It was summertime in northern Minnesota.

Hello all,


For my last blog I bring up a dangerous topic. Please refrain from verbal abuse or throwing virtual rotten vegetables. Summer is nearly over. Most of you will say that it is only half done. After July 4th my perception is a season stuck on fast forward. Every week I turn my head and its Wednesday, then I blink and its Saturday. For fall coaches like myself, planning our two-a-day practices is on the to-do list.

A new school year is just around the corner. The prior four quarters and thirty-six weeks are yesterday’s news. The time has come for us to roll up our sleeves for the long haul. It takes me quite a while to accept that proposition. My last school year was my best yet. Yet, teaching is like the northern weather, we all know its unpredictable. My batteries aren’t quite recharged, hopefully in another month they will be on full go.

After this week I won’t have this online resource anymore. I want to take advantage one last time. I have a few questions I hope you won’t mind answering. What are some things that you do to get motivated for another school year? Do you have a to-do list or a checklist? I am wondering if there is any good advice to start the year on the right foot.

I am a huge movie buff. I think I was Minnesota’s first Netflix subscriber. Just watched Slumdog Millionaire. What a great story! I have Doubt and Seven Pounds just waiting to be watched. You name it I have probably seen it. Except for the horror movies, not really my cup of tea. I wouldn’t touch the Drag me to hell with a ten-foot pole. My all-time favorite is Shawshank Redemption. “Get busy living or get busy dying.” One day I am going to Zihuatenejo, Mexico and go deep-sea fishing with Andy and Red. You know the Pacific has no memory. Sorry, anyway.

I stumbled upon a review of the top teacher movies while perusing through Education Week. Rent one or two of these films. The teachers are inspiring. They are guaranteed to get you in the mood to school up some young people.

Pay it forward. Haley Joe Osmond plays Trevor McKinney. He is a middle school student and son of an alcoholic single mother, Arlene played by Helen Hunt. Kevin Spacey plays Trevor’s social studies teacher Mr. Simonet. Both Arlene and Mr. S are victims of abuse. This is a major theme of the film. Mr. S assigns Trevor’s class a community service project. Trevor comes up with a truly great idea. It is called pay it forward, doing three good deeds for somebody else and passing it on. Trevor’s movement spreads nationally. This is a great story about unselfishness and altruism.

Who can forget Mr. Holland's Opus? Richard Dreyfuss plays a musician and composer who takes a job as a music teacher to pay the bills. Teaching is going to be a temporary fix. His lifelong goal is to create one brilliant piece of music. Early in his career he struggles as a teacher. However, he eventually ends up making a huge difference in the lives of his students and family. I love the end. The music program gets cancelled. He is retiring and thinks his teaching career was futile. His former students, including the governor, return to play his piece “An American Song.”

Dead Poets Society, another classic. Robin Williams plays an English professor named John Keating. I think it was my junior high art teacher’s favorite. Her motto, like his, is “carpe diem.” He challenges his students to “seize the day” and live life to the fullest. Robin Williams is believable as a teacher, right? Mr. Keating definitely bucks the status quo.

I am involved in athletics so I must list Coach Carter. Samuel L. Jackson plays a basketball coach who believes in academics first. Almost as good as Snakes on a Plane. It appeals to me because many people get into coaching to teach young boys to be men. Coach requires that his players sit in the front row of classes, earn a 2.3 grade point average, and behave themselves. He locks up the gym and risks their undefeated season when they fall behind. Despite outrage from parents, players, and other teachers he sticks to his guns. Love it.

Okay this one isn’t about a traditional classroom teacher, but what the heck, The Karate Kid. I know, corny as can be. Ralph Macchio plays a bullied boy named Daniel Larusso. A martial arts master named Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, mentors him. Daniel Son is often confused by Mr. Miyagi's lessons. Miyagi has him doing all sorts of chores, like painting his fence. What the heck is “wax on, wax off?" Daniel Son learns discipline and self-control. In the end, Daniel Son faces his tormentors in the All Valley Karate Championship. The unforgettable scene is when Daniel Son knocks out Johnny, even after Johnny injured him with an illegal move. Great story about adversity, perseverance, and determination.

Alright, I had some fun with this blog. Check out one of these films if you like. There are lots more that I didn’t mention. I forgot Dangerous Minds, Hoosiers, Summer School, and Freedom Writers off the top of my head. Please reflect on one earlier questions. That would be greatly appreciated. Keep your ears to the ground. The cavalry is on the way.

Have a great summer. Arek




There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. Cecilia Baxter.