u/Constant_Leader_8551

So I teach 6th grade ELA, and after GMAS we’ve been doing some lighter novel/movie analysis work. I originally wanted to show Dead Poets Society because it ties really well into theme, characterization, perspective, symbolism, and all the stuff we’ve been working on. But I was told no because of the suicide themes, rebellion against authority, emotionally heavy content, and some language issues.

Fair enough. We moved on.

So instead, we watched Holes.

And today my students suddenly started realizing just how dark that movie actually is. One kid pointed out that Kate Barlow basically commits suicide on screen by letting herself get bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard. Then another student brought up the racism throughout the story and what happens to Sam. Then someone else mentioned that the entire camp is built around child labor and abuse.

At that point the whole class started piling on examples. Murders. Neglect. Generational trauma. Institutional abuse. The Warden being completely unhinged. All of it.

And finally one student just blurts out:“Wait… we couldn’t watch the OTHER movie because of suicide and rebellion against authority, but THIS movie has all this???”

Honestly, for a solid five seconds I had no response because the kid absolutely had a point.

I think the difference is mostly tone. Holes wraps all of its darker themes inside comedy, adventure, weirdness, and the fact that it’s a Disney movie, so people don’t always think about how intense parts of it actually are. Dead Poets Society handles its themes in a much more direct and emotional way, which probably makes it feel heavier to adults.

Still, it was hilarious watching a room full of 12-year-olds slowly realize they’d been watching a deeply messed up movie the whole time.

And now they’re analyzing Holes more seriously than some adults I know 😭

I just had one of those teacher moments that makes you stare at the wall for a minute.

We did a GMAS debrief in class and one of the questions was basically “What do you wish you had studied more?” This was for ELA, and I specifically said we were talking about the ELA test.

This child wrote: math.

Now normally, whatever, funny answer.

Except this same child currently has a 17 in math. Not a typo. A whole seventeen.

She was given THREE full days (in my class alone) of make-up opportunities for any missing work in any class, including math. I have GoGuardian snapshots of her doing literally everything except make-up work.

My coworker across the hall called home to let the parents know their child has a 17, and their response was basically, “Yeah, we can’t do anything with her either. If y’all have issues, just send her to the office.”

…To do what exactly?

I’m sorry, but at what point do we stop pretending the school can out-parent actual parents? Because what exactly is the office supposed to do with academic apathy and refusal to work when the response from home is basically “good luck”?

You are her parents. Please be so serious.