This movie came out in 1987, the year I graduated high school.  This movie is about the "lazy" students needing to pass the "test" and will the "lazy" teacher get them to learn in time.   It is a fun movie,  and has a key line  that has to do with the test isn't everything.  Though all the students don't pass the test, the gains made are remarkable.  And the teacher realizes that he has a lot to offer his students.