Why I Watch Pixar Movies Instead of Reading Education Books All Summer
Education Rethink 2013-07-11
However, the school year is when I grow myopic. It's when the local, immediate context dominates my mind. By the year's end, I can feel a little lost in the detail and the data and the day-to-day life of the classroom.
That's why I watch Pixar movies (along with How to Train a Dragon, by Dreamworks). I do this, because these are carefully crafted stories with true character development and meaningful themes. The theater is our secular cathedral and movies are our myths. They tell us, no challenge us, to think differently about life.
It's why the first twelve minutes of Up! has everything and nothing to do with the classroom. It's reminding me that life is a vapor and you can get so busy doing the things you need to do that you miss pursuing your dreams. Ultimately, this leads me back to my classroom. It might not lead to a series of new strategies, but it helps me reset my mindset as I start the school year.
Here are a few examples:
- Up! - This movie has two closely related themes that I need to hold onto during the school year. The first is that you never know the whole story (from the villain to Kevin to the twist in the end). The second is the idea that the joy is in the journey.
- Finding Nemo - This movie always has me wondering if we've made school to safe and therefore made it unsafe in the process. It also has me thinking about career and family and the deliberate decision to abandon it all to chase after my three kids if they ever wander too far.
- Cars - The notion that people matter more than achievement is something I need to hear every school year.
- Monsters, Inc. - I love the theme that the "enemy" might not be evil so much as misunderstood and that if we take some time to build a relationship, the dangerous kid might not be so dangerous after all.
- Toy Story - As I push toward the veteran status (in my school, ten years is a long time) I find myself going back to the Woody versus Buzz Lightyear idea. I need to know that I will lose some influence when someone more novel and more energetic comes in. However, if I can be humble, I can partner with that person and offer something as well. I know that's not the major theme, but that's always my take-away.
- Wall-E - After teaching technology PD and going to a tech conference, I need a reminder that in the process of building stuff (maker spaces, technology, etc.) we can lose our humanity. The satire in that movie is timeless and brilliant.
- The Incredibles - When we hide, we often hide the best parts of us along with the worst. And we do so in the name of fitting in.