Unexpected Music

This week I was reminded once again of the power of a good story.

Grace, our freshman attending Indiana School for the Deaf, came home excited about watching Mr. Holland's Opus as part of a class activity.  Since our other children have not seen the movie, which some of you might remember from its release in 1995, we opted for a family movie night last Sunday.  Lisa popped the corn while I made a quick run to Kroger for ice cream, and we made an event of the viewing.

If you haven't seen this film, it's worth watching—or watching again—for a variety of reasons.  It traces the teaching career of the lead character, Glenn Holland, played by Richard Dreyfuss, from when he reluctantly enters education in 1964 up until his forced retirement from teaching because of budget cuts in 1995.  Glenn’s goal when he enters the teaching profession is to have "free time" to compose music.  He quickly realizes that time is seldom free in education, but it is too late.  He is hooked.  Days lead to weeks, to months, to years, to decades, and Glenn Holland discovers he is “composing” something very different than what he anticipated.

The viewing audience is treated to a history lesson through the music and video footage that provided the soundtrack and most memorable images of those four decades.  Like my wife and me, many of you would recognize the lyrics to most of the songs, including those from Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, and the Kingsmen (although it might be a stretch to call the words in “Louie Louie” lyrics).   The iconic video clips included images of the Vietnam War, John F. Kennedy, Jimi Hendricks, Richard Nixon, and even John Travolta in his white suit on the disco floor.

One subplot deals with the Holland family, which consists of two hearing parents and their son who is deaf. Our family can relate to the issues of communication—or lack thereof.  At one point the mother cries in anguish, "I just want to talk to my son."  We certainly recognize the feeling.

The main story line  however, follows the daily teaching career of Mr. Holland and makes the point that one teacher can make a real difference.  The film reminds us that every interaction and every class has significance.  More importantly, it reminds us that over the course of a teaching career, we impact the lives of thousands of people in ways we may never know or understand.

Near the end of the movie, one character returns to the school as an adult and tells of the impact Glenn Holland had on her life.  She ends her speech saying, “There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you.  We are your symphony Mr. Holland.  We are the melodies and the notes of your opus.  We are the music of your life.”  At another point, Glenn Holland simultaneously sings and signs to his son John Lennon’s song “Beautiful Boy.”  This song includes a line that may be familiar: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

You may be able to relate.  Like Glenn Holland, we get caught up in the day-to-day business of teaching.   Days turn to weeks which turn to months and years.  Students come and students go.  They leave our classrooms, our halls, and our schools, but a film like this reminds us that these students also take part of us with them out the door.

We need to hear this message.  We need to be reminded of the lasting impact we have on our students.  Continue to write your opus, HSE.  Be assured that it is music that will be played out in unexpected ways and in venues you may never see or hear, but it is music well worth composing.

Have a great week.  I hope it is one filled with notes of hope, lyrics of joy, and songs of laughter.

Phil

Principal Jacobs to the young Glenn Holland: “A teacher has two jobs; fill young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a compass so that knowledge doesn’t go to waste.”