Dead Poets Society Essay

Since its premiere in 1989, the film Dead Poets Society continues to challenge and inspire educators to think deeply about their role in the classroom. The film’s English teacher, John Keating, sets a high standard for educators to follow. His passion, energy, and ability to transform his classroom into a dynamic space for learning are what many educators strive to recreate. It is hard to ignore the powerful impact Keating had on his students, and the level of respect he gained from his energy in the classroom. Education in Ontario today attempts to capture a similar energy though what is called the 21^st century framework of education. This approach is designed to engage students in their learning through the enhancement of technology and the development of high-order skills such as communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Keating’s approach and understanding of education foreshadows what will become ideal practice many years later. The methods of teaching Keating adopts in the film are meant to seem revolutionary for the time, but are now considered to be the cornerstone of the 21^st century model of education, where critical thinking and student-led learning are basic foundations for practice.

John Keating perfectly expressed the true meaning of education when he stated that, “the purpose of education is to learn to think for yourself” (Dead Poets Society, 1:19:53). Throughout the film, we see him constantly return to this idea. Before all else, he encourages the boys to think for themselves, which he refers to as “free thinking”. When the boys start their first poetry class with Keating he surprises them by asking everyone to rip out the introduction of the textbook. The boys are taken aback, they have only known to treat textbooks with care and take the words inside as absolute truth. Yet Keating challenges them when he says, “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute, we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion…poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for” (26:00-26:14). Keating reminds the boys that they already have the power to think for themselves, they just have to remember to do it more often. This exercise sets the pace in the classroom, as Keating continuously challenges the boys’ expectations for learning. In our education system today, teachers aim to challenge their students in the same way Keating does in the film. The Ontario language curriculum defines a successful Language learner as someone who can think critically (The Ontario Curriculum English, 2007). Language is not something to only be memorized, which is why grammar drills and spelling tests are no longer graded in most classrooms, but language is learned so that students have the ability to effectively communicate ideas, make connections, and engage in multiple levels of reflection. Our appreciation of language learning has greatly evolved in Ontario to reflect the drive to develop high-order skills in our students, much like Keating when he said that the purpose of education was to learn to think for yourself.

As curriculum evolves, so does the role of the classroom teacher. The traditional teacher is a lecturer, and while this method of teaching has its benefits today we have made room for an alternative approach where the teacher is the guide, or facilitator of knowledge. When the lesson takes on a student-led approach, the process of learning becomes the essential step instead of the product. In the film, the boys unknowingly engage in this process of learning poetry when they recreate their own version of the Dead Poets Society. At first it is the idea of doing something forbidden that excites them but it does not take long for the boys to start reading and even writing their own poems for these gatherings. The Arts curriculum in Ontario refers to this experience as the “Creative Process”.  This approach gives students the freedom to explore and experiment with their own ideas (The Ontario Curriculum Arts, 20). Keating sets his students up with an idea and the tools to explore that idea, from there the boys are able to create something that is beyond what they ever expected, surprising even themselves with the potential they have to create. The experience of the Dead Poets Society deeply impacts that boys in ways that a traditional classroom experience could not.  

Keating’s methods of teaching stand the test of time, not only because of his ability to deliver curriculum, but for his ability to build authentic relationships with students, inspire creativity, and draw out the potential that exists in every kind of student. These intangible aspects of teaching are what leaves the greatest impact on his students, and the audience watching the film. Keating did not just teach his students poetry, he taught them how to think for themselves, which is the greatest lesson to be learned.

Works Cited

Dead Poets Society. Directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Shulman. Touchstone Pictures, 1989.

The Ontario Curriculum Arts, Grades 1-8. Ministry of Education, 2009.

The Ontario Curriculum Grade 11 and 12, Revised. Ministry of Education, 2007.