Psychological Considerations in Values Education

Derived from Mr. Holland’s Opus

by Samuel B. Batara

A.
A number of needs characteristic of adolescents and High School students were evident in the
film Mr. Holland’s Opus. The need to be treated no longer as children but as adults was often
expressed either verbally or attitudinally. Glenn Holland at first fumbles his way to teach
musically inept and cacophonous kids. Gradually, he learns how to teach and does so superbly.
He develops from a very boring teacher to an inspirational one. Slowly he gets caught up in the
passion for teaching. He originally plans to stay only for a short while but he remained for thirty
years.

Adolescents need to think about their “new” bodies and their “new” selves in qualitatively new
ways. Normal teenagers as they are, they need to belong and long for social approval. This was
expressed through the putting on of make up and above the knee cut of skirts, young acts which
were reviled and checked or disapproved by the conservative Principal Dukakis and her assistant
Vice Principal Wolters. Mr. Holland however knew that self-expression was a natural right for
these kids who need to have some fun.

Adolescents begin to discriminate between their thoughts about reality and reality itself and
come to recognize that their assumptions have an element of arbitrariness and may not actually
represent the true nature of experience. There is the need to commit mistake in order to learn, and
to differ from the rest. These were met by Mr Holland’s adopted attitude towards his students –
that everyone is special, in need of special attention, which he spent in remediation. He gave
each student encouragement as he believed in their potential and abilities.

Socially important are the interactions with peers and elders and with the assumption of adult
roles and responsibilities. Adolescents face the emergence of the marked importance of peer
groups. The adolescent comes to rely heavily on the peer group for support, security, and
guidance during a time when such things are urgently needed and since perhaps only others
experiencing the same transition can be relied upon to understand what that experience is. Peers
influence adolescents in regard to such issues as educational aspirations and performance. Mr.
Holland rightly guides the desire for gang and fraternal associations into the development of the
youth’s interest in music. And he explored music from Bach to Beatles, and whatever he thought
he could use to get through to the adolescents in his class. These he eloquently defended from
criticisms issued by the conservative administration. He is guided along the path to being a true
teacher and a positive influence of the new generation by the principal and the head coach Bill
Meiser. Two jobs a teacher has: fill young minds with knowledge, give compass to these minds.

Strong desire for social approval and cooperation and intense gang spirit among students have
been channeled into interest groups that spent extra time in rehearsals and musical concerts and
theatrical presentations. The desire for competition so common among adolescents has been
coursed into such co-curricular activities as marching band contests and football matches.

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Mr. Holland also made the recognition that a person who has lived for 12 years or more has
developed a certain sense of self as well as of self-capacity. With determination, he teaches an
instrument to a black wrestler who needs the credit. He finds trick to inculcate rhythm to the kid.
He showed his students that he meant something good for them.

Adolescents are expected to make the first steps toward career objectives. Adolescent dilemma is
that of finding a role, which is generally taken to be the outward expression of identity. The
adolescent must find an orientation to life that not only fulfills the attributes of the self but at the
same time is consistent with what society expects. A lasting resolution of the adolescent identity
crisis paid off as Mr. Holland’s opportunity to shape and influence several generations of young
people came to a highlight when asked to conduct an orchestra of students paying homage to
their teacher. He touched the lives of his students.

Mr. Holland, however, cannot handle having a deaf adolescent child who cannot appreciate what
he finds to be the greatest joy of his life – music. As a consequence, he neglects his son in favor
of his students who can be taught to appreciate music.

B.
To be effective in helping individual adolescents in their total development, the teacher should
realize that his teaching be suited to learners representing a wide range of ability, intelligence,
aptitude, and perhaps, age. They differ in their rates of learning and responding, and in the
amount of help they need. Individuals differ in their mental capacities, physique and emotional
stabilities as well as in their environmental and cultural backgrounds.

To meet the needs of the fast, the average and the slow learners, the teacher provides a variety of
materials for reinforcement and enrichment purposes. He takes time to understand his students
and gather extensive information and use the data in the best interest of the students. Early
discovery of the learner’s talents can eventually lead to their unfolding, thus enabling him to
attain his potentials as human being and acquire the essential foundation for his development into
productive and enlightened citizen.

In terms of teaching procedures derived from the movie, the teacher needs to motivate learners
properly; adapt methods of teaching to the aims of the lessons and to the needs, abilities and
interests of learners; stimulate creative activities of learners; provide for differentiated activities
and assignments to meet the needs and abilities of the class; provide remedial teaching as
necessary; and give proper guidance and counseling to learners.

C.
Rowena Morgan was god-sent to Mr. Holland. His ideal dream of sophistication in music and the
arts was met halfway in the talent of this young attractive lady who suddenly came out of the
blue. His own need to have someone who can portray excellence to prove to pessimistic around
that he could be a success was on its way to fulfillment. The risk of temptation is high as the
much needed love and attention longed were stolen by promising young lass from his son and
wife. But Holland exhibited self-control, a value which also made an impact on the life of the
tempter.

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Being the Guidance Coordinator in my school of four thousand high schoolers, there have been
countless occasions, when I felt a girl has been exhibiting unprecedented maturity, yet so
consumed by fear of death as a result of ever divulging a repeated rape case perpetrated by a
father, a step father or step brother. The girl makes sense in her innocence that I would be willing
to keep her in my house for protective custody after failing to convince her that the Department
of Social Welfare can do much to help her if she only would cooperate.

As a teacher, I have gone through such intense liking for a lady student because of her talents and
interests that are akin to mine. Undue attention is issued to a single student at the expense of the
others in the class.

The value of social responsibility should be inculcated at an early age. An understanding of the
ramifications of pervert actions would do well to instill prudence and self-control to both young
and old. Courses in responsible relationships, especially between sexes, as well as love,
courtship, marriage and parenthood would sow seeds that bear fruit at a time when the risks of
temptation are high. Role modeling among adults is still much needed for our youth.