When I was a high schooler, my group of female friends would get together regularly for what we called rap sessions. These were nights of movies, nachos, and deep, meaningful talks among friends. We were a very close group of sisters - a rarity amid the catty drama fest that was the typical high school female experience. Then one night, probably toward the end of junior year, (possibly beginning of senior year) we watched a movie that would effect the way we all looked at living and learning. We all started using the mantra, carpe diem. We named our group after this movie. We became The Dead Poets Society. I started reading - and loving - poetry. I started to open my mind, to question authority, to live more fully, to exist more wholly, and to shout my barbaric yawp from the rooftops! Once, as a teacher, I recited a poem to students while standing on a desk and speaking in a British accent. I wrote performance poetry to teach grammatical structures to my students, and performed it using bongo drums and wearing a beret. I owe at least some of my crazy teacher antics to the influence of John Keating and Patch Adams as portrayed by one amazingly talented man - Robin Williams. From sitting in front of the TV as a kid, saying nanu -nanu, to laughing my ass off watching Robin Williams Live At The Met, sharing the hilarious and touching family story of Mrs Doubtfire and the adventure of Jumanji with my kids, to having my sense of wonder, adventure, creativity and sisterhood blown wide open by Dead Poets...Im ever so grateful for it all. Thank you, Robin! Thank you for teaching me to seize the day, because life is precious and often too short. May you have peace and rest, my teacher! Carpe Diem!
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:40:08 +0000
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