This movies defines everything I have become and will become since the age of 14.

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 1999)

One cold winter night, way back in 1994, shortly after her birthday, a fourteen year old girl and her mother were having girl's night. After spending an indeterminable amount of time in the local Blockbuster, the mother had selected Terms of Endearment. The daughter, wanting something lighter, and nursing a serious crush on Robert Sean Leonard, chose a Robin Williams movie called Dead Poets Society, assuming it was a comedy. That was the best mistake of my life. I went through a box and a half of kleenex from Neil's suicide on. Here is what this film taught me: 1) If all you think of from when you wake up in the morning to when you go to sleep at night is a profession, a talent, or an idea, that's what you are meant to do. 2) There is nothing wrong with being smart. 3) Each of us is given a brief time on this earth, and we must make the most of it. 4) You have to learn to think for yourself. 5) "No matter what anyone tells you, words and ideas can change the world." I'm not such a little girl anymore and I am preparing to leave in a year for college. This video will go with me. When ever I feel like giving up, like scraping it all to be normal, I watch this film. I only hope, as I prepare to become a teacher, I can inspire my students to make their lives extraordinary. Sincerely, Rebecca