“Animal School” Feedback!
by Ellen C. Braun
Filed under Raising Small Souls Movies
RaisingSmallSouls’ popular movie, “Animal School” has generated a flury of comments. Educators and parents have raved about the moral of the story, and it has inspired many to take a deeper and more individual look at their students and children.
Scroll Down to Read and Post Comments!
Click here to read the Animal School Movie Text.
The music is Yellow Flutterby Dreams- http://gbhprod.com/songs
Recently, I’ve been thinking about which type of animal is catered to in a traditional school setting, and I believe it is the sheep. Passive followers do very well in school. ‘Sheep’ do as they are told, never question rules, and consistently follow the directions they are given. That’s not to say that other animals cannot do well in school… they can! Yet, most schools are geared towards the needs and charateristics of the sheep!
A father told me about his two sons, who are as different as night and day. The eleven-year-old is a straight-A model student. On the other hand, the eight-year-old is restless, creative, and entrepreneurial. Since the younger son is “weight-challenged” (is that the current politically-correct way of saying “a little overweight”?) his mother sends him to school with fruits and vegetables as snacks. The family struggles financially, and the child does not bring any money with which to buy snacks. However, at the beginning of recess, the third-grade child asks his teacher for a handfull of plastic cups. He borrows a dollar and finds a child with a 32oz. Snapple, and purchases the drink. Then he pours a bit of the iced-tea into each of his dozen cups, and sells them to his fellow students. He uses his profits to repay the loan and buy the commercialized sugar-and-salt-coated snacks that he craves. At the end of the day, he has had his fill of junk-food and several dollars in profit!
Which child has more “street smarts”? Which child is more likely to succeed in the “real world”? If you own a business, which child would you hire to work as your salesman?
RaisingSmallSouls.com values your feedback, share your thoughts below!
Sincerely,
Related posts:
Ellen, the movie is truly AWESOME! Wow! I can relate best to the eagle, as I was always doing things that I shouldn’t have done in school.
~Cindy L.
I am a teacher, and found many of my students within the beautiful movie. It really opened my eyes as to how we try to make all the students excell at all subjects, when the truth is that they are all very different people!
Embarrassingly enough, my eyes were tearing toward the end of the movie. I don’t have kids yet- but I was a kid not so long ago… Great Movie!!!
Totally Awesome! Im 16 and dropped out of school last year i guess b/c i was like a kangoroo. ps- the words were a litle bit too fast sometimes.
Great job Ellen. I just watched the whole thing, some really good messages in there.
I don’t have children, but that film reminded me so much of my younger brother. He struggled terribly in school and was considered nothing more than a nuisance by his teachers. I remember going with my Mom (single parent) and brother to “open house night” at the elementary school and have the teachers tell my mom (in front of him and everyone else) what a bad student he was and how little he tried.
The only advice these teachers could offer was for my brother to “try harder” and “settle down”. If he applied himself, he could probably catch up to the “average” students.
Finally, a teacher for my brother’s 8th grade class suggested he be tested for dyslexia – which my Mom had never heard of at the time. It’s amazing he got that far since he was never able to read and write.
Anyway, he was tested and found to be severely dyslexic, but with an IQ of over 150. Even though my Mom immediately enrolled him in a new school that catered to children with learning disabilities, the damage was already done to his confidence and self-image. By his early 20s he was into drugs and just a few years later he was dead.
As I was watching your film, I remembered so vividly going to those “open houses” and looking at the children’s artwork hung on the wall. Among the stick men and simple box houses, I remember being struck by the startling sketches that were so much better than all the others. These amazing drawings were dimensional sketches of the school, of cars, of people’s faces – and they were all signed in the corner with my brother’s name.
I remember thinking at the time, “He couldn’t be that dumb”…
Although my brother died almost 15 years ago, your film reminded me what a special person he was. Despite his struggles and problems, he was gifted in his own special way even though he didn’t measure up to the norm…
Sweet! I love it! I’d really like to show it to my former English teacher, I was definitely a duck in school!
Kirk, I don’t know what to say to your post. That is an incredibly sad story of unnecessarily lost human potential. I hope you have found some level of comfort from your terrible loss…
This movie really touched me- Thank you.
Inspiring. Whenever I watch it I hug the nearest kid
Kirk – thank you for sharing your story. ** hugs ** go out to you. I’m sincerely sorry for your loss. You obviously saw your brother for who he truly was… and that means so much.
Like you, I was touched by the movie because of my own personal experience. As a single mother to a gifted child who had many problems in elementary school… I can relate to the heartache and frustration. My son had such a terrible time with it all, to the point of becoming physically ill – including depression, anxiety and eventually grand mal seizures. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to homeschool him for a couple of years, which saved us both from the downward spiral of it all.
Hi Ellen,
I was really touched by your movie Animal School. I have a son in kindergarten who is having some trouble. Honestly, I knew he would. He just is not a sitter and unfortunately that raises red flags in school now days. He is a sweet, gifted, smart, compassionate little boy, he just has trouble sitting or consentrating in large groups. I just got a call from the counselor today and am almost in tears. It’s the same thing that so many kids are going through now, they want to evaluate him, label him to get him the “help” he needs. My heart is breaking for him. I see him growing every year and as he matures, he can sit longer and have better conversations. But because he’s having issues now, it’s just not good enough. I see almost everyone of the animals in my son and I don’t think there is anything wrong with him just the way his is. The story and the message that you have gotten across in your movie is just what I have been trying to tell the teachers. I would love for them to look at this from another angle. I want them to see my fears and see the beauty in my little boy. I want him to be able to be himself and grow and mature at his own pace.
In any event, thank you so much for your movie. You’ll never know how much it has touched me. I have watched it many times and wish I could have it running constantly on my computer just to reasure myself that there is nothing “wrong” with these kids. We are all individuals and that is a good thing.
Thank you again,
Kelly
I am a mom to six, and I just have to say that this is about the most perfect description of REAL kids I have seen. Every child is a unique individual and without each and every one of them, our world would not be complete. Thank you for reminding us all, most of all, ME as a mom, that no matter what their weaknesses, I am so very proud of the strengths…and also so very very blessed.
WOW!! I had tears in my eyes ,and the chills, by the time I finished reading Animal School. Unfortunately, the “system” seems to forget that EACH child is a very unique individual and tends to put them all in the same category. I could go on and on because this is a very hot subject with me. Suffice it to say that I couldn’t agree more with Animal Story. I’m going to save it and share it with parents who have a concern about their child. Thanks for sharing it with me!
So, so true! As a mother and teacher, I can think of children who remind me of each of the animals in the movie. The pictures are beautiful as well.
Hi Ellen,
This is great. Although my children have grown I am sending this to my daughter who has a 7 month old son. I am sure she will appreciate it. Thanks.
Hi Ellen,
Have shared this with as many people as I can, it’s awesome.
My daughter is the fish in so many ways
The film is amazing – thank you. Will have to share it with our school SENco.
Ellen, congratulations on creating such an important movie about the differences of children and their educational needs. Just today, after years of frustration and anxiety, we were told that our child has a learning disability and that he has been ‘acting out’ because he just doesn’t understand the work expected of him, so he shuts down and refuses to work. Reading Kirk’s story only added to my tears from your movie. They are my worst fears.
I hope, after being ‘armed’ with today’s information we will be able to get him the education he needs, that will value his strengths instead of undermining them.
Thank you for this important message and I will surely pass it on.
Ellen, I thought this movie was amazing. I work in a primary school with children with special needs and have emailed the link to our head teacher. I have also posted the link onto a course forum, we are studying inclusion at the moment. Someone there has asked if she can in turn pass it on – I have given permission, taking into account your comments that you hope it opens the eyes of many educators and parents. Good work!
Very touching and sad, too. I did tear up throughout, and that is not typical for me. The choices for educating our children are so varied and fraught with angst – that our children won’t be seen with open eyes and that their gifts will be ignored. You are an inspiration to continue to be our children’s advocate. Thank you.
This made me cry- four years ago, my first son started school, aged just four and two weeks. He couldn’t write his name, count to ten or do any of the standard things, but his memory is amazing, and his capacity for learning facts- especially history- couldn’t fail to impress… or so we thought.
However, at parents evening they announced he had been assessed, was streamed for maths, and that he would be in the lowest group. An experienced parent would have come home and been positive about their child’s first parent’s evening, but we were in shock, and came home to chastise him for not trying, and tell him to try harder.
Ever since, he has believed himself to be poor at maths, even though he had soon begun to catch up, and i don’t think his confidence will ever recover.
Our second son has just started at the same school, they have stopped streaming kids before they have a chance to learn anything, and he is having a great time- though it could be thanks to the fact we sent him to a day nursery, even though I don’t work, to help him off to a better start at school.
My wish is that in future, kids who are less mature for their age won’t be penalised for it, so that when they come to an age where they can cope with the school day, they haven’t already endured a series of let downs, and been made to feel inferior.
Wow… lot’s of moving comments here while I’ve been away! (Do you follow my personal blog?)It is outstanding how many parents and educators can relate to the various animals in the movie. It’s as though there’s this idealised concept of the vast majority of children being everything- having all the good characteristics of every animal, and having no lacks. The children who are lacking in some area are seen as ‘different’… yet I wonder… are the children who are not lacking in any attributes the ones that are truly ‘different’?
I recently read about a young man who refused to marry into a family that had any sort of history of depression in the family. An advising therapist bluntly told the young man, “You have a choice: You can marry into a family that has a known case of depression or a family that has a hidden case of depression. No family has perfect mental-health across the board.”
The bottom line is that every person- child or adult- is as unique as their fingerprints, no two people are exactly alike. Like a beautiful, scenic photo that has been divided into thousands of puzzle pieces… each ‘piece’ (or person) is necessary to complete the entire picture! Everyone has their specific strengths and also lacks, that can potentially blend into a beautiful, harmonious world- as soon as we as a society can accept the “Animal School” message.
This is such a moving story. I am the proud parent to a kangaroo and an eagle. I never take the time to ponder such things as I have these past few moments.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, Mary for your kind words!
Yeah, deep pondering can do much to help us understand the truth about where we want to go, and take our children!
The movie was so touching, something that everyone can relate to. I’m sure it will attract lots of peoplet. I loved the pictures and the music. I wonder if you would want to offer this slide show to schools to show their teachers on Teacher Orientation Day, I’m sure they’d be interested and benefit from it too.
The movie is great!!!! In fact I think it is awesome!!!
Ellen, I think the work you have done here is truly superb. More parents and educators need to see the special and unique qualities of each of their students and children, including the “sheep”. As to the father with the two children. I may want to have the second child as my salesman in my business, at the same time, the first child would probably make a great husband.
I pray for all of us to love the child within ourselves as well as the children in our lives.
Wow! I cried when I saw your video Animal School. It was moving to know there are others who know how important it is for a child to feel empowered in who they truly are.
Since having children I have wanted so much more for them. I have seen from the beggining that they were not going to be like everyone else, and I celebrate that.
But ‘fitting into the system’ hasn’t been easy. However through my own struggles I have discovered the path is easier if you stay true to who you are. And that is what I want for my children.
Imagine the successes that all the animals would have felt if their attitudes were more like the Bees’?
For most of my life I have lived as a Duck, just ‘managing’. Trying to fix the things ‘wrong’ with me and taking for granted what was ‘right’ with me.
Now after many years, I have finally done what I should have done from the very begining… become an artist.
And because I work with children and their art, I have the opportunity to empower children as well as fulfill my dreams.
I will show the Animal School movie to my children and anyone else who wants to see it. So they can too see the importance of being your own animal.
Goodbye Ducks… Hello Bees!
Great stuff Ellen! My oldest son and I watched it together. It helps me remember why I feel strongly about homeschooling
Thank you.
Cindy, what a story, I’m so glad you found “yourself”! I LOVE that line: “Goodbye ducks… Hello Bees!”- that quite sums it up:)
Carrie, thanks for your kind words. Yes, homeschooling by a sensitive parent would eliminate lots of the animals’ challenges! How old is your son? Was he able to read the text with you?
This was awesome. I love things that open our eyes and give us a new perspective. I had great parents, so I have always been challenged to be myself. I have had a great life so far.
Many international moves and interaction with other culture’s methods of school, and much study on educational processes has led me to homeschool my kids – contrary to my upbringing in a family where my dad was an award winnin-teacher, and contrary to my in-laws/husband’s backgrounds where my father-in-law was a school principle and his kids all PhD’s and Lawyers!
We do minimal “academics” – enough to keep up, but no more – and then focus the rest of our day on passions. My kids do tons of research, discovery, and life skill development simply by pursuing their passions.
My 13 year old is a developing film director and aquarium enthusiast, and my daughter is an artist/musician/naturalist. We are ALL ADD in this family, and the lack of school restraints has made life a joy, not a burden. I have a whole family of bees. What a blessing!
Darlene
http://www.mom-defrazzler.com
It’s so refreshing to see that there are people who understand the problem. As a teacher in a government school (usually called public school) I regularly see students who need something different. I also see up close the idiocy of so much that is required, both of the educators and of the students. I wish school could be a place to learn, and not just a cookie-cutter mass production factory, turning out dependent little clones.
On the positive side, I also see firsthand many teachers, administrators, and students who work to get the best from everybody. It’s just hard to do that in the given system.
I catch information best when it comes hard and fast, but most people aren’t quite like that. I’ve taught some who take a long time to “get it” but never forget once they’ve got it. One student even spent four hours at home on a lightning-damaged video recorder (something he’d never looked into before) until he had it working again. He was a special ed student. Amazing concentration and cognitive ability, when focused on a single, in this case somewhat complex, task.
Wow!!! Great Job!!! Animal School really moved me. I am going to tell all of my friends about it. Keep up the great work:)
I really enjoy that movie. The picture were beautiful the words a little fast at times. It remindes me of my own girls.
WOW! This truly moved me. Watching the film made me realize how hard it is to be a child in a standardized school. We took our son out of public school in November and now homeschool. This transformed him from a zebra/duck/eagle/fish/polar bear/squirrel/kangaroo to a magnificant BEE!!!! Free to excel in every aspect of learning not just what is chosen for him. I’m forwarding this film to all my homeschool groups and public school parents! Brava!