o captain, my captain

ever seen dead poets society? if not, you must. its one of those movies you could see a million times. and each time, you laugh. you cry. your heart breaks. your heart swells. you feel as though everyone in the world should be touched by the movie, as you have been, time and again. you find something new to cherish and appreciate every time. and as a teacher, you find something even more relateable than last time. im thinking of doing something quite ballsy. i want to open that world, that feeling i treasure, to about a hundred seventh graders. the movie is a pretty borderline pg. probably should be pg13. i may have to send home permission slips in order for the kids to watch it. and this may be a huge mistake.

its tough to open up. even as an adult. im petrified. what if they hate it? what if they dont get it? what if they do get it, but think its lame? what if they dont even show it the respect to find out if its good? i know its silly, but what if they ruin it for me? im afraid theyll prove to me that its just a movie, and that a teacher cant make that much of a difference. that poetry cant turn lives around like that. that the passion and creativity expressed is not realistic. im afraid theyll take away the hope and belief that surrounds the experience for me.

oh my, i think im going for it. i already have a poetry bulletin board set up, with famous quotations from the movie and various famous poems they all should at least read and know. and i fully plan on standing on my desk four times on wednesday to recite walt whitman's poem that started this all. lets just hope they all get up on their desks with me, in order to see things from a different perspective. wish me luck. updates will be forthcoming.