A Response to "Etre et Avoir"

There is a clear difference that exists between the students seen in the film ‘Etre et Avoir’ and the young students we are all used to working with.  Their quiet manner and reserved personalities reflect a difference in character that should not be overlooked.  We are going to a place where the children we are going to be teaching will have entirely different backgrounds from ourselves.  They have the same quirks and same desires to deviate from the rules at times, but they come from dramatically different roots and respond differently to authority.  With that said, the film also depicts a teaching style worth noting.  M. Lopez’s rigorous style of teaching is also fun; he requires a great deal of his students, but teaches in such a way that he has gained their respect and trust.  He challenges them with questions and never gives a direct answer.  Because of this, it is requisite for his students to be engaged.  This is an important philosophy, and one that we should keep in mind when we become teachers ourselves.  M. Lopez became a mentor to his students, not just a teacher.  He  has made himself available to them both on an educational level as well as a personal level.  This is where the film relates to us and our endeavors.  It is important to keep in mind that despite differences inherent in people of different backgrounds there is a personal connection that can be formed between any two individuals.  The relationships we should seek to form with the students at the Gandhi Ashram should be based on confidence and trust.