When I got the assignment the week prior, the sub caller said that the teacher wanted to talk to me. So, I called him. And I learned that the government class would be watching All the President's Men for much of the week while he was out. Score!
I like this movie. I thought it would be a lovely treat for the 12th graders.
(The teacher wanted to let me know that I'd need to use the DVD player that automatically bleeps out the inappropriate school language. I've used this type of player before, so that wasn't going to be an issue.)
So, on Monday I let them know what we'd be doing. I passed out the movie questions (like 30 of them, to make sure that the students watched the movie). And I got us started.
And I spent the rest of the week (well, we finished about 20 minutes into the period on Thursday) fighting them. Sigh.
I tried everything. I explained what was going on in the movie. I stood over them. I called out when various questions' answers were showing on screen. I turned up the volume.
But no. They would not let themselves get sucked into the movie. Why? "There aren't enough explosions."
It was a very long week.
Have you seen All the President's Men? What's a movie you enjoyed that your friends and/or family didn't?
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I have not seen The President's Men. But I am getting a lower and lower opinion of kids through your posts. What the heck is going on in our classrooms
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that I don't post everything that happens in the classrooms. Very good days--where the kiddos cooperate and lots of work gets done--make for boring posts.
DeleteThat is probably true!
DeleteThose kids have no idea what movie they just missed.
ReplyDeleteLOL about the explosions! I did see the movie long ago and loved it. I wonder if it was hard for them to get into the movie since they were several generations removed from the actual events portrayed in the movie. I know it was riveting for me because I was in high school during the time and watched a lot of the trials, etc., during summer vacation (because there was nothing else on at the time, LOL :)
ReplyDeleteI like the DVD that automatically gets beeps out the bad language :) Clever!
betty
That's why I spent some time trying to explain what was going on. And I know some of this was covered in their chapter.
DeleteThe DVD player is called Clear Play. It's been around for a while.
I saw that a long time ago. Great show!
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
A to Z Co-host
W is for Window and White Noise
It was.
DeleteNo...there aren't enough explosions in All the President's Men...I can't see how they could've worked that in. Today's Hollywood would probably find a way, though! I remember being forced to watch Chariots of Fire in high school and thinking it was just about the most boring movie ever made. I don't think I really even paid attention.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen it. I wonder if you might enjoy it more if you aren't forced to watch it.
DeleteThat's the problem with showing movies in class. There's always a dissonance between what's cool (and thus acceptable for the kids) and what's permitted. And even if they enjoyed it, you can imagine they wouldn't let anyone else know that.
ReplyDeleteI guess I’m lucky because my husband likes all kinds of movies. Even so called chick flicks.
ReplyDeleteHe’s not as lucky, though because I won’t go see shoot em up explosive types.
I haven't seen the film, but I've heard it's amazing. It's a shame that they wouldn't get into it simply because it's not got the same high octane action as so many films now. It might also be the style of the film: films nowadays (even the ones without explosions) are shot very differently, so that might have come into play too.
ReplyDeleteYes, they did make movies differently in the '70s. I tried to get them focused on the rotary phones, typewriters, and no computers anywhere, but alas...
DeleteWow, that really takes me back. I turned 14 that summer and my cousin who was turning 16 came to spend 6 weeks with us. My mother took us to 2 movies - All the President's Men and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (We lived in a small town in northern Minnesota and movies often got there way after they were shown in other places). She probably wouldn't have taken just me...
ReplyDeleteWe are raising a bunch of A.D.D. idiots-sigh. With all the instant this and that. Explosions left right and centre and over stimulation on , well, everything (look at the movie ads on TV now and compare it to a film 30 years ago), kids have no idea how to just sit and watch a film. Kids today have too much stimulation. This is an excellent film
ReplyDeleteSorry it was an unsatisfying week! I enjoyed that movie.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Yeah. I just wish they had given it a chance.
DeleteI want to say I feel sorry for the new generation, but I sure hope they will mature and learn. Still, too bad it's all about explosions when so much more can be learn if a kid would just listen.
ReplyDeleteI think many of them will mature out of it. I hope.
DeleteI like that movie. I did journalism at college and watched it on the recommendation of my tutor. Pretty sad state of affairs if explosions are what's needed to hold kids' attention. But if they decided it's boring then it's game over, I know it can be hard to divert their course of thinking once it's been set...
ReplyDeleteWell my husband and I have different tastes in movies and a lot of other things. I like the action packed ones with sword fighting, etc. He isn't into all the gore and battle wounds. I remember we sat down to watch Captain and Commander once and he had to leave and go downstairs five minutes into it. He hates the sight of blood. Usually we don't watch many movies in my house.
ReplyDeleteSunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/
Oh, that's too bad.
DeleteI loved being able to watch a movie in class!! Didn't matter what it was ;) I think today's kids have a hard time sitting still.
ReplyDeleteYou can find me here:
ClarabelleRant
Yes! They're so used to interacting with screens that sitting still and watching something is too much stillness for them.
DeleteSad. I haven't seen that movie, but the lack of explosions has me intrigued. Action movies are all well and good, but I check out mentally once explosions and high speed car chases ensue.
ReplyDeleteThis one is more cerebral. Woodward and Bernstein figure out Watergate. Lots of conversations and putting things together. It's fascinating stuff.
DeleteI saw that movie when I was in Grade 9. Years ago! Decades ago! I tried to show my kids Oliver Twist one day and the boys were visibly distressed because there was singing and dancing in it!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the dreaded musical.
DeleteI've never seen All The President's Men. It's too bad the students wouldn't give the movie a chance.
ReplyDeleteI sat my girls down to watch Labyrinth a few weeks ago. At first they thought I was off my rocker. Puppets instead of CGI? David Bowie singing? As the movie progressed, the eye-rolling and groans stopped and they were able to get into it. I will admit, the movie does seem ridiculous compared to films of today.
Seniors can be idiots. Because it's their last year, many of them don't care about anything.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. And it's spring, so the end is in sight.
DeleteI don't think I've seen All the President's Men. One of my favorite movies ever is Pollyanna, and everyone else seems to hate it. Even my husband, who is normally very tolerant refuses to watch it with me.
ReplyDeletePollyanna is cool! Although, Haley Mills wasn't the best actor...
DeleteI'm sorry you had such an experience with your students. I do think some young people lack the attention span of the older generation. One movie I really liked was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I found it endearing and ultimately uplifting. My family members, however, thought it was depressing.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. You'll have to find some like-minded friends for those kinds of movies, then.
DeleteI've never heard of a DVD player which bleeps out inappropriate language by itself. I didn't know they existed. Do they ever backfire and bleep bits that aren't inappropriate but sound similar?
ReplyDeleteWe always used to love watching films at school. It was such a treat. I remember how my whole English class were thrilled whenever we got to watch an adaptation of any Shakespeare play, hehe.
It's called ClearPlay. It doesn't just "figure out" which words are "bad". There's something you can program that comes from their website: https://www.clearplay.com/t-about2.aspx.
Delete