Les Choristes
This lovely movie started when two old friends that had more than 50 years without know about each other. One of them is Pépinot, who went to visit Morhange. They started to talk about those days when they studied at Fond de L’etang. While they were seeing a picture about all of them in the school, Morhange asked Pepinot, about their teacher, Clement Mathieu. At that moment, Pépinot, who considered Mathieu as his father, gave him the dairy that Mathieu wrote in 1949, while he was at the school, working as the new school prefect. In the dairy was the story of Mathieu’s life and even their life. Pépinot said that Mathieu did it for Morhange.
Fond de L’etang was a boarding school for children with problems, which were orphans, homeless or their parents couldn’t support them. Mathieu went to work there because he thought that his life couldn't get worst, because he said he had failed in different areas.
When Mathieu arrived at first time to the school, he found a child (Pépinot) behind the door waiting for his father, who would come to pick him up on Saturday. Then he introduced himself to Maxence who was the janitor, nurse, he did other jobs. Mathieu told him that he was the new school prefect also he was a music professor. Mathieu apologized because he came late, but the director, who was very strict, told him that punctuality was a fundamental value. After that, the director asked him to memorize the rules of the school.
Then Rachin reunited all the students because Maxence had been hurt at the infirmary. Rachin wanted to know who did that to Maxence, so he threatened them that all of them were going to be punished one by one. They didn't say a word, so he called Mathieu and ordered to pick a name that was going to be punished. He picked Boniface. The director ordered to Mathieu to accept his order. Mathieu didn’t agreed the way they ruled the school, because it was based on the principle Action and Reaction.
Mathieu was going to take Regent's job, which had been hurt several times by the students. He told him that he heard Le Querrec set the trap to Maxence, and also advised him to watch out of all of them, especially Morhange, who looked like an angel and acted like a devil. He was a rebel,
At the first class the classroom was all a mess, the students were yelling and all of them were walking around the classroom. One of them saw Mathieu coming to the classroom and they returned to their seats. When Mathieu entered he almost fell down, so a student took his folder. There were a mess again and suddenly Rachin went to the classroom and saw Mathieu pulling Le Querrec's arm because he had his folder. Mathieu denied that he was going to punish him. In that moment al the students noticed that Mathieu was different from the other teachers. Then Mathieu wanted to know who hurt Maxence, but no one say a word, so he asked who was Le Querrec, after that he said that he was going to send him to Rachin's office, meanwhile Mathieu chose Morhange who had to watch all the students for him, while he was absent. Le Querrec asked for forgiveness to Mathieu, He accepted but Le Querrec had to help Maxence with all the things that he could need. Mathieu was afraid about all the bad things that everyone had told him about the students.
The next day, Mathieu talked to Rachin and asked him to cancel the general punishment; He told him that he knew who did it, but he didn't want to tell him his name. Rachin accepted and told him that he didn't like the way Mathieu controls his student and teach them. But there you realized that they students respect Mathieu more than Rachin, because they students were taunting Rachin when they walked behind him and when they were walking behind Mathieu they didn't do anything
Later, Mathieu went to his bedroom and he realized that someone had stolen his folder. He went to the bathroom and found Morhange, Le Querrec and another student with his stuff. After that, he went to the student’s bedroom, there were a mess too, they were play with the pillows and one of them was playing the harmonic and singing, then one of them was interested in the music that he had in his folder. Mathieu was surprised because although they didn't sing well, they sang something.
Then, he started the auditions and classified the students in groups according their tone of voice. Since that day they started to practice in the chorus. Mathieu every night wrote a new song for this chorus. In that way, he would be noticed as a music teacher. Mathieu had to ask to Rachin for permission. Rachin was surprised with that idea of form a chorus. Morhange felt sad because he wasn’t in the chorus. Then he entered in the classroom and practiced the musical scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
One day the Duchess wanted to listen to the chorus. She had been donating some money for the school. Morhange had not been practicing since he threw ink to Mathieu. The day when the Duchess went to the school, Morhange was not expected to sing, but Mathieu forgave him and he started to sing his solo. In that moment he realized that Mathieu had trusted in him and he appreciated it. She got astonished because the kids did it well, they sang beautiful!.
At that time, the math teacher joined the chorus. He played the piano. The same day, Rachin left the school because he had a meeting with the Duchess, for that reason he took 2 week of vacations. Mathieu and Maxence decided not to have classes that day. They went to a walk with all the students, when they returned, the school was burned up. Rachin blamed Mathieu and fired him because he had broken the rules. Rachin was a frustated teacher. He never wanted to be one. He did not like to be there with all the students. Mathieu told him all the things that he thought about him. The students could not say goodbye to him, but they wrote some letters and threw them away through the windows, in that way when Mathieu was leaving he could find them. In that specific moment he felt happy, but he kept on thinking about himself as an unsuccessful musician who no one noticed about his life.
After that, Morhange was accepted at Musical School. Rachin was fired because he was accused of to mistreat the students. Mathieu kept teaching music for the rest of his life. When Mathie was leaving the school, Pépinot called him. Pepinot wanted to escape with Mathieu. That day was Saturday; Mathieu thought about it just one second and then picked him up.
1. What does the school predict about the students who attend there?
They predicted that all the students were rebels and they did not obey the rules.
2. When did most of the students come from?
They came from France.
3. Why do you think they were there?
Most of them are homeless, they were orphans, or their parents couldn’t support them.
4. What expressions about education did you hear in the movie?
Punctuality is a fundamental value.
Action-Reaction
Education comes first.
5. What qualities did you see in the teacher that shows the qualities of a good teacher?
He was comprenhensive. He cared about the students. He showed them constancy againt all the challenges they could face.
6. Why didn’t Mathieu want to touch his music?
Because he considered himself as an unsuccessful musician, who no one noticed about his life.
7. Why is Pierre Morhange´s conflict?
He felt alone. He missed her mother. Someone who loved him and took care of him.
8. What does Rachín think about Mathieu’s manners to teach?
He thought they didn’t work, that his manners were a waste of time.
9. Does action – reaction method actually pay off?
No, I don’t think so. Instead of control them it makes them even more rebels.
10. Do you know the term “Gray teacher”? Is it applicable to Rachín? State your reasons.
I am not sure about the meaning, but maybe it is related with Rachin’s feelings about education and manners to teach. He was cruel because he never wanted to be a teacher and also he never wanted to be at that boarding school.
11. What values did Mathieu show to his students?
Honesty, Confidence, Team work, Constancy, Effort, Dedication, Self-esteem, Discipline and others.
12. Mathieu last words were “No one ever knew I was alive “. Why did he mean by that?
He said that no one notice about his life because he felt he had failed in different areas in his life
13. Does music represent a mere leisure activity for the kids in Fond de L´etang?
No, it became part of their lives.
14. Do you think Mathieu to be a failed teacher or person? Why?
No, I don't think so. I think he is a very successful and humanistic teacher. He achieved a change in the students' lives and their behavior.
15. According to Pépinot, “does Mathieu keep everything to himself”?
According to him, Mathieu kept everything that he did to himself but not all the things. I guess because he was a teacher and he shared his knowledge.
16. Why do you think music is chosen as a vital subject to change the kids’ lives and not math or physics instead? What does music mean to you?
For me, music is happiness. If you sing, is because you are happy and your soul too. Through the music you can express your feelings, emotions and behavior. Everybody enjoys music; it is part of our lives. Because of that everybody has a favorite song.
17. Can music be a useful tool to teach English?
Of course, music is a powerful and useful tool to apply in class. Since kids until old people, everybody enjoy music.It is a funny and easy way to learn; you can explain everything that you want through music. Actually, it is a very apprehensive teaching method.
posted by »-(¯`v´¯)-»Laurita»-(¯`v´¯)-» @ 5:09 PM
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