Looking to the Sky: A relationship between goal and motivation
By Chris Barone
EDI 17 Psychology & Development of Adolescent Students
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 12, 2009
Despite a difference of 50 years, many of the high-school students in the film October Sky behaved just like real adolescents today. Unmotivated and uninspired, they endlessly teased Homer Hickam for his hopes and dreams. They seemed to know where their future would take them, and they were satisfied with that. Homer, however, dissatisfied with the life of a coal miner, seemed to see something they were unable to: possibility.
While his peers and family members were looking down – both figuratively and literally, because they were looking at the coal mine – Homer Hickam looked up to the sky. While watching the film, I could not help but notice how where each character ‘looked,’ or in other words, their attitude or outlook on life, was intrinsically tied to the character’s future. John Hickam saw nothing but the coal mine, and that is precisely where he ended up; Homer saw the sky and all its possibilities, and his fascination with rockets and space was born.
As teachers, we can learn a great deal from this movie. The teacher, Miss Riley, was a key influence on Homer and his friends. While Homer seemed to have enough motivation without her, she did provide the necessary support and guidance. She is a prime example of what teachers should strive to be. Riley made it clear that she believed in her students’ abilities, no matter what. She encouraged them to never settle or be satisfied with their lives; they should always reach higher, higher, higher. Students of all locations, creeds, sexes, nationalities, and ages can not only achieve but also thrive in a classroom setting. All they need is the right teacher to allow them to look towards the sky.
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 12, 2009
Despite a difference of 50 years, many of the high-school students in the film October Sky behaved just like real adolescents today. Unmotivated and uninspired, they endlessly teased Homer Hickam for his hopes and dreams. They seemed to know where their future would take them, and they were satisfied with that. Homer, however, dissatisfied with the life of a coal miner, seemed to see something they were unable to: possibility.
While his peers and family members were looking down – both figuratively and literally, because they were looking at the coal mine – Homer Hickam looked up to the sky. While watching the film, I could not help but notice how where each character ‘looked,’ or in other words, their attitude or outlook on life, was intrinsically tied to the character’s future. John Hickam saw nothing but the coal mine, and that is precisely where he ended up; Homer saw the sky and all its possibilities, and his fascination with rockets and space was born.
As teachers, we can learn a great deal from this movie. The teacher, Miss Riley, was a key influence on Homer and his friends. While Homer seemed to have enough motivation without her, she did provide the necessary support and guidance. She is a prime example of what teachers should strive to be. Riley made it clear that she believed in her students’ abilities, no matter what. She encouraged them to never settle or be satisfied with their lives; they should always reach higher, higher, higher. Students of all locations, creeds, sexes, nationalities, and ages can not only achieve but also thrive in a classroom setting. All they need is the right teacher to allow them to look towards the sky.
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