My wife and I enjoyed the new animated Disney film, Happy Feet, last night. I must admit that I was looking for a bit of light entertainment after a busy week, but what I found was a powerful message of how accepting, even celebrating, difference can make wonderful changes in our schools and society.
The main character, Mumble, is an Emporer Penguin who, from the day he cracked out of his egg, had a very different way of expressing himself. Needless to say, much like our classrooms, Mumble’s differences set him apart from his classmates and community. He had diffuculty finding his place, and his teachers were upset only that they could not mould him in the likeness of all the others. They failed to see the value in his unique talents.
It was only after he was able to use his passion for knowledge and some creative thinking to solve a major threat to their existence was he accepted. As with our schools, the younger generation were the first to find value in change and difference, and it was the elders in their “we’ve always done it that way” attitude who resisted, even to the detriment of their community. The elders, however, usually alter their thinking – either by fear of losing their stature or by a genuine transformation in thinking.
This is a must see for educators. Entertaining…and a message too.
Jeff, my friend dragged me to see Happy Feet last night. It was a good movie and made me tap my feet more than once. I agree with your comments about learning and how it has to evolve to meet the needs of digital natives we are raising. My niece who is in grade 2 printed me off a Christmas card that she made on the computer all by herself using paint. Amazing! It worries me that we are not doing enough for our students. As “elders”, are we altering our thought patterns enough? Better yet, are the people who have the power to make decisions that impact education althering their thought pattern?
D