Have you ever had the privilege of watching “The Dead Poet’s Society?”  Of course, for someone who loves writing, literature, teaching and academia – well, let’s just say it’s a movie I can appreciate.  However, “The Dead Poet’s Society” has themes that numerous people can appreciate for an infinite number of reasons.  In a way, it’s a teaching movie. A movie to inspire you…and to bring you to tears.

I was thinking about a scene last night because I was thinking about Love.  It will take a bit of thought to put this whole thing together, so I hope you are able to watch this clip before we move on:

Even if you have never seen this particular movie, you can tell a great deal of the context by the information in this particular scene.  There was some kind of disturbance that resulted in the teacher being removed, the students are terribly torn about the situation, and it appears that they’ll be returning to status quo school process once again.

As perhaps the most tender, or the most committed student takes the first stand toward loyalty to their former teacher,we are afforded – due to good acting and high quality cinematography – a glimpse into his soul.  His struggle was colossal.  He was visibly shaken at what he was about to do, but he did it anyway.  His hands pressed down on the top of his desk, his body rose and his legs took him to the top of his desk to pledge allegiance to his teacher.

Then, moved by his heroic gesture, others followed.  Every student reacted differently, but the decision was not light for any of them.

They declared their love and allegiance for their teacher by literally taking a stand, and quite possibly risk getting expelled from school. Continue reading How Shall I Love Thee? By Standing On My Desk. →