Responding to “I Am a Promise” (Intro. to Teaching)
Posted by misterjolly on October 16, 2007
It was exciting to see your reactions to the film I Am a Promise. The movie does a great job of raising a lot of educational issues in ways that might be different from how you would normally approach them.
Answer one of the following questions:
1. Was principal Deanna Burney justified in her decision to leave?
2. Are single-gender classrooms (similar to Mr. Coats’) a good idea?
3. After viewing the movie, would you be interested in teaching in a similar school?
Answer thoroughly, and respectfully respond to someone else!
October 18th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
2) I think single gender classrooms are a great idea. Like with Mr. Coates it gives students someone to relate with and a positive role model to look after. Many students, especially in the movie, have an obvious absence of people to follow after. Same gender classrooms are an amazing idea which should be implemented by all school districts.
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and Jolly, your blog is pretty awesome. I’ gonna start posting pictures and videos.
October 18th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
3. After watching this movie, an incredible amount of remorse came apon me for these children and their families. However, I am still very headstrong about teaching at an older level, locally. I would love to help these people but it would be more on a spiritual level for me.
October 18th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
I think I would like to teach in a school in that situation because even though it seems like it would be a little harder, I think I would get to know the students better. Considering their tough living situation I would try to help them in anyway that I can, and try to know what they are going through so I can have a better understanding where they are coming from.Teaching children is what I want to do, I would not care what situation they were in, just as long as they were willing to learn.
October 18th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
i would love to teach in a school like this…just because i would like to try my best to help the students that need it and me knowing that i tryed my best just makes me wounder if that what i help him/her on would impact his/her life!!! that would make me so happy to just try and help them!!
p.s this is awesome!!!!
October 18th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I would absolutely jump at the chance to teach at a school with the same type of situations. I really believe that i was put here on this Earth to teach and i dont care where it is. I really just want to help students and help them get the education that they deserve. The reason that i would love to teach in a school such as the one in I Am A Promise, is because i am the type of person who loves to help people. I would go out of my way just to make sure that the students felt comfortable in my classroom, and had a place where they could just get away from whatever is going on in their home life and just get a great education so that they could make a better life for themselves.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:27 am
After watching this movie, I personally believe that the principal, Deanna Burney, had a challenging(sp) disicion to leave her school. Although she made a very tremendous impact on all of her students, being a principal at such a demanding school must of been more stressful than she led on. I believe she had more than one reason to leave. Knowing that she can no longer make an impression on the students that she became close with on a more personal level, probably had a large part in her reasoning. Most of all, I think these students became more like childeren of her own. Letting go of them would of been harder than just leaving her school.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I would love to teach at a school like this. Because not only the good schools need good teachers, but, bad or maybe not bad, but worse schools also need good teachers. And, if no one is willing to do it, then it won’t get done. I actually plan on teaching at a school like this when i graduate college. I plan on staying in Louisiana, where most of the schools are like this. Because i fell that is what God wants for my life, and that is his will for my life.
:]
October 19th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
After watching the movie, “I am a promise”, it made me want to teach at a school just like this. Insted of Ms. Burney, I belive I would stay and not give up on the students. I want to have an impact on kids like the ones in the movie. Ms. Burney had an impact on them, but she just let it go a little to soon I think. The kids have so much going on at home and worring about their parents leaving them, and when they go to school and someone makes such a great impact on them and then she leaves. It just makes me feel like it is one of my goals to go help a school like that because of the fact that in my opinion Ms. Burney gave up on them.
- But I would love to teach in a school like that.
October 20th, 2007 at 12:04 am
I would love to teach in a similar school because I think that it would have a bigger impact on kids. If we had a better interaction to where we knew everything about the student and their lives to where we could really help them out and change their lives, I just cant imagine what that would feel like.
i would love to just be able to be in that situation to help.
October 20th, 2007 at 2:00 am
2) I believe that having a classroom like Mr. Coats can have both positive and negative effects on certain students. Dividing the classrooms up like this might help students who are shy around other students and it can give them a chance to get comfortable around other students like them. The negative part of it is that they will never get to really interact with the opposite gender inside the class. This also can cause some questioning with parents and other people about if the kids are learning the same thing as everyone else.
October 20th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
after the movie, it made me want to teach at a school like this. when i am a teacher i want to have as big of an impact on my students as some of those teachers did. but i will not give up, even if i didnt have many resources, becasue giving up wont help solve the problem. it only makes it worse. and it shows your students that if you give up, then its ok for them to give up too.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:07 am
A classroom like Mr. Coats, I believe is a good idea. Not only at this young age, but I think it would even be effective at higher grade levels. With a class room full of all males, there would be less likely chances of outbursts trying to make the opposite sex laugh or whatever (mainly in higher grade levels). Also, as said above it gives the students a positive role model.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:15 am
After reading all the comments about wanting to work at a school like this, I really started to think. My heart says “heck yea”, but my mind says “no way!”My desire to help kids and teach them would be deffinetly needed here, but I cant help but think of the stress levels involved with the job. As well as the potentially dangerous environment I would have to live in.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I think what MathewsQ2xl said is true about working in a school like the one in the movie. It gives you a great oppurtunity for influence, but it also requires a lot of work outside of school, as well as later hours and the readiness to deal with kids that come from a difficult lifestyle.
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
After reading the comments I think what MathewsQ2xl
and thewatts08 said is true to an extent. When the same sex is one room together (espcially girls) there would be more fighting. Since girls are more likley to not like each other, I think there would be more of a difficultly. Over all this method of teaching is a good way to see how students would react and for the students to have a positive role model(like what they said).
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:45 pm
i agree with Rye_is_it says because they know that they can truely help someone. and it would be easier knowing that you do good with those kinds students. being patient and willing to help is all you need..well not everything but its some of the key points. i would also JUMP JUMP JUMP at a situation to help. i think it would also be awesome to have my own school for this kind of cause. i think thats my new goal in life.
:]]
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
i think what mathewsQ2xl said was right!! if we had opposite sex separation in classrooms it would be less of distraction to the students in the classroom. while kids or teens are in classrooms they try and make the opposite sex look at them or make them listen by saying something funny!
but if you had opposite sex seperated in classrooms then i think it would help the learning that would be going on in the classroom alot more easier!
:]
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 am
i agree with what Heather said i would like to make an impact on more than one gender i still feel like its a good thing that they try and get students in an environment that could make them feel comfortable.
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:50 am
yeah i agree with mellie09. separation of sexes would make it easier for the students to learn because they wont betrying to impress one another. they will actually focas on what the assignment is and not on the people around them.
