Mr Hollands Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Holland's expectations of being a teacher were unrealistic. He thought that he would have a lot of free time to write his music. He also thought that his job stayed at school. At the end of the day he wanted to just go home. It did not work that way though. This ended up changing. He became very involved, so involved that when he lost his job, he wasn't fighting for his job but instead for the education of the students. Teaching is something that requires commitment. The students are counting on their teacher to be there for them if they need it. It is a very demanding job with little free time.

Mr. Holland related his experience with Coltrane to the pregnancy of his wife. It also relates very much to his teaching experience. When he first heard Coltrane, he did not like it. He started to appreciate it and listening to the notes. Coltrane is what made him want to go into music for the rest of his life. When he started teaching, he hated it. In the end he started to enjoy teaching. He started listening to the students and relating with them. The students helped him to figure out that he was to be a teacher for the rest of his life.

Just as his students have, Mr. Holland has changed throughout the years. At the beginning he was relatively uninvolved with the students. He only taught during school when he had to. He started to help more at other times such as before school and after. He began to enjoy helping students and learn how to play instrument and sing. He got more and more involved in their lives. He changed with the students. Whatever was going on in society such as rock and roll, Mr. Holland tried to relate what he was teaching to things of interest for the students. During the time of John Lennon's death, he had the band play a song by John Lennon. When Mr. Holland lost his job, he was actually sad. It became more than just a paycheck to him.

From his teaching experience I can learn that you need to just keep trying. Some students require more work and practice than others do. I also learned how big of an impact a teacher can have on a student's life. The teacher can change a student's life forever. A great example of this is the singer who decided to go to New York suddenly. It is important to be careful what is said to a