Shiloh Jail M.

Monton

Principles and Strategy in Teaching Health Education

“The Ron Clark Story”
There was this teacher named Ron Clark from North Carolina teaching in 5 th grade decided
to go to New York City to pursue and live his big dreams. He had a hard time looking for a
school to teach on, so he applied on a restaurant as a waiter. One day as he looks for a
school, an incident welcomed him. There a teacher resigned because of a of the students’
attitude but this does not discouraged Mr. Clark. He was thrilled to teach the lowest ranked
students in the whole New York School District. These students do not respect and listen to
him, but he was still able to make them follow him. When he thought that everything was
going out so well, his students are more encouraged to push him and make him leave. He
also thought of leaving the students but thanks to his friend, she was able to convince him
to not give up. The story goes on and the students are now coping up and having fun with
his strategies and started to like him. He even offers them time for a tutor after class and in
weekends. He sympathized with his students’ situations in life and encourage their parents
to help their children. They all know that the effort that Mr. Clark is giving is for the
upcoming State Exam. Though they look at themselves as worst students, he inspires them
to dream big. Weeks are coming and the State exam is near when he got his pneumonia.
The doctor told him to stay at home to rest for two weeks but his passion for teaching and
preparing the students does not stay at home. He makes ways to still teach them by
recording himself. The big day came, and the students were able to finish the exam and it
turns out that his students got the highest scores even in the honors class who scores the
top 10 percentile state exams every year. The movie ended with the class celebrating for
their achievement with their parents.

There are four main Characters in the movie that possesses different attributes they
are Mr. Ron Clark, a passionate teacher who pursue his dream in New York and made a
change in the life of the unfortunate students. Shamika Wallace, a 12-year-old gifted child
nursing his three brothers and one who perfected the State Exam in English and Math. Julio
Vasquez, a clumsy student and has problem in stealing, who is great in mathematics. And
Tayshawn Mitchell, someone who are struggling with his foster parents and in math with a
wide variety of imagination in arts.

In the Story, Mr. Clark established a goals and objectives for his students. The goals
are to dream big and to make learning fun. Their objectives are to pass the state exam, learn
how to respect each other like addressing correctly, and learn how to respect each one like
a family.
 Ron Clark used different action plan to achieve the goals and he even used
unconventional methods of teaching to help them learn more such as using Music and Rap
in teaching, drinking chocolate milk just for them to listen, when he was sicked, he recorded
himself, plays card with his student while relating it to the lesson, and he meets the parents
or family of his students first and get acquainted with them.

My first impression of the students is that they are not going to achieve great things.
I just thought that they somehow will pass the state exam and that’s it. I never thought that
they will even top the honors class. But before all those achievements, there are many
challenges that they first must overcome such as short temperedness, it was Mr. Ron Clark’s
attitude at first, but he was able to overcome it and have more patience and understanding.
Another challenge in their bad behaviors, the students had this because of many factors
that affects them to do such. Low-Self Esteem, because of they are known of being the
lowest and worst students in the whole district, they too looked at themselves like that. The
students also have social communication problem especially in the character of Badriyah
and It is because of their culture. Another challenge is peer pressure. It was emphasized in
the character of Tayshawn.

Mr. Ron and his students had to face obstacles and had to learn to work it our
together. The examples of obstacles are family struggles, culture and tradition,
communication problem due to insecurity and jealousy, the institution and the owner’s
expectation is also included and lastly the society’s expectations.

There are also support group happened in the story that made the success possible.
The first example of Support group that happened in the story is when Ron lost his mind
with what the student is doing by not doing what he asked for them to do. He walked out
the classroom and asked for Marissa to tour him in the place. As they talk, their topic went
to how the school went, and Ron told her what happened, and he said that he gave up.
Marissa encourages him that they also felt helpless every day, and maybe he will be that
one guy that turns it around for them and so he still went on to teach. The next is when Ron
got back to teach after weeks of being sick. His students are discouraged that they will not
be able to pass the exam, he encouraged the students that they have already achieve a
great change. And it does not matter whatever the result of the exam is.

Like what the quotations say, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step” and, “Winners never quit, and Quitters never win,” it is very important to pursue your
goals no matter what obstacles there may be. They say that there will always be sunshine
after the rain, though oftentimes, it may look like a super typhoon that will bring us to our
knees, but through this, we can gain more strength with God and stand again firmly. Just
the like the trees, whose foliage was rich after the rain, just like the grass, it grows again
after the storm, just like the flowers, it smiles again more richly after the rain, we too, can
shine brightly as we overcome obstacles in life.