By: Katie Noel, Victoria Scott, and Ari Seelinger

Speak
Melinda experiences rape at a party.
She becomes so traumatized that she cannot speak
Melinda refuses to say anything to other students,
teachers, and her parents.
Her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, encourages students to
be outspoken and free thinkers
Using artwork, and with the help of Mr. Freeman,
Melinda begins to come to terms with what happened.
Eventually, the artwork saves her life
 Does this inspire you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI3QYxlbYJs&featu
re=related
 Good Will Hunting
-Will Hunting grows up an abused foster child
-He is a genious
-Blames himself for his miserable upbringing thus
loathing himself to the point where he sabotages his
professional and emotional lives.
-after a criminal act landing him in prison, he finds
himself in the hands of a therapist, The genie from
Aladdin just kidding. Sean Maguire (played by Robin
Williams)
-Maguire confides in Will an important detail which
creates a relationship unlike any Will has ever had.
 Its not your fault
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtkST5-
ZFHw&feature=related
 Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close
The protagonist, Oskar Schell, loses his father in 9/11
He finds a mysterious key in an envelope in his fathers
closet, so he pursues the lock that fits this key. There are
over a hundred million locks in NYC.
Oskar finds a man along his search called Mr. Black.
At age 103, Mr. Black helps Oskar with his journey,
providing guidance and wisdom.
Through Mr. Black, Oskar, without realizing it, meets his
grandfather.
Although, Oskar never knows that this new man is his
grandfather nor does he find the lock to the mysterious
key. Foer suggests that the introduction of this new
patriarch fulfills Oskars quest.
 Foer talks extremely loud and
incredibly close
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBkvw6LGxSo
 Connecting the texts: common
themes
Traumatized protagonists leading unhappy lives
Trauma and how it effects learning
Finding help from a someone without having sought
after it, sometimes even avoiding it.
Coming to terms with their trauma and moving on.
Unconventional educators
Unacknowledged healing
 Time to discuss the essays
Victoria- An unconventional classroom setting and
teacher helping to overcome adversity.
Ari- A traumatic experience can facilitate the learning
process.
Katie- Figuring out how to teach someone who does
not want to be taught
Application to class discussions
A teacher doesnt have to be someone who hands out
assignments or grades your work. So how do we define
teacher? What makes one teacher better than
another?
A teacher as a therapist or a therapist as a teacher?
Learning can take place even when one does not
realize it
Good Will Hunting is a really good movie. I just
watched it for the first time.
Questions, comments, or
concerns?
 Good note to end on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP7b2lUxVE