Film Review: A Study on “The Ron Clark Story” from the Perspective of Education ()
1. Introduction
The American film “The Ron Clark Story” (Figure 1) mainly tells the story of an American teacher and his 55 class rules. In the film, the teacher Ron Clark (Figure 2) reflected on his mistakes in the work of the head teacher and summarized the key points of the head teacher’s work in the secondary vocational schools, which also played a positive role in solving some problems in the real education. It inspired us to start from the following aspects: paying attention to students’ advantages, identifying rules and helping students realize their dreams, and advocating positive and positive educational concepts, so as to carry out student management more effectively.
To provide development motivation for future teaching. Yeats once said, “Teaching is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” The correct teaching is the correct guidance, which ignites the fire of their inner desire for knowledge [1] . The movie “The Ron Clark Story” tells the story of a “light a
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Figure 1. Poster of the film “The Ron Clark Story”. *Note: “The Ron Clark Story” is a drama film directed by Randa Haynes and starring Matthew Perry and Melissa de Sousa. It was released in Sweden on 22 January 2006. It tells the story of RON Clark’s success as a schoolteacher in Harlem, New York [2] .
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Figure 2. American star teacher RON Clark and his students. *Note: American star teacher RON Clark: RON Clark, born in North Carolina, traveled widely after college, started teaching at a rural school in his hometown at the age of 23, moved to Harlem, New York City five years later, and achieved great educational success. He has been invited to the White House by the President and First Lady of the United States three times. In 2000, he was selected as the Disney Teacher of the Year. He has published the 55 Basic Class Rules (titled “Excellence is Taught” in Chinese) and 11 Excellent Qualities of Educators, and founded the RON Clark Academy.
fire”, the movie hero RON Clark with love for education, took over the whole New York school district’s worst class, in the face of a group of weary children, Clark teacher is how to light their heart fire? What enlightenment can his educational story bring to us?
2. Ms. Clark Made the Goal Specific
Mr. Clark specified the training objectives and made 55 class rules for students (The Essential 55 Class Rules).
The first step to Clark’s success was to create a class policy, which is to make the goals specific. Teacher Clark lit the “fire of self-discipline” in the students by making class rules [3] . All the teaching standards proposed by Clark are based on the actual situation of the class. Based on the school’s shortcomings, Clark gradually added teaching standards and explained to the school why they should be followed. With this standard of teaching, he lets the school know where to draw the line on everything. As for students who violate the classroom teaching rules, they will be punished accordingly. This is the kind of instruction that students have been working on throughout the year, but in the end the students achieved it and passed the state test with flying colors. I think this success must be inseparable from the school rules made by Ms. Clark, because the formation of norms and order is also the first step on the road to ensure the normal education of students, and also to promote the development of students’ subjectivity.
Mr. Clark should regard children as the subject of the educational process and growth. In the teaching process, teachers cannot replace the growth of students. The initiative of teaching is only held in his own hands, and the subject ability of children should be stimulated. The neglect of student initiative led to one of Mr. Clark’s original mistakes―teacher discipline, student discipline, teacher decision.
3. Ms. Clark Combines Teaching with Management
Teaching management is teaching, namely management, without teaching management can not teach, without reasonable teaching management can not be reasonable teaching. So, when setting standards, focus on the health and development of all students, as Clark did, and set standards based on the reality of the learning activities in the class throughout the year. “No rules, no square.” For the collective, the formulation and implementation of class rules can make students understand what they should do in this group, so as to generate a sense of security, which is conducive to the establishment of a good relationship between teachers and students. On the basis of good class order, teaching can proceed smoothly. For individuals, class rules can not only maintain the order of the learning environment, but also guide students to develop good learning habits, from heteronomy to self-discipline, and form a sound personality. Let the students change their habits. Class rules can make students become positive, who want to progress, who want to go high, class rules is a way. School rules can also guide the direction of individual development and provide rules for individual development to meet the needs of the society.
One of the hallmarks of Clark’s teaching was his innovative approach to teaching, through which he kindled a “fire of positivity” in his students. There is an impressive story in the film: in order to get the children to listen carefully, Clark promises that they will only listen carefully for 15 seconds, and then gives them a box of chocolate milk. The children were curious, perhaps to see how the teacher would do what he said he would do. When someone speaks, everyone goes “SHH”. Professor Clark has earned the respect of his students by listening carefully to what they have to say and doing what he says.
To remind them of the history of the country and the names of its presidents, Professor Clark composed a rap and set it to a song. This novel teaching method opened students’ eyes and made them interested in the boring history. They began to sing and memorize. Innovative and unique teaching mode stimulates children’s learning initiative, so that students quietly changed. This method not only makes the children remember the knowledge points, but also makes the children experience the charm of teacher Clark’s personality in reading. The cultivation of learning enthusiasm can make them deeply feel the value of knowledge, so as to fully mobilize their subjective enthusiasm, and show the concept of development centered on knowledge.
4. Mr. Clark’s Individualized Teaching
The Master said, “If you seek, you retreat; therefore, you advance; by also concurrently person, therefore retires.” Clark’s individualized teaching, emphasizing individual differences and independence, and encouraging the development of individuality and creativity, promotes individuality and fuels confidence in students. As for the shy and quiet Bandelia, Clark actively guided her to read, and guided her to boldly pursue her dream as a doctor in the unified examination. Discovered Julio’s talent in the field of mathematics and even allowed him to eat dinner in a coffee shop and teach him mathematics with game playing [4] ; as for Tayshaun, her headstrong but talented actor son, Clark says quiet company and encouragement are the best choice. Ms. Clark also found that Shameika had strong organizational and leadership skills, but she was often too busy helping her mother around the house. Ms. Clark convinced Shameika’s mother to find a babysitter to share the housework so that Shameika could devote herself to her studies. Education is to promote its long and avoid its short in order to obtain the best development and results, which is also the performance of education to promote individual individuality.
Former Soviet Union famous educator Makarenko once said: “The best way to educate a student is to encourage his good behavior.” Clark sees problems with a developmental perspective, is good at finding students’ shining points, and insists on multiple evaluations. Clark believes that every student has potential. He believes that every student is nurturing, striving for improvement and perfection, and capable of success. At the “award ceremony” of the class after the state test, the teacher presented awards to the students from different angles, such as “the highest achievement Award in science”, “the highest Achievement Award in mathematics”, “the highest achievement award in art”, etc., which reflected the educational concept of quality education and encouraging education.
It has been proved that encouraging teachers can enhance their sense of responsibility for the school, stimulate students’ initiative and creativity, and thus promote the development of the school’s personality. Yan Yuan, an educator in the Qing Dynasty, once said: “The number of children is ten, not as long as the prize children.” Every child needs constant encouragement to gain confidence, perseverance and ambition, so learners should also be encouraged to keep their learning mood happy. A person works best WHEN he practices WITH pleasure, whether in the senses, cognition, or memory and THOUGHT. At the same time, encouragement can also improve learners’ confidence, because only when learners find their own ability, they will have the desire to practice actively, to actively seek knowledge. Therefore, timely and appropriate encouragement of education is very important.
5. Mr. Clark’s Fire of Love
Clark has a strong sense of social responsibility, loves education, cares about students, infects students with his personality charm, and ignites the fire of students’ “love” [5] . “We only live once, and the meaning of life is to live it without regret,” Mr. Karak told his students. Mr. Clark not only tells students this truth in language and behavior, but also gives them great support in spirit. Clark once fainted due to overwork in class, and insisted on caring for students when he was ill. Clark showed his love for education and belief in education with his practical actions. Only love is the meaning of walking continuously.
Under the realistic responsibility and the reality of life, what can make us go on is a love for life [6] . It is because of his belief and love for education that Mr. Clark has gone further and smoother on the road to teaching. His own love infects students, and also has profound educational significance for students. Life itself is a consumable, consuming our life. The love for work or study can make people stick to it and go further and further.
A good teacher is like a powerful telescope, with the help of which students can discover the more distant and wonderful outside world [7] . At the same time, a good teacher is like a microscope. With the help of them, learners can see deeper into their own hearts and find the shining points on their body that have been ignored and hidden by others before, thus extending the possibility of all-round development to the highest limit.
6. Conclusions
School has a soul, not just teaching and learning two single parts. The purpose of teaching is not to “fill a water”, but to “light a fire”. The teacher’s job is to inspire, not to teach, to “light a fire”. In fact, the essence of teaching is to tap the potential of the educated, cultivate students to get more comprehensive development opportunities, and let students get more suitable development of education. Einstein once said that interest is the best teacher. It is obvious that Clark is a talented educator. His understanding of teaching is “lighting a fire”, focusing on tapping the potential of each person, they will consciously learn, struggle, struggle, and can better develop.
There is a saying that goes like this: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t drink it. Clark believes that every student has the ability to learn. He has lit a fire in his students’ hearts through his wisdom in education. “Self-discipline”, “positivity”, “confidence” and “love” all make the students’ future road smoother, which is the real education.
Through the in-depth analysis of the image of teachers in the American film “The Ron Clark Story”, the author has a new understanding of the path of teacher career development. On the path of career development, young teachers should strengthen the study of professional knowledge, actively cultivate professional enthusiasm, improve personality quality, teach students in accordance with their aptitude, have the courage to reform and innovate teaching methods and concepts, and also improve their scientific research ability.