Coach Carter Way Essay

The American Educational institution is stereotypical in a sense that’s it’s built around the American Dream concept. The American educational institution set that platform for the future. Students go to grammar school, junior high, and high school in aspiration to go on to higher education. In the movie coach carter, the struggle, is what’s built character in the players to become elite, therefore, pressing the stereotype that knowledge is power In this situation, Cruz a player says –‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. You’re playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously g ive other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. â€Å"This central quote of the film packs a powerful emotional punch. Clients will often focus on a fear of failure before realizing that it is success that is more frightening. Success entails making sacrifices, and trading the comfort of mediocrity with the intensity of glory. â€Å"It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us† because in the dark we can hide and remain anonymous. When we start to shine, we open ourselves up to the world and to possible criticism. Shining brightly also means obtaining greater amounts of responsibility The film Coach Carter was very captivating. To others it may seem a little clichà © like another â€Å"Piece of the Action† with Sidney Portiere or â€Å"Lean on Me† with Morgan Freeman. Both films are American stereotypical educational institutions in their own rights. However, Coach Carter intersects where they are parallel, by not just giving the students tough love, but giving the players more than hopes of being great athletes. The Coach, Ken Carter gives these players affirmations and inspirations so that they may go on to become great men. In the film Coach Ken emphasizes academics, leadership and gained the respect of his players. The American educational institution is stereotypical in a sense that it is built around the concept of the â€Å"American dream†. This concept sets the platform for the future. You go to grammar school, junior high and on to high school all in aspiration to go onto higher education. Also to think that with higher education there is greater opportunity. â€Å"Well, let me tell you what I see. I see a system that’s designed for you to fail. Now I know you all like stats so let me give you some. Richmond High only graduates fifty percent of its students. And of those that do graduate only six percent go to college; which tells me when I walk down these halls and I look in your classrooms, maybe only one student is going to go to college. Well damn, Coach Carter, If I ain’t going to college, where am I going to go? Well that’s a great question. And the answer for young, African American men in here is this: probably, to prison. In this county, thirty three percent of black males between eighteen and twenty four get arrested. So look at the guy on your left, now look at the guy on your right. One of you is going to get arrested.† (Coach Ken Carter, Coach Carter Film, 2005) In this Film Coach Ken Carter emphasizes on the dire need for academia. Throughout the movie he belts out the many statistics that the Richmond basketball players are up against. He rules with an iron fist. He also acknowledges that many of the players are not performing well in their current classes and forces their parents to get active, and forces the players to improve their grades. He helps them make this change by enforcing s contract, study time and discipline. In Coach Carter acknowledging that these players need a strong academic support system he pushed them harder so that they may have that option for higher education. â€Å"You said we’re a team. One person struggles, we all struggle. One person triumphs, we all triumph.† (Jason Lyle, Coach Carter Film, 2005) In the film Coach Carter, the struggle, is what built character in the players to become elite. Coach Carter showed leadership by his motivation to inspire these young men. His leadership came from his passion to teach and coach. This film was a direct reflection of his integrity and leadership. In this docudrama Coach Carter did not fill these young men with a false hope. He served a purpose in letting these young know that they could break the statistics and the institutionalized stereotypes placed upon their education based upon numbers. He laid the foundation for the expectation of an American dream. In the film Coach Carter, Coach Carter gains the respect of the players by being driven and unwavering. He allowed them to find themselves, he valued them and he taught the players self worth. He did not just talk a good talk he walked the walk. He was a true example of practice what you preach. He lived every single work he spoke to the players and they respected that. â€Å"I came to coach basketball players, and you became students. I came to teach boys, and you became men.† (Coach Ken Carter, Coach Carter Film, 2005) His goal was to gain the respect of these young men while teaching them that it is more the life than the four corners of their block and what was going on in their life at the present. He did not just gain the respect of just the players he gained the respect of his colleagues and the parents. In conclusion Coach Ken carter defied the odds of the stereotypical American institutional education system for young men of color in an impoverished area such as Richmond California. He emphasized on academia which heightened the expectation of his players. He gained the respect of his players by being a man if his word, showing great restraint and growing the distance to be the role model that they needed. He is indeed a leader because he pushed the envelope and exposed them to thought patterns I’m not sure they could have ever conceived on their own. Coach Ken CARTER broke the mold.