What I usually do when I binge watch TV is I keep my mind pre-occupied with something else, either doing something on my laptop, playing cards etc. (I get bored during the commercials :p) However what usually goes on in the background is things like those fake ghost "reality" tv shows, criminal minds, pitbulls and parolees, full house, or whatever is on the history channel. Those shows keep me entertained the most (when there aren't commercials :p) because they're the most scary, suspenseful, gory, or all three (besides full house . . . who doesn't love full house? :)....). However the most suspenseful, scariest thing I've watched on screen over the break was an Independent Movie called Whiplash. Unlike most of the shows I watch, I was shaking in nervousness, my hands where clammy, and at certain parts, I didn't not watch. . . . *(tbc down below)*
Here's a little summary of what the movie is about. The source is rotten tomatoes because they gave this movie five stars, which I believe it rightfully deserves. The acting was good . . .
"Andrew Neyman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite east coast music conservatory. Plagued by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher, an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young man's life. Andrew's passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher continues to push him to the brink of both his ability-and his sanity. (C) Sony Classics"
Here is a trailer of the movie (if you are interested) to see a snippit of what I actually witnessed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo
SPOILER ALERT! If you were planning on watching this movie I may accidentally reveal some vital unknown information (aka. the entire ending :p) so if you want to actually watch the movie stop here (and hopefully continue reading after you have seen the movie). I recommend it to anyone who loves suspense and classic movies. :)
*(in continuation)* One of the many reasons I could not watch this movie is how tough the teacher is. Not only does he verbally abuse his students, (with every other word ending in fuck), he also physically abuses them, hits them, keeps them ridiculously late hours, and uses personal family information against them as "motivation". The other reason I could not watch is how the main character Andrew, lets this teacher's (fletcher's) methodology get stuck inside his head. He pushes himself to the point of near death to please this man and in the end only gets cut from fletcher's band, and kicked out of the music academy. He practices so hard that every finger on every hand bled to fill up a pitcher (which they shows on camera . . . thank you Mr. director.) Even Criminal Minds isn't that gory. Every extremely bloody scene is darkened, is a quick take, or is cleverly disguised, or covered.
THE SPOILER PART:
Towards the end of the movie Fletcher meets Andrew in a coffeehouse and tells him the secret behind his teaching method that made him as abusive as he was. He apologizes to Andrew in his own way then makes him an offer to join his professional band. Andrew accepts not knowing this is Fletcher's revenge for getting him fired from the music academy (andrew reports him to the police who have been after fletcher for months). In the end Andrew pulls through and turns out to be an absolutely amazing drummer. (just to recap and spoil the end of the movie . . . . real point -->) However in that coffeehouse Fletcher says something that makes you stop and think. "There are no two words in the english language more harmful then, good job". Considering the end of the movie this makes you question; is praise actually a bad thing? Are we not pushing students enough to be the best that they can be?
Fletcher is obviously the absolute extreme of all push and no praise when it comes to teaching. There would be no way a man like that should be teaching in a place of learning and in the end that extremity is what gets him fired. However is Fletcher wrong when he says saying good job is the worst thing you could possible do to a student? Is this method actually capable of achieving great success?
In some ways I agree with Fletcher. Too much praise is a bad thing, and not enough praise can lead to depression or feelings of failure (like practicing so hard because your so determined you bleed into a pitcher *shiver*). I draw this conclusion from a horseback riding and it spawns into an analogy I try to apply in my own life a lot.
Whenever I fall off a horse, I always have to get back on. If I'm injured or sore we don't ever push past a walk, but I always have to get back on the same horse. Otherwise you'll always be afraid of that horse, or of riding in general depending on how bad the fall was. It would be like a horseback riding mental block per-say. A good teacher is supposed to incite a drive in you, an inner force to achieve, and keep going with it. A good trainer (like my trainers) encourages you to get back up and get back on, but only you have the power to take it further. Through this I've always wanted to get back on when I fall. I want to improve to make myself the best I can be and to push my limits as far as they can possible go at the time. Even though I think I do good a lot of times, I know I can do better which keeps my drive present, and good trainers to keep in going.
A good teacher is supposed to encourage his students to practice, to be the best that they can possible be, but not until they're mentally unstable, bleeding, and beaten down like Andrew was. There can be many theories to why Andrew pushes himself so hard. He seemed to do it not only because of this drive inside of him, but for fear of his teacher and loosing his place in the jazz band. This is not only manipulative and wrong on so many levels but shows that students can only be great if they almost kill themselves getting there. A teacher is supposed to be helping students learn from the outside in, not from the inside out. There is a limit to how far you can push a student until they crack and it was clear that Andrew had cracked from the beginning (may I reference the blood pitcher again . . . . ew. just ew, sorry :p). A good teacher is supposed to push you but not force you. You should be the only one that has the power to take it further, to get back on the horse. If a students wants to push themselves that hard, fine, power to them. However no one should force them to over-work to the line of insanity. That is mentally unhealthy.
About being kind is about learning, through life, what it really means to be kind, and to show that to the world. The movie whiplash opened my eyes to a whole other branch of kindness that I had never thought of before, a kindness of generations to come, the future. How we teach them will determine the future of the world, and the people within it. Obviously, shown in this movie we cannot just push students. That only leads to break-downs and failure because we as teachers want the success of the students more then they want it. Ever heard the saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink? (no matter how many times you insult or hit them :p). In fletcher's case, he didn't push Andrew that hard for his well-being, but for only his own and the sake of his band (at least it seemed in the movie). However a good balance of push and praise can help a student achieve so much more. I know for a fact that I don't do well or learn anything while under pressure. My mind becomes a jumbled mess. I'm here and there all at once. However with a little encouragement I use that drive to focus my mind and do what I can do to the best of my ability on the task I am learning, whether it is in college or horseback riding. This balance of push a praise is what will help each student achieve great success, the balance being determined on what each student's needs are, but one cannot be present without the other. Otherwise we'll have kids like Andrew who are so beaten, broken and traumatized they almost have to succeed. Succeeding is good but its even better when you're not being tortured in the process. You're supposed to love what you're doing, not be torn down by it, nor be driven by hate, approval and anger.
So through this movie let's learn a lesson for all future generations. Learning needs a balance of push and praise depending on the child. You are not only teaching then skills they need for the future, you are teaching them About Being Kind.
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