The Soloist

Two nights ago, I finally got around to watching The Soloist. I've become a bit of a Redbox fanatic, as it's helped me catch up on recent movies I've missed without, well, breaking my bank. Some movies are barely worth the $1 rental, but The Soloist impressed me greatly. It was based on a true story which made the flick even more enjoyable and interesting.

The movie centered around a relationship between a newspaper columnist, John Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., who befriends a homeless man, played by Jamie Foxx, who turns out to be an absolute virtuoso at the cello. The reporter does a little snooping into the man's past and finds out that he had actually studied for a while at the Julliard but mysteriously dropped out. Upon further research he finds out that the man has suffered from mental illness, most likely schizophrenia, since his time in music school. The reporter goes to extravagant means to help the man, Nathaniel Ayers, regain a respectable way of life enlisting the help of Ayers's family members and professional musicians in Los Angeles. At the end, however, Lopez realizes that Nathaniel is comfortable where he is and doesn't want any assistance from counselors, doctors, or psychologists.

I think I identified with Downey's character so much because I find myself in similar situations frequently as a teacher. I've taught in small towns and affluent suburbs, public schools and private, and I've always taken a personal interest in each of the hundreds of students I've had over the years. Sometimes I'm able to connect with and make a difference in the lives of my pupils, but the hard part is when I do all that I can and the student shows no desire to improve or change. I've always maintained that I take a much too intensive personal interest in the lives of my students. Maybe that's what's expected? Maybe it's not? I know I've always been my worst critic, and I always struggle emotionally with apathetic students who don't want to work to their potential.

Thank you for letting me vent!