Enroll in the “School of Rock”!

The touching “School of Rock”, directed by Richard Linklater (Of Before Sunrise and Before Sunsut fame) is all about the kids. Jack Black, who plays Dewey Finn, does a great job hamming it up, as well as helping 5th graders realize that life isn’t all about getting the right answers and being perfect. You can imagine what a prep school would do to a child- drilling into a young person’s head that they need to be a high achieving performer at all times and never to screw up. Black takes this philosophy and says, “Hold on, dude. You’re great the way you are!”

This message is much needed today. We all get a bit uptight when it comes to our responsibilities. Dewey reminds us to chill out, that it’s OK to have a little fun and rock out. Of course, he doesn’t play by the rules most of the time, but then the film wouldn’t be interesting if he did, would it? And who wants to listen to someone who doesn’t practice what he preaches? When it comes to creativity, Dewey has no problem preaching that it’s OK to dance to the beat of your own drum, or to the licks of your own guitar. Whatever you play, Dewey would say, play it loud and proud. Stick it to the man.

Although the kids don’t “stick it to the man,” they do get a lesson in being themselves in the face of the high demands placed on them. They get to have fun and be kids with Dewey in class. It’s sort of a “Freedom Writers” experience for them- they have a freedom to express themselves that they don’t have in other areas of their lives.

The film keeps the issues appropriate to what an elementary school kid would deal with. An especially touching moment is when a child confesses that she struggles with an image issue. Here’s Dewey’s counsel:

Dewey: You have an issue with weight? You know who else has a weight issue? Me! But I get up there on the stage and start to sing, and people worship me!

Brilliant! Dewey is preaching to the choir here, and the choir is listening. He’s speaking from the heart, because he’s speaking from personal experience, all to help a kid feel better about herself. In another example, other students in the film didn’t have the musical talents needed in the band. That’s OK, Dewey says. Everyone has a job! He then assigns creative jobs for each student. Each has their role, their contribution to the whole. If we all had teachers like Dewey, we’d all be rock stars in life!

Thanks Jack Black for being yourself while inspiring kids to be their best!