My Reflection of the movie entitled "Beyond the Blackboard"

    Miss Stacey Bunker or should I say Teacher Bess had her first teaching experience on a school that has no name, a school she never ever expected to land on because actually, it is never really a school at all  but a program for homeless children in 600 South St. Downtown Railyard. As for her, six years of school never prepared her for this, but one can witness throughout the story her ardent desire and passion regardless of the shortcomings and difficulties of the life of teaching that can bring to her life, to her family and to other people’s lives itself.
     I knew exactly what my intuition is trying to tell me the moment we were tasked to see a movie entitled “Beyond the Blackboard” and it said to myself “this is something that you’ll like and if not, LOVE.” My intuition never got me wrong with that because I fell in love with the entire movie the way how little Stacey told us from the start how she loved the giant pull down maps, the way she writes her name at the top of the pages, the way brand new textbooks smell and the way how they happily sang together, and pauses when the train comes noisily through at the end of the movie. Almost all the parts of the movie has something significant to learn, they’re a lot and I’m afraid it would take me 10 pages to fill in everything I must share here, so I decided I just have to list down my favorite learnings from the story instead, so here it is.

Never judge the capacity of a beginner
    When I’ve learned that teacher Bess was going to have her first actual teaching experience in a shelter, I expected that she would eventually gave in and quit but I was surprised because she faced the music and sang to it with conviction. Like the personal director who judged her that she won’t be there that long, she proves him wrong: she even stayed there for another 8 years. I guess and I deem it with high value that you can never really judge a novice just because she’s a beginner the same thing with telling a child that he’ll die early because he’s got no enough experience in life.
Great children comes with a great Teacher
    My favorite part of the movie is when Maria, one of teacher Bess’ student called on the phone and told her that she is the best teacher she’s ever had, and asked teacher Bess to not ever forget her because she will become a teacher someday just  like her. Wasn’t that the most rewarding thing a teacher could ever achieve? I realized then that how blessed it is for the parents to have a great teacher who can truly shape and mold their child because not all teachers have the same character like Ms. Bess who greatly cares and ensures the welfare of the people she had served.
Teaching isn’t just a profession, but a SERVICE
    “That’s the trick, you serve. You have no control over what happens; but, you keep serving, you keep serving.” This was among the line that struck me most from the story. A teacher can control the happenings inside the classroom, but once it is outside the lives of your pupils, you cannot. You can aid any help and support to the parents of your pupil but you can never dictate their decisions and choices, never. It is true that it is extremely difficult to take partings once you have cultivated and blossomed an intimate closeness to your students.
Beyond the blackboard indeed.
        I must end this reflection with the title of the movie “Beyond the blackboard”, and it was, indeed. To wrap this up, I must say that this movie is a MUST see to all the students of the world, and I greatly recommend this especially to the young minds who set their hearts on teaching. As I was pondering throughout the entirety of the story, I have come to a conclusion that if maybe, all the teachers on earth have the same heart and perspective as teacher Bess; chances are children will be motivated to attend school every single day knowing that they have a kind teacher who truthfully cares for them and genuinely teaches them worthy things that are beyond the writings of blackboard. I hope other stories like these may get to inspire other people because I already am, and this is purely a big help and a head start to students who endeavors to become one.

Little Red Riding Hood (Parody)

    There was a sweet little girl loved by everybody but most of all, by her grandmother who once made her a red velvet hood. Because it suited her so well and she wears it all the time; she came to be known as Little Red Riding Hood.
    One day, her mother said to her.
    “Come! My little Red Riding Hood. Here is a box of Ferrero Rocher Chocolates, a cup of Starbucks coffee, a piece of chocolate cake from Goldilocks and a bottle of Coke zero. Take this to your dear grandmother. She is sick and wick and these will do her very well. Mind your manners and give her my greetings, behave yourself on the way and keep yourself right on the path for you might stumble down and waste the food from the basket, understood?
    “Yes! I will mother.”
    Now, the grandma lived out into the woods half an hour walk from the village and when Little Red Riding hood reached the woods, a wolf came up to her.
    “Good day, Ms. Little red riding Hood!”
    “Good day, Mr. Wolf.”
    “Where are you going so early, Ms. Little Red Riding Hood?”
    “To grandma’s”
    “What are you carrying under your apron?”
    “Grandma’s sick and weak, so I’m taking her some sweets to give her strength.”
    “Little Red Riding Hood, where does your grandmother lives?”
    “Her house is half an hour’s walk from the village, under the 5 large oak trees.” She replied.
    Then the wolf walked Little Red riding Hood a little while and said:
    “Little red Riding Hood, haven’t you seen the beautiful flowers in the woods? Why don’t you go and take a look!”
    Little Red Riding Hood glanced around her and when she saw the loveliest flowers everywhere, she thought to herself.
    “If I take a bouquet to grandma, she will be very pleased. Anyway, it is still early and I’ll be home on time.”
    While Little Red Riding Hood helped herself gathering flowers, she seems to hear tiny voices not far from her. She searched for it and found to her surprise that it was her Troll friends.
    “Little Red Riding Hood! Little Red Riding Hood! You must go now to your grandmother’s house! Quickly!
    “Why? What’s wrong Poppy?”
    “Your grandma! I think she’s in great danger. A wolf broke inside your grandma’s house. You must know that wolf is the one who ate our friend Glitter and I’m afraid he’ll do the same thing to your dear grandma!”
    “Oh gosh! That’s horrible! I should go now my friends. Thank you so much for the information.”
    Little Red Riding Hood dashed off hurriedly as fast as she can to her grandmother’s house and when she got inside her room, everything is so strange that she said exclaiming.
    “Oh grandma, what big hands you have?”
    “All the better to hug you my dear”
     “Oh grandmas, what big eyes you have!”
    “All the better to see you my dear.”
    “Oh grandma, what big ears you have!”
    “All the better to hear you my dear.”
    “Oh grandmas, what big mouth you have!”
    “All the better to eat you with!”
    And with that, Mr. Wolf jumped out of bed. Jumped on poor Little Red Riding Hood and ate her eyes up! Her lungs! Her intestines and her Heart!
    Little Red Riding Hood cried and shouted at the top of her lungs until her mother heard her.
    “Oh dear, what’s wrong?”
    “ Huhuhuhuhuhu! Mother I have a very bad nightmare. I was dreaming that a wolf swallowed up grandma and that same wolf ate me up alive!”
    “Now, now, now, stop crying my little girl. They are all just a dream and they’re not real. Let us just pray together so that God will send you angels to guide and light you every night, how about that?”
    “Thank you mother!”