I recently visited the new Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) in Sacramento, California. The museum is informative and educational. Destination Space and Multiverse Theater are exhibits for anyone interested in space exploration. The Water Challenge and Powering Change exhibits inform visitors of how precious water and our environment are and what we can do to protect them.
Overall, I recommend Sacramento's Museum of Science and Curiosity because it is a family-friendly environment and as new technologies are discovered, the museum will be updated. The scientists are dedicated to keeping visitors educated about how science affects their lives. You can visit the MOSAC Web site here: https://visitmosac.org/.
This
blog entry about the movie SUMMER SCHOOL (1987) is the fourth of four entries
discussing movies about school, teachers, and education.
In
the comedy film SUMMER SCHOOL Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) is a physical
education (P.E.) teacher who must teach summer school when another teacher, Mr.
Dearadorian (played by the film’s director Carl Reiner), at the fictional Oceanfront
High School wins the lottery and quits at the last minute. Mr. Shoop is in the
parking lot literally putting a suitcase in his car for a trip to Hawaii when
Vice Principal Phil Gillis (Robin Thomas) approaches him about teaching
remedial English for summer school. Amusingly his girlfriend, Kim (Amy Stock), goes to
Hawaii without him instead of postponing the vacation until summer school ends.
SUMMER
SCHOOL presents some serious issues in a humorous manner. On the first day of
class it becomes apparent that the reluctant Mr. Shoop should not be teaching a
group of underachieving students. They are easily distracted and one of the
students is dyslexic. But reality sinks in when Vice Principal Gillis reminds
Mr. Shoop he is up for tenure and can lose his job. Most jobs have a probation
period. For teachers in California the probation period is two school years of
satisfactory performance. On the first day of the third school year the teacher
is tenured. It is difficult to fire a teacher who earns tenure.
Since
Mr. Shoop is forced to teach, he realizes he does not know how to teach. He receives
help from Robin Bishop (Kirstie Alley), a teacher who instructs an honors
class. Today at many schools students can only attend summer school if they,
like Mr. Shoop’s students, fail a course. This is due to budgetary reasons;
however, in the 1980’s students were certainly able to attend summer school for
enrichment.
The
only way Mr. Shoop gets his students to study is by negotiating with them:
Denise (Kelly Jo Minter) needs driving lessons so Mr. Shoop becomes her driving
instructor. Rhonda (Shawnee Smith) is pregnant so Mr. Shoop becomes her Lamaze
partner. Kevin (Patrick Labyorteaux) plays football so Mr. Shoop gives him
lessons. Pam (Courtney Thorne-Smith) needs a place to live so Mr. Shoop lets
her move in with him. Dave (Gary Riley) has a party at Mr. Shoop’s house with
Mr. Shoop’s permission. Larry (Ken Olandt) sleeps in class so Mr. Shoop has a
bed in the classroom. Chainsaw (Dean Cameron) gets to arrange a screening of THE
TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE in class.
Despite
the wackiness, the students improve academically. SUMMER SCHOOL is a fun movie
that serves as an escape because no school would allow much of what happens in
the story. If you need to laugh SUMMER SCHOOL may be a good movie to put on
your watchlist, even if you have seen it before.
This
blog entry about the movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) is the third of four
entries discussing movies about school, teachers, and education.
THE
BREAKFAST CLUB is a comedy-drama film that showcases high school very well. The
writer, producer, and director John Hughes chooses to focus on one non-school
day with five students in a confined space: Saturday detention in the school
library. The audience does not see regular school days and students sitting
inside classrooms. Instead the focus is on how five students are affected by
the high school experience.
The
story takes place at fictional Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, which
is supposed to be a suburb of Chicago. The suburban setting is apparent, as the
cast is not racially diverse. It would be interesting to watch how the Saturday
detention experience could differ in an urban setting or if Hughes had created
one or two characters of color out of the five.
The
five characters are Brian Johnson, the brain (Anthony Michael Hall); Allison
Reynolds, the basket case (Ally Sheedy); John Bender, the criminal (Judd
Nelson); Claire Standish, the princess (Molly Ringwald); and Andrew Clark, the
athlete (Emilio Estevez). The character development is exemplary. Hughes does
not stop at the stereotypes; he provides depth to each character.
The
enduring themes of peer pressure and parent pressure are revealed as what the
five characters have in common. On the surface they all seem so different, but
it turns out teen angst does not discriminate. Today teenagers still struggle
with these same concerns. Therefore, for many years teenagers will relate to
THE BREAKFAST CLUB. They will even associate the displeasure of being disciplined
by a school administrator like Assistant Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) with
their own experiences.
Consequently,
the relatable themes are what make THE BREAKFAST CLUB the ultimate high school
movie for its audience. Teenagers connect. School faculty and staff are made aware of what
students are managing in addition to their studies and why they behave the way
they do. Moreover, parents are given a realistic perspective of their teen’s
life and admit to a keen understanding.
This blog entry about
the movie TEACHERS (1984) is the second of four entries discussing movies about
school, teachers, and education.
TEACHERS is a comedy-drama
film about John F. Kennedy High School, an urban school in Columbus, Ohio that is
being sued by a recent graduate who claims he is unable to read or write, yet
he received a diploma. JoBeth Williams plays Lisa Hammond, the lawyer in charge
of taking depositions, and who also happens to be a graduate of John F. Kennedy
High School. The film realistically displays the superintendent (Lee Grant) and
school lawyer (Morgan Freeman) trying to avoid bad publicity from the lawsuit.
Nick Nolte plays Alex Jurel,
a well-liked Social Studies teacher who serves as an example of teacher burn
out. Alex, like most teachers, brings energy and optimism to the position. But after
many years of working with unruly students and dealing with the demands of the
administration, he becomes cynical. However, TEACHERS shows how a teacher like
Jurel is able to reach students and how they trust him with personal issues
they go through, such as when a student named Diane Warren (Laura Dern) becomes
pregnant and confides in him. He also mentors a reticent student named Eddie
Pilikian (Ralph Macchio).
John F. Kennedy High
School has a few teachers who are peculiar characters. In one class students
know to walk in, pick up a handout from the teacher’s desk, quietly go to their
seats to complete the worksheets, and when the bell rings they get up, put the
handout on the teacher’s desk and leave the classroom. During the entire class
period, the teacher holds up a newspaper and falls asleep. Students sit with
their backs to him and do not observe his slumber. One day unbeknown to
everyone, the teacher dies. Even though he has expired, when the bell rings
students get up, turn in the worksheets, and leave the classroom. A full day
goes by before anyone notices the teacher is not sleeping, but dead. This
scenario supports the point of the lawsuit the school is facing from the
graduate who claims he attended the school but is illiterate. This teacher does
not teach. Instead he gives students busy work.
On the other hand, Richard
Mulligan plays Herbert Gower, a mental institution outpatient who wanders into
someone’s home and answers the telephone. A school secretary mistakes him for a
substitute teacher, so he goes to the school. He becomes students’ favorite
U.S. History teacher because he dresses in period clothing and acts out historical
scenes. It takes the school a while to realize he is not the correct substitute
teacher. This is hilarious and, surprisingly, could probably happen.
The balance of comedy
and drama in TEACHERS works well. The comedic situations help ease the audience
for bearing with the serious lawsuit storyline. Overall, the film, which is set
in the 1980’s, makes the valid point that schools should be reorganized. By the
early 1990’s, state education standards were created in the United States,
which provide teachers and schools with structured curricula guidelines. Now there are
Common Core State Standards, which were launched in 2009.
This blog entry about
the movie LEAN ON ME (1989) is the first of four entries discussing movies
about school, teachers, and education. In addition to being a writer, I am a
school administrator and teacher. When I first watched these films, I was not
an educator, so my perspective of certain aspects in them has evolved.
LEAN ON ME is a
biographical drama based on Joe Louis Clark who was a principal at Eastside
High School in Paterson, New Jersey. Morgan Freeman plays the controversial
disciplinarian. One of the unconventional methods he uses in the movie is
putting chains and padlocks on all the doors to keep gangs and drug dealers out
of the school. Eastside High School is in an urban community and,
unfortunately, certain activities that take place outside the school are
brought inside. Students, faculty, and staff are happy about the chains and
padlocks on the doors, but a parent, Leonna Barrett (Lynne Thigpen), is
distressed by the approach and that her son is expelled, so she resolves to get
Mr. Clark fired.
The school also grapples
with students receiving low scores on a basic skills test and is in danger of
the state taking control of it, which is why school district superintendent Dr.
Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume) suggested hiring Mr. Clark, a former teacher at
Eastside High School. Since students realize Mr. Clark cares about their
well-being and education, they are motivated to study, learn, and raise the
school’s basic skills test scores. One student, Thomas Sams (Jermaine Hopkins)
who is expelled because of drug use, even begs Mr. Clark to allow him to return
to school.
LEAN ON ME shows what
several schools throughout the United States struggle with, but not all of them
are in urban areas. There are also rural and suburban schools that have issues
with gangs and/or drugs and receive low scores on state exams. This becomes
clear once one has worked in schools and the movie takes on a different
meaning. Most viewers see Mr. Clark as an inspirational figure who makes a
positive impact on a school. Educators recognize that, but also take away from
the story that certain tactics may or may not work at their schools for
administering student discipline and teaching academic standards for a state
exam.
A similar movie to LEAN
ON ME is the biographical made for television movie, THE GEORGE MCKENNA STORY
(1986) starring Denzel Washington. For the video release the title is HARD
LESSONS. The movie is based on McKenna, who was a principal at George
Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles, California.
My travel-lifestyle series, California Life, has a new host. Sheila Ellis has starred in three episodes and in some promotional videos we created for the series. In Episode 2, Sheila visits Nevada City and Grass Valley:
The official Web site for California Life is https://tdaentertainment.com/CaliforniaLife.htm. Local television stations will broadcast California Life soon. If you would like to watch California Life on one of your local TV stations, please contact us.
UPDATE: August 9, 2018 -- "California Life" is nominated for Best Web Series/Pilot Award by the Action on Film International Film Festival! AOF MEGAFest 2018 is August 16-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I created and produce a travel-lifestyle television series titled California Life. Our theme is: "Traveling in California...searching for unique places." Our host is Aryn Rozelle.
Aryn shows viewers real estate, shopping, unique dining options, and more from various towns in California. For the most part, we will focus on small to mid-size towns because they have more to offer than just charm, and are the heart of the state. Besides, many people have probably watched programs about California cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. We want to show other places in California, and over time may visit the cities.
Before I started a career in education, I worked for various businesses. I remember receiving e-mails, memos, and other documents that, unfortunately, had grammar errors and misspelled words. Depending on the workplace, I was asked to proofread reports and brochures, because my employer knew I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
As a result, I decided to go back to school and earn a teaching credential. I figured I could teach English and help make a difference. I wanted to assist people in becoming better verbal and written communicators.
Now I am teaching the course English Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics online for anyone to take. You can be anywhere in the world and enroll in my class. The course is for people who are learning the English language and individuals interested in improving their grammar. I am also recommending the course to students taking a composition class.
I am teaching Creative Writing: The Mystery, Suspense, Crime Story on the Udemy Web site. The course is intended for beginning mystery-suspense-crime writers, literature students, and writers interested in writing thrillers. In the class I show the creative writing process (plot structure) and how to maintain awareness of the genres of mystery, suspense, and/or crime.
I teach students how to get started by planning the story with an outline and a treatment. During the course, students will write either a novel, teleplay, or screenplay. Since I have written all three, I include instruction for the different formats: novel, teleplay, and screenplay.
When writing a story, research is important and I share the research process I utilized for my crime-drama screenplay, THE TWO SISTERS, which is an independent film I also produced and directed, receiving Best Screenplay award nominations from film festivals. Overall, the course is for people who enjoy mystery, suspense and crime, and individuals who want to learn the story writing process. For more information and to enroll visit https://www.udemy.com/creative-writing-the-mystery-suspense-crime-story/.
