To Be and To Have…thoughts

    While I really enjoyed watching “To Be and To Have” in class last week, it was also one of those movie’s that grew on me more as I thought about it afterwards.  What I started to think about more after the fact was the way the cinematography did not intrude on the characters or the story at all.  Even though the film was a documentary, it didn’t feel like the usual documenatary.  The absence of a narrative voice, side commentaries from the characters in which they reflect on their actions, and an obvious camera presence all seemed to contribute to the intimate connection the viewer is allowed to feel to the classroom.  To use a word I dislike and hardly ever use…it felt “authentic.”

In this authenticity, there is also a sense that the director/producer is not trying to portray anything negative or to look down on this tiny school house in rural France.  I like this aspect of revealing the school as it is, revealing the students for who they are, and the teacher, Msr. Lopez, for exactly who he is.  While we must assume a certain viewpoint and editing of footage, there is no sense of dramatization or misrepresentation through the camera lens.  If anything, this one room schoolhouse is given a sort of warm glow through this documentary.  It is such an intimate portrayal that I was left feeling like I wanted to be a part of this small learning community, who commuted together, learned together, played and fought together.  It is such a distinctly different learning environment than we are used to seeing/experiencing here in the U.S., that I can see how American viewers might at first look down on this different type of education.  By the end of the movie, however, I would find it hard to believe anyone would feel negatively about the teaching and learning that occurs.

While the scenery rarely strayed from the small classroom, and the pace of the movie is slow, it is not a slow that caused boredom (at least not for me).  The characters, even if they were 5 years old, were developed enough to create genuine viewer interest, and the soft-spoken tone of Msr. Lopez’ voice seemed to move everything along continuously.  The focus on one-on-one interactions also seemed to dominated the movie.  We continuously see Msr. Lopez in discussion with specific students, whether in the classroom, on the playground, or even on a field trip.  I think these intimate conversations add greatly to the overall feeling of intimacy in the movie as well as help maintain flow and interest.

Msr. Lopez becomes a sort of hero in this film.  He is a teacher that is wholly dedicated to his job and his students, and in turn, these students obviously have a great deal of respect for him.  As a future educator, my biggest question was how he initially gained this respect?  It is hard not to think a lot of it has to do with his personality and his close relationship with the children.  He made it look easy to manage that schoolroom, but I am fascinated when I think about how hard it really could be.  The challenge of managing different ages and therefore levels of learners is huge in itself.  I wonder if his age and gender had much to do with the way he conducted himself and the respect his students had for him?  Was he always such a calm, nurturing teacher, or was this somthing he himself learned over years of teaching?  I sometimes worry that I will find myself in a classroom and feel like I don’t have the right personality to manage it.  Then I also think that, well, maybe this is something I will develop over time, my classroom personality.  As much as I think it through, I feel I will learn so much once I step into my first real classroom and begin dealing firsthand with the real issues I will encounter.  In this sense, I see where the importance of determining our personal teaching philosophies will be useful.  It will be important to figure out personal biases, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations before we enter an environment that will challenge them.