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Review movie “Mr Holland’s Opus”

Mr. Holland’s Opus
The story begins when Glenn Holland is woken up by his wife, Iris. Glenn is a musician
who never been a teacher before. However, he has taken a job as a music teacher in John F.
Kennedy School, which needs him to be a morning person.
In the school, he meets the principal. She gives him some information about the school.
Then, he enters the class and meets the student for the first time. In his first experience of
teaching, he found that teaching is not easy. It is because his students are not interested with the
material that he delivered. He also found that his students are not good musician and very bad in
music. He also notices a girl who always makes mistake with her clarinet during the practice.
Glenn tries to help her to play the clarinet, but her playing doesn’t improve at all.
Moreover, his class is still not interested with his subject and gets nothing from her teaching.
Those problems make him fed up with teaching and tell it to Iris. Iris tries to make her husband
clam, but then she make Glenn shock by telling him that she’s pregnant. Iris sees Glenn’s face,
which looks not happy, and then laying and crying on the bed. Sees what happen with his wife,
he runs after her and tell her that he is happy to have a baby.
After all the things happen, he decided to use different method to make his students
interested and understand about the materials. The method that he uses is using a rock and roll
music, which is not allowed by the school. Before going home, he meets his student, girl with
clarinet, who then tells him that she give up playing it. But then, Glenn told her to play it with a
happy feeling and it works. She graduates from school with the ability to play the clarinet.
Unfortunately, the principal knows that Glenn teach the student with rock and roll music. Then,
as the punishment he is asked by the principal to teach marching band.
He faces a problem with one of the member of Marching Band, Louis, who cannot follow
the tempo. He tries to find the way to make this student can follow the tempo and he did it. As a
teacher, he always tries to find ways to make his student understand about the lesson. He never
uses the same way to teach the student because he knows that every student is different. Never
give up is what he always tells to the student. As a teacher he is a very good role model.
Another problem appears, Iris found that his child cannot hear anything and doctor said
that their child is deaf. As time goes by, Glenn still cannot accept the condition of his child. Until
his child makes him realize that he is his father. As a musician, he wants his child knows about
music. Then, he discovered the way to teach music for the deaf. As a father, he gives the best for
 Nur Amalina

Review movie “Mr Holland’s Opus”

his child and as a husband he always makes his wife as the only woman to live with. Moreover,
he act as a father but also a teacher.
At the end of this movie, Glenn gets fired because art, music and drama are not in
curriculum anymore. Iris and his child make a surprise for him by inviting all his student from
the first time he taught music at John F. Kennedy School. All his friends also come to that
surprise party. It proves that he has been a good friend for them. In conclusion, as a profession,
an individual, and a community member he stills apply the values of a teacher.

2. How do you see teacher as an individual person and his/her role as a teacher?
In my opinion, a teacher has to be teacher wherever and whenever he/she is. Teacher here
doesn’t mean a person who teaches the student, but it is more about a good role model. When
teachers are not in classroom or even outside of the school, their students will always think that
they are their teacher. Therefore, everything that teacher does will be followed by the students.

3. What would you do if you were the main character?

If I were Mr. Glenn Holland I would do the same thing like he did. I will find ways to
help my student to understand the material. I will always give spirit for them to learn. I will also
make them think that nothing is impossible in this world. Besides, I will be a better father for my
son than him. I will try to learn his language and play with him. Therefore, I will understand my
son very well.

4. What are the characteristics of a professional teacher?

1. Understand that every student is different.
2. Willing to help student to understand the material.
3. Willing to find ways to help the student learn.
4. be patient and creative.
5. Can differentiate between live inside and outside the school.