Based on Albert Camus’ unfinished last work, The First Man is an semi-autobiography, balancing tales of the author’s upbringing in a fatherless home with scenes from 1957 Algeria. The film’s twin timelines succeed in profiling author Jacques Coméry and his time in Algeria during two separate times, the 1920s and the 1950s. Scenes from his childhood and the path that led him to become a writer and make a career for himself are juxtaposed with a recent trip to the country to visit his family and speak on the subject of the independence movement. As Coméry speaks to integral figures …
The Talent Code
Mind or matter, art or science, nature or nurture … coaches have been debating how athletes develop talent for years. Hypotheses abound, some supported by empirical evidence and others by experimental results. The Talent Code hopes to cut through all of these ideas and provide a concrete theory. The slim volume may lack the depth to settle this debate once and for all but it certainly provides a few pieces of advice that could help any coach, teacher, or educator. The book focuses on the creation of myelin, a substance which insulates connections between neurons and improves the efficiency of …
Values Education
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – John Wooden Coaches and teachers concern themselves with values education, a subject as integral to the construction of elite teams as defensive fundamentals or offensive skill. No good team has progressed to the excellent level and maintained that greatness over time without a core of solid values. Frankly, the current generation of student-athletes shares a different perspective from their predecessors and this is neither good nor bad. It means that what used …
Discourse on Documentaries, Part II: Education and Finance
The good documentary will chronicle the events which comprise an important issue, explaining exactly what is happening and outlining its significance. The excellent documentary will not only accomplish those goals but determine how the events transpired and suggest how the issue might be resolved. Due to the visual medium, it does not hurt to grab the audience’s attention with a hint of humour or a drop of drama. Two films – Waiting for Superman (**½) and The Inside Job (***½) – entertain and inform viewers. While both raise interesting questions, only one provides answers and proposes the next steps to …
An Education
Jenny is a bright schoolgirl who is capable of excellent with pen and paper or with her cello. Her parents want her to study at Oxford – as if the university admission would provide symbolic approval of their parenting skills – but she wants more in life. She seeks to broaden her horizons and is frustrated by the strict boundaries at school and at home. An Education is set in 1961 London and based on the autobiography of journalist Lynn Barber; it seems Jenny may follow her intellectual spirit and become a member of the feminist movement in the 1960s. A chance encounter …
Dead Poets Society
The schoolmen were schoolboys fist, Stephen said superpolitely. Aristotle was once Plato’s schoolboy. Previous graduates of Welton Academy go one to teach English Literature, run the school, and eventually pass on and merely occupy a place on the wall. The current students face numerous challenges trying to live up to the expectations of the school, their parents, and the ghosts on the wall. Occurring in the 1960s, Dead Poets Society accurately captures the clash between generations. Only Mr. McAllister, a self-described realist who teaches biology, seems to understand and appreciate what is happening. Society, the school, the students, and finally …