Hi Criss,
Favorite movie lists keep coming in! Todays list comes from Cecile G Turrietta-Chang:
"For the past two years I have been teaching English and Western Culture at a public university in Shanghai, China.
Three movies I used in class were:
"Take the Lead" with Antonio Banderas
"The Ultimate Gift"
"An Inconvenient Truth"
For each film we had two classes prior to showing of the film dealing with vocabulary and cultural differences in addition to discussions on the the music/lyrics used in the film. After the film was shown each student prepared a five minute oral presentation on some aspect of the film using a public speaking format as assigned. Speaking formats could be the 5 Paragrahp Essay, Persuasion, Reflection, etc. Other times we divided the class into groups with each group thinking up trivia questions about the movie to try to stump the other groups. For "An Inconvenient Truth" I gave each student a "global warming effect" newspaper article from a recent "Shanghai Daily" newspaper and they had to "compare/contrast" this article with something in the film and reflect on the repercussions on future Chinese society."
Thank you for sharing Cecile!
How To Stay Motivated In Teaching. Here's the third in the series.
How To Avoid Burnout The Power of Quotes
When I feel overwhelmed and drained, I find reading quotes energizes me. In 10 seconds or less you can re-energize your mind and stay motivated. It changes my state of mind almost instantly...
Here are some of my favourite quotes:
"Knowledge is like a candle. When you light your candle from mine, my light is not diminished. It is enhanced and a larger room is enlightened as a consequence."
Thomas Jefferson
"Darkness cannot drive out the darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed."
Nelson Boswell
"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill."
W. C. Fields
"Most ideas about teaching are not new, but not everyone knows the old ideas."
Euclid, c. 300 BC
"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
Japanese Proverb
"If you don't know what your passion is, realize that one reason for your existence on earth is to find it."
Oprah Winfrey
"Everyone has the power for greatness-not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service."
Dr. Martin Luther King
"If we do not rise to the challenge of our unique capacity to shape our lives, to seek the kinds of growth that we find individually fulfilling, then we can have no security: we will live in a world of sham, in which our selves are determined by the will of others, in which we will be constantly buffeted and increasingly isolated by the changes round us."
Nena O'Neil
"Our purpose is the very essence of who you are. It's what we want to be known for and is a part of the underlying motivation and driving force which guides our actions and brings us fulfillment. Our purpose is bigger than we are. Our purpose assists us in making a difference in our jobs, the lives of others, and the condition of everything around us."
Bob Proctor
"Success demands focus. It is the hallmark of all truly great people. Your ability to get and remain focused or lack thereof is perhaps the key determinant of your success.
Gary Ryan Blair
"At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better."
Barack Obama
"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."
Steve Jobs
"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship."
Dr. James Comer
"I delight in learning so that I can teach."
Seneca 4 BC - 65 AD
"It'll be a great day when education gets all the money it wants and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombers."
Author unknown, quoted in You Said a Mouthful edited by Ronald D. Fuchs
If you have any favourite quotes that help you stay motivated, just e-mail me and I'll include them in a future mailing.
My next article will show how you can get rid of all your and your students "I Cant's".
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