Propeller Films' Education Coordinator Sheila Sundar recently came back from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, where she worked with a Manassas High School teacher in a local public school to present 'The Recruiter' to students and start a conversation about public service, recruitment, and patriotism. The lesson was filmed and will be available on their
website shortly. Here is her account of her Memphis experience:
Two extraordinary days in Dennis Paden's classroom at Manassas High School in Memphis left me thinking about the extraordinary potential of strong, meaningful, and passionately crafted curriculum. Dennis and I spent our first day together reviewing the lesson that we had selected from the curriculum, and the second day teaching and filming. His students had seen The Recruiter earlier in the year, but Dennis had chosen to insert the lessons throughout his larger unit on foreign policy. We chose to teach the second lesson of the curriculum, "Poverty, Opportunity, and the Decision to Enlist", both because it continued the theme Dennis had been exploring of the history of enlistment and support for war, and because of its relevance to students' lives. Manassas High School has a vibrant ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program and like so many public schools in the South, a strong presence of military recruiters. Dennis reported that 90 percent of the students at Manassas High School live below the poverty line. He attributed the success of military recruiters on his campus to the financial opportunity that the military promises. We believed that this lesson would give students a chance to deconstruct this promise by analyzing the hopes that Matt and Lauren express in the film, and to weigh it against the genuine costs that each eventually incur in their lives.
The discussion was lively and the students were engaged. It was clear that the lesson was a departure from the more structured lessons of the week, which had focused more on the historical events relevant to the unit than to the history's relevance to students' lives and choices. Students made a number of points that illustrated the impact that recruitment had had on them and their communities. Several students, in response to the article "The Poverty Draft", said that they did not think their peers who chose to enlist did so for reasons of patriotism or with a real desire to fight. They argued that some enlisted seeking adventure, but most simply wanted a chance at an education, a career, and financial stability. When asked by the teacher if anyone enlisted because they wanted to serve their country, one student said, "Sure. Maybe one in a hundred." Another commented that if young people just wanted to fight, they could remain in inner-city Memphis and do so. Another student revealed that, while they were exposed to these discussions in their classrooms, many of their friends in neighboring schools had enlisted or considered enlisting without considering a perspective beyond that of the military recruiters who sought them out. These comments were among many insights into the relationship between young people in disadvantaged communities and the recruiters who promise them a way out.
I was also shocked to learn what students didn't know. When their teacher asked them where Iraq was located, one student said it was in Iran. Another student responded, "Afghanistan". The gaps in their knowledge, combined with their enthusiasm, made it clear that history made relevant and alive had the potential to truly engage and educate students. Documentary film can play a powerful role in this. When brought meaningfully into a unit of study it can enliven the coursework that surrounds it, helping students build critical knowledge of the world around them.
