WAY TO GO ALBERT CULLUM

A great teacher is tough to find. A teacher that you enjoy, a teacher that inspires you, a teacher that likes to have fun and makes sure the students have fun as well. Well I found that in the teacher Albert Cullum.

Watching the documentary titled “A Touch of Greatness” we saw what Albert Cullem did best and that was teaching. I saw a teacher that went well and beyond what a normal teacher would do on a regular basis through a whole bunch of old black and white video footage. I saw a teacher that cared about the students he was teaching. He wanted students in his class to find their own inner greatness and I believe they did it.

Albert said, “If I’m not having fun, no one in the room is having fun… I realized there should be more play during the day—and by that I mean more learning that is playful.” I 100% agree. In today’s educational society we teach for the test so much we are zapping all the fun out of education.

He wanted his elementary school students to do Shakespeare which I really liked. No word was skipped when he did Shakespeare which is the only way to do it. The students I though did a great job with the plays for people so young.

Black and white video footage included lots of Shakespeare, students crawling down the Mississippi river, and students all being alligators. One piece talked about a spelling bee he had against another class, his class scored in the 90% plus range. His competitors scored in the 60-70% range.

They had interviews with some of his former students. One became an emergency room doctor, one a teacher, one an Emmy Award-winning actress and one a historic preservationist just to name a few. They all really liked him.

I think every person should see this documentary especially the ones that want to become a teacher. It will change your mind and make you think what a real teacher should be.

To comment on my commentary: RichardGinn@myeducationalplan.com

SOURCES

A Touch Of Greatness website:

http://www.atouchofgreatness.com
and...
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/touchofgreatness/index.html

A Touch Of Greatness. Dir.Leslie Sullivan. Aubin pictures 2004.