I don't think his methods need updating at all. I taught in both Australia and the U.K. and now teach in Taiwan. They are from one extreme to the other, and the French/European way (or at least Mr Lopez's version of it) seems to be better. In Australia and the U.K., there's absolutely no rigour, discipline, respect for others or self respect whatsoever in many schools, and we graduate students from high school who are borderline illiterate and innumerate and have little idea about anything or anyone else in the world beyond their own immediate whims and fancies -- they can complain loudly about those for hours. In Taiwan, there is rote learning and standardised testing for its own sake to the point where it destroys all creative and critical faculties in children, and again, on a daily basis I witness incredibly selfish and reckless behaviour in society simply because discipline here is draconian but never instills a sense of personal involvement in one's actions and a stake in society.
Mr Lopez realised that there are/were times when it's necessary to just knuckle down and do the work. Sometimes, there is no easy way around that. Yet, even with the little ones, he had an incredibly philosophical way about him, and he encouraged every student to think about deeper issues of self and others.
I could imagine a kid like Jojo could really have gone off the rails and been an unholy terror. Maybe he later did, I don't know. However, I could also see that Mr Lopez probably reined him in. Not only did he probably make a significant difference in teaching him French, mathematics and other such subjects, he probably also made a significant difference in teaching him to be more disciplined and persistent and to have some respect for others, and perhaps most importantly, himself.
Frankly, I was in awe throughout the movie.
reply
share