Pay it forward!

: A reaction paper

There were many films created depicting a school, a teacher and his/her students. There were
plots, endings that can be liked or disliked by viewers and many reviews. But more than that, these
movies are reflections of both realistic events and the idealism of the producer in describing an ideal
educator and such. One of these movies is a film entitled Pay it Forward!

I was so into the film because it was about a social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet whose
assignment that he had given to his students inspired Trevor (one of his students) to create a mechanism
on how to change the world. For me, this is a relevant film in my case because I am a current social
science major planning to teach Social Studies in high school in the near future.

“How can you change the world?” this is a question everyone had encountered before, and one
of the questions I was tasked to find an answer, since I am now studying the society around us and also
the world. This question, which is the assignment Mr. Simonet had given to his students is one of the
most important questions for everyone, especially those who study society. That question also made me
reflect the cliché that “nothing is impossible” because that assignment sends a message that you can do
something to change the world, even though it is hard, but it does not mean that it is impossible. That
one assignment the protagonist teacher had given to his students in the movie, also helped me to believe
not just in others but for myself that we can do anything to turn things around and change the society
and the world we live in,

Mr. Simonet is somehow an ideal social studies teacher our society needs today. He possesses
qualities of a good teacher. First of those qualities is him being a visionary. He has vision for the world he
lives in, and for me, every teacher must have vision for his/her students and also to the world we live in
because it will guide us to help our students achieve their dreams, and collectively, change the status quo
for betterment. This, for me, is a good quality every teacher must possess. Even though I am challenged
for this, but I believe I can make it.

Second, he is a positive thinker. Even though the world seems to be hopeless, he is eager to tell
his students that they can do anything to change the world. He believes in the abilities of his young
students. In this world full of hopelessness and pessimism, this type of educator or any figures of
authority is what we need right now and I am pleased to the character of the teacher in the film, and I
am filled with hope that there were other educators in real life that thinks like him.

Third, Mr. Simonet motivates. He is a motivating figure in the eyes of Trevor, his student. I saw
in the film how he inspired Trevor to do something he believed that will change the world, despite his
experiences. I saw in the film that a teacher can be a motivating factor to his/her students because of
the image a teacher projects to the students. That is the reason why a teacher is an epitome of positive
attributes to the students, because they will learn from you, and they will use it to realize their dreams
and how they will interact with others.

Fourth is that he is passionate. Mr. Simonet, in the film, was seen as a passionate teacher in the
way he teach and his mindset in teaching his students, you will see his passion to teach Social Studies to
them. Teaching is a passion, they say, because this art needs our eagerness to educate the students
about everything they need to know about life. Also, teaching needs our commitment in helping build the
future of the students that we have in a classroom. Being passionate is an attribute that can propel you
to your best when it comes to teaching.
 Another quality Mr. Simonet has is being outspoken. He speaks his mind to his students, giving
them valuable learnings that will help them achieve their goals. As a teacher, you can help your students
too, by giving them valuable lessons that they can use in their later life and giving your insights and
showing your values can be a good way to be an outspoken teacher. This encouraged me to speak my
mind and learn through the insights of those who will hear the things that I speak

Mr. Simonet is somehow an ideal figure of a Social Studies teacher. When applied to our current
context, his enthusiasm, his pedagogy, his approach to his students, his views and vision are also the
ideal qualities of a teacher according the standards for professional teacher in the Philippines, since those
qualities are relevant to the education system of our country, and that is what we, Filipinos, need in
these current times. I am inspired to improve myself to achieve the best that I could do as an education
student and a professional teacher in the future.

The film conveys a good message that we, teachers, were not just a subject teacher, but also
values teachers that touch the hearts and inspire our student that we can do something to turn things
around for the betterment of all. This film also gave me hope about the value of humanity, and as my
goal, I want to inspire my future students to have a vision to change the status quo for the better and
help them believe and bring out the best in them, and “pay it forward” in order to expand the great
lesson and values.

Submitted by: Shaine Christian Ocampo

Course, Year and Section: BSSE II-9

Student Number: UG201800078

Subject: 2PROFED07- Principles and Methods in Teaching

Professor: Dr. Nerissa S. Tantengco