The Bell's of St. Mary's is a great holiday film. However, it is much more than a holiday film. I used the film for my Master's Teaching thesis 20 years ago. The significance of the film that was my thesis was subtle, however worth a second look.
The primary plot is the relationship between the Parish Priest sent to close a tired old school and his battles with the headmaster nun. (The priest is Bing Crosby and the Headmaster is played by Ingrid Bergman) They are polar opposites when it comes to their viewpoints on education. The focus is saving the school and only a miracle can save the school.
The arguments of the role of testing students versus understanding a student's intelligence is the core of the educational debate. You literally hear in the 1940s what is commonplace today. Crosby challenges the policy of testing students. The headmaster is convinced the integrity of the school is based on testing.
The focus is a student who travelled a different road to the school. Father O'Malley knows her family's history. The girl is troubled and needs some consistency within her life in order to achieve academic success. Sound familiar? Testing does not take into consideration emotional intelligence. The film cleverly examines the emotional intelligence of the child as a factor regarding her learning success.
Give the Bell's of St. Mary's a second look. What's old is new again when it comes to education.
(Historical note: Have your kids listen to the Pledge of Allegiance. There is a little piece of history caught on this film that most kids do not know about the Pledge.)
No comments:
Post a Comment