The Dance of Learning
Showing a movie in class is supposed to be “low-key” for the teacher. A chance to kick back, relax, check a few emails.
Someone should tell my students that.
I show mine on the big screen with the lights off. Movie theater style. I’d even be willing to overlook a few smuggled snacks. (New dietary codes prohibit teachers from providing junkfood for class parties, like the good–and maybe obese–old days.)
It is harder to pull off a movie than it sounds.
Day 1, students have all kinds of questions, as if they are investigative movie critics, budding Siskel and Eberts (or whoever the guy is who does reviews with Ebert now).
They want to know what the movie is called and whether the movie is a “movie movie” (meaning it was shown in theaters) or a “boring movie” (aka documentary).
Then they want to know when it was made. It better not be black and white. (I’ve never shown them a black and white film, but apparently someone else is forcing pre-50’s movies on them).
The next question: Who is in it? Oddly, even though they’re not minority actors, they like Sean Connery and Kristen Dunst enough.
Then, how long is it? If they deem it a good movie, they want it to be long. If it doesn’t have enough car chases in it, they hold onto unrealistic expectations that its one of those new six minute movies.
When I get past the interrogation, I hit play. This is when I receive nineteen sets of instructions about how to maximize the Media Player to make the screen bigger and twelve sets of mixed complaints, half of which claim the volume is too high and half which insist it is too low.
They can barely hear it or its gonna make them deaf. Simultaneously.
Perhaps its a local culture thing, or a function of the diversity or ages in my classroom, but watching movies is a full-contact sport. Students frequently yell either in affirmation or anger at the characters on the screen, saying “Yeah, boy” “Come on” “Tell ’em” or “No! Don’t!”, pounding the table, falling over laughing in hysterics.
These kids are the reason some of my co-workers drive to Lansing to go to the movies.
Day 2 of the movie–if it lasts that long–is no easier. I hit play in the middle of the movie, near the second where we left off yesterday–the place in time scribbled down on a post-it note (40:11, for example).
But no, this isn’t where we left off, Mrs.C. We were 11 seconds before this part or 24 seconds after. You know, the part where the girl in the olive green beaded dress had just said, “Alas, the war is upon us. Boys shall soon be men.” They suddenly have near photographic memories which magically disappear any time I try to insert a point about how the events on the screen tie into our history lesson.
Occasionally there are moments of enlightenment in the middle of the chaos. During a scene showing the suffering of a soldier, the whole class–some of who rotate on and off suspension lists for various acts of aggression–become ardent passivists. For today, they stop making disconnected comments about “Ay-rabbs” (Don’t worry, I correct their terminology) and how we should “nuke” them (them meaning all of Iraq and Afghanistan).
For today, they get that war is not as simple as it appears in random news clips that affect people they’ve never met.
I point out that every person on both sides is someone’s brother, someone’s 
father, someone’s sister, someone’s mother. That every person lived a life, had plans for the future. That war brings incalculable loss to families, to marriages, to children. Perhaps the lesson of history is that when you become voters (many of them already are), you must more carefully weigh the need for war against its terrible price.
Just when I think we’re all on the same page, in a unified search for peace as a future nation, one turns to the other and says, “If you don’t stop talking, I’m going to punch you in the face. I need to hear this part.”
Progress is always a mix of stepping forward and stepping back–a little dance we do that sometimes looks like learning.
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What are your thought on peace and conflict? Do you think more international issues could be solved through peaceful efforts if we invested more energy in non-violent solutions? Or do you think that’s idealistic? Sound off here (click the brown comment box under the title of 
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Gabriel January 12, 2010 (10:47 am)
Interesting how times have changed…try showing them a filmstrip on an ole reel-to-reel projector & sounds like mutiny would errupt. Keep up the good work!
Jaime January 12, 2010 (12:29 pm)
I connected to both your experience with your youth and about the war/peace conflict. The girls I mentor primarily have a discussion with the movie whether we are in my apartment or at the theatre. :)
I am not sure what the world needs to resolve all of its conflict, but I know that in my Oakland community violence breeds more violence…and yet at the same time often genuinely seems like a fair response to the cruel injustice my community often faces. But when you observe it day in an day out from botht he community and our ignorant police department it becomes apparent that the violence, whether just or unjust does not, in anway breed love or peace.
Our entire world is so “grace deprived” that we don’t seem to know how to forgive or to walk away in our day to day lives…so I’m not sure how likely we are to expect that men with obscene amounts of power and little accountability would walk way when they or their interests feel threatened. It’s sad though, because I feel like in all this mess the Church could be beacon of grace (and some are)…but often the church hides behind dogma and fails to take a chance on love.
its early and I’m coffee deprived so I hope this made sense. :)
TomKinsfather January 12, 2010 (12:31 pm)
I believe if I lived in an Arab nation, I’d want to commit acts of violence against the US as well. As Americans, the bigger our freedom gets the more we encroach on the freedoms of others. Mostly because we want to consume our share AND the rest of the world’s share of resources. Like ancient Rome, we help to develop other parts of the world so we can then consume their bounty. Consumer conflict.
Summary: In order for the US to have peaceful foreign relations Americans will need to cut back their consumer greed.
Keith Lee January 12, 2010 (1:18 pm)
“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.” – George Bernard Shaw
suzi January 12, 2010 (1:27 pm)
my high school yearbook had the bob marley quote, ‘until the color of a man’s skin is of no more importance than the color of his eyes, there will be war.’ even though i first read that over two decades ago, the truth behind it has stuck with me. if our focus is on our differences, and one way is deemed ‘good’ or ‘right’, and the other is viewed as lacking, then neither true peace or conflict resolution can happen.
there can be an arrogance of sorts in dealing with these issues. because those of us in north america do not live in war-torn areas, there can be the assumption that we are doing something ‘right’, while those areas in conflict are doing something ‘wrong’. but a closer look at the number of people in our cities that go to bed hungry every night, the drug problem, rampant materialism, abuse in familes, etc. and clearly one can see that we haven’t got it right at all. we just know how to look good in spite of our deficiencies.
i think that peace-seeking is the more difficult of the two options, requiring more work and definitely more time, which isn’t always available. but it requires knowing and understanding the parties involved, and not simply trying to fix a fix that works elsewhere onto a different reality.
Wally January 12, 2010 (1:35 pm)
Jesus for President has probably been the book that has influenced me the most the last year and a half (outside of the Bible of course). When we are spending $10 billion A MONTH on military hope, and that’s what it becomes is hope, then we have some hard questions we need to ask. In God we trust, yet the money that is printed on is spent on hoping the military, or at least the government, lands us on peace. I do not have all the answers, but we need to try something different. War has not and will not work. Let’s dream and try some sort of non-violent action.
Chris Mathews January 12, 2010 (1:59 pm)
What are your thought on peace and conflict? Do you think more international issues could be solved through peaceful efforts if we invested more energy in non-violent solutions? Or do you think that’s idealistic?
Hmm? tough question…short answer I don’t think we can really solve these issues while we live in a fallen world. There are conflicts over resources and those won’t go away as long as peoples focus in on this life The conflicts over ideology and those won’t go away since people will not ever universally decide that we can get along with people that are different than us.
That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. Someone else mentioned $10 billion a month on military hope and that about would provide clean water to every person on the planet. We could affect that kind of change.
Eleiminate no. Reduce, yes.
Taima Marie January 12, 2010 (4:11 pm)
There was a time when the war in the Middle East had just started. I was watching World News or something with my mother when I saw a group of refugees sitting in a park in some war torn little place. They were all huddled together on blankets, fifty of them trying to watch a television to see what was going on.
“Mom, Mom, what are they doing there?” I demanded.
“They’re refugees, honey.”
“I know, but they’re out in the open! And people are BOMBING, Mom!”
“Yes.”
“They could get hurt!”
“Where do you want them to go?”
“Here! Can’t we bring them all here?”
My mother looked at me with a mix of pity and sadness. “Well, it’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?”
“I wish I knew.”
That pretty much sums it all up for me.
Jenna January 12, 2010 (11:18 pm)
It’s refreshingly idealistic to think/wish the problems facing our world could be solved via peaceful efforts. It’s far beyond my comprehension to grasp what can be “gained” through the death and destruction of war. Who’s keeping that score? Who really comes out ahead? I am considering a one-girl campaign…CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? Think it’ll work?
Michele January 12, 2010 (11:38 pm)
Violence is never a favorable or viable solution, as it always begets resentment, retaliation, and further violence. Our overwhelming challenge is determining how to peacefully defend and protect ourselves from the dire consequences of unfettered extremism and fanaticism without having to resort to it. If terrorists and other sick, arrogant, irrational individuals are not the slightest bit receptive to diplomacy and peaceful compromise, what is the viable alternative? Sadly, it has become increasingly clear that the ideal of turning the other cheek will most likely lead to the reality of suffering a guaranteed demise. It is a hideous, but unavoidable malignancy. It seems that the best we can do is concede this reality while simultaneously condemning, containing, and minimizing it to the best of our abilities.
Andrea Schultz January 12, 2010 (11:41 pm)
I am not sure peace will be achieved until Jesus comes. There will always be wars and rumors of wars, as they say.
I just don’t understand or accept most of the conflict in this world. Glad I am not involved in it personally. It would be difficult to live with.
This sounds like a great book, and I love the direction that the Christian community is taking – toward love and compassion instead of hate and divisiveness…. Not in all corners, but at least it’s in some.
Jesus likes that!
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