Teacher`s Portrait
"How about I believe in the unlucky ones? If I
don't I'd probably go
crazy."(Laura Dern, October Sky) This could arguably be
the most important
line in the entire movie, in my opinion. This teacher
recognizes the potential
in every student, not only the ones with visible
ability. This, I would hope,
would be the goal of every teacher. Teachers
have the greatest gift in the world
- - the ability to help shape a student's
life. Recognized and appreciated he or
she can use that to present a world of
opportunities to those who may not have
had any. This was true in "October
Sky"; the "Rocket Boys"
were from a small failing mining community, where
little expectations were
placed on them and even less opportunities were
available. When Dern's character
was accused of giving the boys false hopes
she held her grounds and continued to
support the boys. This to me is an
example of a great teacher, one who will
continue to do what he or she thinks
is right regardless of whether it earns her
the disapproval of the rest of
the staff. The movie "October Sky"
gives a very positive representation of a
teacher. She is a role model, a
friend, a source of information, a defender,
and a fighter. She is portrayed as
compassionate, understanding, and very
beneficial in keeping the students
directed toward their goals. This would
seem to say that teachers need these
qualities in order to fully relate to
their students. A teacher can not only be
there for informational needs, but
must also stand behind her students and be
prepared to defend their rights to
discover themselves. A teacher should be
prepared to recognize hidden
potential; it is in almost every student. This is a
difficult task,
especially if the student also brings great adversity, however,
it is not
impossible; Dern's character realized this. Every teacher will have a
student
in their classroom with hidden ability; despite the student's
possibility for
greatness, the great teacher will be measured by her ability to
see the
potential inside that student.