Posted on 10/30/2008 2:28:32 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Brookfield, WI - Graphically violent war battles showing soldiers' heads and arms blown off. Explicit language. The gut-wrenching first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan."
Film critics say few movies more realistically depict the horrors and atrocities of war than "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Platoon."
But are they appropriate to show in high school classrooms?
A Brookfield East High School history teacher's notice to parents that he might show clips or full lengths of those R-rated films - as well as "Glory" and "Mississippi Burning" - has drawn protests from two families who say R-rated movies have no place in school.
The Elmbrook School Board's policy committee is considering tightening its rules or banning R-rated films and allowing PG-13 films only in high schools.
Teachers and administrators are urging a more balanced approach that would allow educators to continue to show such movies when they are age-appropriate and improve the curriculum.
Under the motion picture association's rating system, 17- and 18-year-olds can attend R-rated movies in theaters, but those younger than 17 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
Leading the committee's review is School Board member Tom Gehl, whose protest over sexual content in a PG-13 film shown in his daughter's seventh-grade English class resulted in its removal from Elmbrook's two middle school libraries.
Gehl and his wife filed a formal request in 2007 to remove a 1999 film adaption of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream" starring Kevin Kline. They argued there were better adaptions that could be shown.
A district review team agreed to move the film to the high schools' libraries.
Gehl said he was grappling with whether to favor a ban or a tighter policy that would allow some R-rated films to be shown. Some do have educational value, said Gehl, who noted that despite its graphic violence, he would allow his children to see one of his favorite films, "Gladiator." Parental discretion
But he said he did not trust all teachers to make good choices and questioned whether parents should play a greater role in selecting curricular materials.
"I think the pendulum of discretion has swung too far in the direction of teaching staff, and parents are left with too few resources," Gehl said.
His challenge of teachers' academic freedoms may raise the greatest concerns for staff who are planning to attend the next committee meeting to discuss the issue.
There also is the slippery slope concern about whether this could lead to banning books. The only other formal parent request to remove a material in the last five years involved a book, Superintendent Matt Gibson said.
A family objected in 2005 to use of the novel "The Handmaid's Tale" in an English class at Brookfield East. Although a review team gave teachers discretion to continue to use the book and offer those who object an alternative novel, the book is no longer used in the school.
Gibson and Brookfield East High Principal Brett Bowers said they favor changes being drafted that would give parents earlier and more detailed notification of a teacher's intent to show R-rated movies. A new form would notify parents how much of the film would be shown, potential objectionable parts and why it was being shown.
Parents would continue to have the option to excuse their children from watching the movies and get an alternative lesson.
Similar policies exist in other districts, including Waukesha and Hamilton public schools.
At Elmbrook, the controversy arose in September when Brookfield East High teacher Matt Malett showed the Civil War movie "Glory" over three days in a sophomore class.
He sent home parental permission slips.
Two parents objected.
Carlene D'Amato said she never saw the permission slip because her daughter was absent the day it went home. Her daughter called from class while the movie was being shown to get permission, which her mother reluctantly gave to avoid having her leave the room. She said she doesn't allow R-rated movies in her home.
D'Amato said she later asked the teacher to show an edited for education version of "Glory" that was in Brookfield East's library, but he declined because students had already watched more than half the unedited one.
Malett told the School Board he was concerned about sanitizing history.
"History is not rated 'PG-13.' In many cases it is 'R,'" Malett wrote to the board. "When students leave my class, I want them to understand the potential consequences of hate, stereotyping and mistreating other people."
D'Amato said she believed showing teenagers horrible behavior would have the opposite effect: desensitizing them to be more aggressive, disrespectful and profane.
Movies shouldn't show behavior the district prohibits students from engaging in on school grounds, such as violence, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and swearing, she said.
"Respect and dignity - we can't get it by showing on the screen the opposite of what we want," she said.
Bowers said Malett did not just sit in the back of the room and roll the film. He narrated over it and stopped it to make points or ask questions, Bowers said. Students answered questions about the film on a worksheet.
"The teacher is creating the context for that (film), clearly identifying the purpose and guiding students," he said. "It's not like Friday night in someone's basement where a movie's on."
There's your money quote.
When my boys were 13-14-15, they used to bug me endlessly to let them watch R-Rated movies.
When I had finally had enough my response was:
"Sure! And when you turn 18 I'll buy you all the X-rated snuff films you want, pay for your hookers, buy you liquor and give you the keys to my Cadillac!"
Yeesh! They knocked it off then...but it really was a good way to open a discussion about what's age-appropriate and what isn't. And WHY (which is the most important part.)
Of course they 'sneaked' watching movies they shouldn't have at the house of 'friends' whose parents were clueless. *Rolleyes*
And I always knew when that happened. They'd come home a little 'shell-shocked' and be kind of clingy and goofy for a few days. It only happened a few times.
This is off-topic, but a good opportunity to brag.
My 14 year old went to the mall with some friends, and he called up to see if he could see a movie. It was PG-13, and I didn’t know much about it. I said okay, but then I checked the review. I regretted my decision and tried to call my son and tell him to pick another movie.
It was too late, and my son was answering his phone.
An hour later, my son calls up and he covinced his friends to leave because the movie (Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist) was so bad. He said it was stupid with no plot. He said the language was bad, and he had a long list of complaints.
I was very proud of him. I told him I would pay for him and his friends to go see another more appropriate movie.
*Applause* :)
My goodness, how did students ever learn *anything* before they could be shown R-rated movies in the classroom?!? Oh, I remember! We used to have people called “teachers,” who had *read* historical and literary materials and could talk about them in an interesting an informative way! And we wrote *papers* to show that we’d assimilated the material! Now schools just have DVD-player operators, it appears.
Not that the text of the “Iliad,” not to mention the Old Testament, isn’t pretty graphic, but there’s a major difference between reading a text and seeing a film depiction. And of course, reading and reading comprehension used to be considered an important part of education.
But beyond that, the law says children under 18 can see R-rated movies only with a parent or guardian *present*, not with a permission slip. Therefore, only students 18 or older should watch them in school, unless each student has a parent with him.
Good for your son - and good for you, bringing him up right! My 12-year-old is asking to go to a movie with his friends, so we’ll have to be looking for something appropriate that they will like. Choices seem rather thin.
"History is not rated 'PG-13.' In many cases it is 'R,'" Malett wrote to the board. "When students leave my class, I want them to understand the potential consequences of hate, stereotyping and mistreating other people."
There's your money quote.
Yup.
With that in mind, I'm sure Mr. Malett will also find something nice and graphic to show the potential consequences of, oh... to use another example... teen sex. I'm thinking a documentary showing abortions in all their glory would make for some nice viewing.
Or, do you think, perhaps Mr. Malett wouldn't find those consequences worth understanding?
Being too sheltered is to live in an unreal world with delusions about consequences. I would like the voters of all ages in this election to think about "The Killing Fields". It would help if they had gone to the death museum in Cambodia (housed in a former high school).
They should not be watching movies at all in school , it’s a waste of time better spent on discussing books they should have read instead!
Hollywood movies should not be shown in classrooms. Period.
Teachers and students can get free, real historic stuff off the Internet. Newsreel footage taken at WW2 battles as they happened. Matthew Brady photos from the Civil War. Library of Congress photos and documents. Archives from around the world.
Sometimes students learn more from movies than books depending on the context. I acquired a love for satire from seeing The Princess Bride used as an example. Not to mention, if there is no local play set up, Shakespeare has to be experienced to really grasp it.
“They should not be watching movies at all in school , it’s a waste of time better spent on discussing books they should have read instead!”
WHAT? You expect a High School kid to be able to READ these days, based on the thousands of dollars each year we all chip in for K-12 ‘Publik Skrewel?’ Get with the program...or lack thereof! There’s not nearly enough money to teach EVERY kid to read! They need more money down that rat hole, and quick!
*SMIRK* :)
“Shakespeare has to be experienced to really grasp it.”
Just saw the latest rendition of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Wisconsin Players Theater this August. It was awesome, as always. Set in Modern Times, though they spoke in all of the Shakespearian language. Really cool concept. You could clearly understand that the daughter did NOT want to marry the guy her Father wanted her to marry, LOL!
http://www.playinthewoods.org/index.php (Wait for the photos to change...)
I’ve been to about a dozen Shakespearian plays now, and you’re right...it takes a while to “get it” however, I think it’s still beyond most High Schoolers, save a few.
I had my son reading well beyond his years in High School, as did I. I did ask an opinion from his Lit teacher about some of the things I selected for him to read and/or do book reports on back then. She appreciated it, and wished more Moms would do the same.
“You may have tangible wealth untold, caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be for I had a Mother who read to me.” ~ Strickland Gillian
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