Mr. H and his Unruly Puppets

I am running out of time in my consultant position and just like it used to be at the end of the classroom year I seem to get energized as the end is coming. I decided long ago not to go into journalism because I didn't like writing under pressure. Later I realized I only wrote under pressure. It must be the adrenaline rush of knowing the end is near.
But thanks to the help of Denise Johnson we managed to have a screening at the VSB of this wonderful film and as a bonus we had the star and the film maker there as well.
I only worked with Bob for a year but I was amazed just by his classroom which was incredible as well as what he did with his first grade students. He led them through a kind of Odyssey out of which came sheer delight and wonderful learning. A classical scholar, he brought this passion to the classroom as well as his love of poetry which many of us have been able to savour through his wonderful children's books. He also happens to be just a lovely person.
I missed the initial screening but was invited to another for UBC student teachers, and as Bob said himself we don't often have documentation of teaching. Thanks to filmmaker and VSB teacher, Annie O'Donaghue, we have this wonderful view into Bob's classroom and get to feel the magic, focusing in on the use of the puppets who teach the children so much about life as well as learning. Soon it will be available through the VSB media services. We can't all be Bob but we can all benefit from the message that we need to find our own passion and joy in our own classrooms and take our own risks. Don't miss seeing it!