What a fun movie...predictable, as Maggie said, but fun.
The gist of the movie (and there is no spoiler here, all garnered from previews) is that there is a former teacher of the year, now lazy, who decides he is going to try to raise money for the school by cage fighting. They were told the school had to make cuts and the cut they were making was the music department. They were told they needed $48,000 to save the music department.
Maggie is right, the movie is predictable. But it is a fun movie, with things that you don't expect.
One funny, funny thing was Maggie, after the movie, saying she recognized the guy who played the music teacher. Well, that would be Henry Winkler. Or to those of us children of the 70s, The Fonz! When we said he was the Fonz, she looked at us like we had two heads. Nope, that's not where she recognized him from! She didn't have a clue what the Fonz was!
Anyway, at one of the key points in the movie, Winkler's character says something that really hit home to me. "As teachers, our job is to inspire." (he said it differently than that, and I don't recall the exact words, but that was the general idea)
The dictionary says:
Inspire
n·spire/inˈspī(ə)r/
| Verb: |
|
To fill someone with the urge to do or feel something.....To create a feeling (positive) in a person......hmmmm
If a teacher's job is to inspire, and that is the definition of inspire...aren't we all teachers. We may not all have gone to school for education, but we all have the ability to inspire others. We all have the ability to fill others with an urge to feel something, do something, or create a positive feeling in someone. We all have the ability to inspire others.
Daily I am inspired by my students. Wait...I am the teacher but they are inspiring me?! Yeppers - daily my students inspire or teach me about something. My favorite times of the day are before and after school when I sit in my "happy place" in the entry way.
The enthusiasm of children is contagious. If you surround yourself with that enthusiastic energy, you cannot help to have some enthusiasm yourself. Even on my worst days, the days I would rather be at home in bed, the kids inspire me to get rid of my funk and step up to the plate and have fun teaching.
For the first time ever, I am teaching preschool music. Let me tell you, you better have a TON of energy when those little people show up! Daily, they make me laugh at myself, at the world. They inspire me to look at the world through their rose-colored glasses and see joy in all things. I don't know a time when I've had more fun touching my head, shoulders, knees and toes! And what is more fun? Starting slowly and getting faster and faster and watching the kids laugh and laugh and laugh.
My biggest inspiration is my friend who had gastric bypass surgery 19 months ago. She knows exactly what I have suffered in my life due to my size and weight. She didn't say to me, "Molly, you should do this." In fact, she did not know I was planning to do this until I emailed her and told her. She did not set out to inspire me...she was just being herself and talking honestly with me about one of her experiences with a doctor and how she was treated because of her weight.
Being honest with people, being yourself - that can often be the biggest inspiration of all. When you are yourself, no fronts or masks, you are the most free and easy. It is at those times that you can be the most inspiring.
I find it so sad when people are not able to be themselves, are forced (or feel forced) to pretend to be something they are not. That is such a lonely, tiring place to be. My wish for people is that they are inspired by someone or something to be themselves, to allow themselves the freedom to be whomever they are and not worry about what others feel or think.
When I watch children at school feeling sad, sitting alone....it breaks my heart. I try my hardest to let them know I am there and will listen and like them for exactly who they are. But I am just one person. When they are being beaten down by peers who thrive on making others feel badly about themselves, one person may help spread some sunshine...but it takes more than one person.
We all need to be that inspiration for others around us. We all need to spread an energy that helps others be filled with a positive feeling for who they are.
In the movie tonight, Winkler's character was awesome at filling people with a positive feeling. During a rehearsal, when NOT every note was played right or every rhythm, he was shouting out positive comments like "you're wonderful" or "you are amazing" "this is great", etc.
Winkler's character didn't spend time pointing out the mistakes or making the kids feel bad about them. He spent his time saying positive things and the kids grew taller, tried harder and sounded better.
Being an inspiration is what we should all strive to be. Being an inspiration is what I hope, in some small way, my blog may be for some. I decided that I was going to put myself out there by sharing my story, my thoughts, my beliefs....I don't expect everyone to understand or agree with all of my blogs. But I hope that people accept them as mine and don't think less of me for them. But...I also won't allow someone disagreeing or thinking less of me to stop me.
Accepting me for me has been one of the most freeing and wonderful experiences ever. It has allowed me to see that EVERYONE deserves to be accepted for who they are. EVERYONE deserves to be valued for what they offer. We don't have to agree with everyone, we don't even have to like everyone, but we need to accept them for who they are. EVERYONE has the right to be accepted for exactly who they are - no ifs, ands or buts!
To those of you who have accepted me for who I am, thank you for being an inspiration for me!
I hope that through my journey and the sharing of it (and my other random thoughts) I can be an inspiration to others. I hope I can fill someone with the urge to do or feel something.....To create a feeling (positive) in a person. Because I truly want to create a positive feeling in each of you.
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