Things that inspire: Teacher Movies

Mr. Holland's Opus. Akeelah and the Bee. Lean on Me. Remember The Titans. To Sir, With Love. These are some of my favorite movies because they always leave me feeling good at the end of them. Teachers standing up for their students. Teachers doing the right thing. Teachers going that extra mile because they care that much.

Every time I watch these I feel great on one had and crappy on the other. I had thought when I was younger that I wanted to be a teacher. There was something so admirable about the profession. Imparting knowledge to others? Noble, in my view.  The teachers I knew and admired made such a huge impact on my life.  They each instilled in me something different. A love of school, a love of books, a love of writing, a love of theater, and a love of music. Along with the love, they imparted upon me an appreciation of each of those things as well. How huge is that??? So the crappy part comes from me not following that instinct to become a teacher.

Who's to say that teaching isn't in my future still? Perhaps it can be my second-life career. I just know that watching those movies inspires me in a way nothing else does. To think of myself having that impact on others--the way teachers did for me--makes me want to do more in my life. I want to be a better person after watching those movies.