The document provides summaries of 5 movies that were assigned viewing for an Introduction to Special Education course. The movies explore topics related to individuals with disabilities and special needs, including Asperger's syndrome, deaf-blindness, inner-city education challenges, and autism. One movie in particular, "Every Child is Special", focuses on a boy with dyslexia whose artistic talents are recognized by his art teacher as demonstrating his intellectual abilities in a non-traditional way. The document includes the student's reflections on lessons learned from each movie.

1. Republic of the Philippines
CEBUNORMALUNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Center of Training
Center of Excellence (COE)
Level IV Accredited Status (AACCUP)
Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City, Philippines
INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION - 4004
MOVIE CRITIQUES
(Summer 2018)
ARIEL A. CANONIGO May 04, 2018
MAED P.E.
Movie #01: MY NAME IS KHAN
Movie Synopsis/plot and Summary
Rizwan Khan (Tanay Chheda) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir
and his mother (Zarina Wahab) in a middle class family in the Borivali section of
Mumbai. Rizwan is different from the other children and no one, including his mother,
can understand why. However, he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to
repair any machine that is broken. His difference leads to special tutoring from a
reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother. This attention, however, leads
to a heightened level of jealousy from his brother Zakir, who eventually leaves his
family for a life in the United States.
Despite this resentment, as an adult Zakir sponsors Rizwan to come and live with
him in San Francisco. It is at this time that Zakir's psychologist wife, Haseena
diagnoses Rizwan as having Asperger's syndrome, a disorder which makes it difficult
for people to interact socially.
Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir as an herbal salesman and in the process he
meets a Hindu woman, Mandira and her young son, Sameer or Sam, from a
previous marriage. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down
in the fictional town of Banville, where both Mandira and Samir take Rizwan's last

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name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sam is close with
their young son, Reese while Mark is a journalist and Sarah is a friend of Mandira.
The Khans' perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the September 11
attacks on the twin towers in New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in
Afghanistan and dies there. At the same time, the Khan family begins to experience
post 9-11 prejudice in their community and Reese begins to turn against Sam as
well. One afternoon, an argument between them turns into a racially motivated
schoolyard fight between Sam and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop
the fight but is held back and Sam is injured so badly that he dies. A shattered
Mandira blames Rizvan for his death stating that Sam "died only because his name
was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants him in her life. When he
asks her what he has to do to be a part of her life, she tells him that he has to tell the
people of the United States, and the President that his name is Khan and that he is
not a terrorist.
Rizvan thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another
(including Georgia, where he is befriended by Mama Jenny) in order to first meet
President George W. Bush and later Barack Obama. During this quest, he is
detained and later freed from the San Francisco Airport. Later, in Los Angeles, he
prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from Faisal Rahman. He reports
this to the FBI but there is no response at that moment. Later, while waiting in a
crowd to meet President Bush and repeating again and again, "my name is Khan
and I am not a terrorist," Rizwan is arrested and placed in a prison by police who
misinterpret his statement.
While in the prison he is tortured as a terrorist suspect and meets the psychiatrist
Radha who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by
two Indian student reporters Raj and Komal and Bobby Ahuja prove his innocence
by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release,
he returns to hurricane-hit Georgia to help Mama Jenny and her son. His efforts
attract media attention and numerous Muslims come to help as well. At the same
time, Reese confesses to Mandira and reveals the identity of the boys who beat up
Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on
the case.

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After they are brought to justice, she joins Rizwan in Georgia. At the moment she
arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by a follower of Faisal Rahman and is rushed to the
hospital. With Mandira's help, he survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama
(Christopher B. Duncan) who tells him: "Your name is Khan and you are not a
terrorist."
REFLECTION/COMMENTS
My name is Khan is one of the lined-up movies given by our professor
absolutely compulsory viewing for our finals.
One of my classmates, sent a complete copy of the movie, however, it has
only Malay language subtitle. However, I just take it as a challenge because the film
was so inspiring and moving from start til the end, and I am thankful of that.
This is a Bollywood film, of course the characters were Indians, they were
best in acting and portraying roles, especially khan the asperger’s syndrome
persona, a form of high-functioning autism that complicates socialization.
The movie also features global problems such as terrorism, hurricane and mal
treating of people who experience behavioral dilemma.
Muslims were most victims of terrorist accusations, somehow the movie
emphasizes that Islam never taught terrorism, that love for people should be our
prime purpose in life, no matter how they look, how they behave or what religion they
are, they are given the chance to show their sentiments.
I admitted I cried while watching this movie, but one thing I could say, my
name is Ariel and I am not a terrorist 

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Movie #02: "THE MIRACLE WORKER"
Movie Synopsis and Summary
One-and-a-half-year-old Helen Keller is sick with acute congestion and a high fever.
She makes it through the ordeal, but after the doctor leaves, her parents, Captain
Arthur and Kate Keller, are horrified to discover that the illness left Helen deaf and
blind. Five years pass and the Keller family is unable to find any doctor, teacher, or
quack that can do anything to help Helen. The undisciplined, groping, curious girl is
left to her own devices, grabbing toys from other children, knocking papers off desks,
and eating off other people’s plates. When she overturns the cradle, tumbling the
baby, Mildred, onto the floor, the Captain agrees to write to yet another rumored
specialist in the hope that someone might be able to train Helen.
The Captain’s letter eventually finds its way to Boston and the Perkins Institute for
the Blind, where a governess is found for Helen. Twenty-year-old Annie Sullivan just
completed her own education at Perkins. She was an abandoned child, left to care
for her sickly brother, Jimmie, who died in the state almshouse. Now, after nine eye
operations and a turbulent education, Annie is being sent to try to teach Helen. Her
teacher, Mr. Anagnos, warns her not to expect miracles.
The Keller family is shocked by Annie’s youth and inexperience. It is especially
difficult for the Captain’s indolent son, James, to see a woman no older than himself
given this responsibility. When Annie announces that she intends to teach Helen
language, Kate laments that they were not even able to teach her to sit still. From the
moment of her arrival, Annie begins to fingerspell into Helen’s hands. The first
attempt to impose some structure onto Helen erupts the moment the child does not
get her own way. Helen hits Annie in the face with a doll, knocking out a tooth. Helen
then locks Annie in Helen’s room and gropes her way out to the pump in the yard.
When James smugly informs the Captain of Annie’s plight, the Captain angrily has a
ladder fetched and carries the humiliated Annie to the ground. Annie watches the
family go in to eat dinner and turns to Helen, who, believing she is alone, gleefully
drops Annie’s room key down the well.

5. 5
The next morning James and the Captain are arguing again, resulting in James
comparing Annie to General Grant at the Battle of Vicksburg. At breakfast, when
Helen gropes her way around the table, Annie refuses to allow Helen to eat off her
plate. A battle of wills follows, with Annie expelling the family from the dining room
and physically forcing Helen to sit down and eat properly. The siege lasts all
morning, leaving the room a disaster, but Helen eats breakfast with her own spoon
and folds her napkin. Exhausted and discouraged, Annie goes upstairs to pack. In
the meantime, the Captain informs Kate that the insolent teacher must be fired.
Instead of giving up, Annie develops a plan. She convinces the Kellers that in order
to succeed, she must have control of every aspect of Helen’s life. The Kellers
reluctantly agree to set Annie up in their garden house and leave her in complete
charge of Helen for two weeks. After disorienting Helen by driving her around in a
wagon, she is delivered into Annie’s care. At first Helen refuses to have anything to
do with the unyielding teacher who demands personal discipline. Annie finally gets
Helen to cooperate by finger spelling into the hand of another child. Helen’s jealousy
overcomes her and she forces herself onto the teacher.
At the end of the two weeks, the wild beast that was Helen seems to be tamed.
Annie spells thousands of words into her hands. Helen learns eighteen nouns and
three verbs. It is all just a finger game, however; Helen does not connect the finger
spelling to the concept of language. Annie begs for more time but is denied, even
though the Kellers are overwhelmed with what she accomplished. The Captain
agrees, at the very least, to maintain the self-control that was instilled in Helen. The
family sits down to eat a celebratory meal, but back in her old environment, Helen
immediately tries to revert to her undisciplined ways. When Annie does not tolerate
it, Helen throws a tantrum and dumps the water pitcher onto Annie. Ignoring the
protests of the Captain, Annie pulls Helen into the yard and forces her to refill the
pitcher at the pump. Then the miracle happens. As Annie spells W-A-T-E-R into her
hand, Helen makes the connection that the finger game spells a word that means the
thing. Helen rushes around grasping everything in reach while Annie spells its name
into her hand. She finds and hugs her mother, and then turns to find her teacher,
whom she embraces and pulls into the house to join the Kellers at the table.

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REFLECTION/COMMENTS/REACTION
I salute the passion and commitment of Annie Sullivan to tutor a deaf, mute
and blind child in the person of Helen Keller. Annie Sullivan is just one out of many
teachers out there who have given their life to become catalyst for well –rounded
development of the differently able children.
The learning I get from Cebu Normal University, in my subject Introduction to
Special Education is very relevant in my career as gearing myself to handle LSENs
in the future.
With the knowledge about impairments, it is always right to refer the child to a
clinician to address the specific issue concerning the child. It also important to
collaborate with the parents and other teachers about how the child copes up with
the lessons. Then, proper assessment would follow, so that the child will be given
proper intervention and remedy.
Let us not forget that. we teachers also learn from our students. With the day
to day meet up, we gain a lot of life lessons as well as professional and personal
development.
I will also try this, ‘hand spelling strategy.

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Movie #03: DANGEROUS MINDS
Movie Plot/Synopsis/Summary
An ex-Marine who applies for a teaching job and is hired on the spot, to teach in sort
of a school within a school she's told, "made up of special kids - passionate,
challenging”.
The story begins with Louanne entering into her first year teaching at an inner-city
school, where she explores the challenges of teaching her students, and the
necessary steps it takes to reach them.
The opening of the film shows you glimpses of poverty-stricken neighborhoods
where homelessness and drug deals are an everyday occurrence. In fact, if you are
not dealing drugs or part of a gang you are looked down upon.
Louanne’s students are mostly minorities from working poor families, with little
appreciation or desire for education. The kids seem to lack confidence in their
ability to be more than they are due to their character and circumstances.
On Louanne’s first day of class, she is called “white-bread” and other negative slurs.
In their effort to intimidate her into leaving, and therefore maintaining their freedom,
they effectively make Louanne more determined to reach them. In order to obtain the
attention of her students, and teach them in a way that they can understand and
identify, Louanne begins to think outside of the box. However, the school system
becomes a problematic hurdle with its rigid rules.

8. 8
REFLECTION/COMMENTS/REACTION
The movie requires accompanying parent or adult guardian because It
includes profanity, mild violence and sexual explicit.
Concepts such as adolescent development, identity, morality and ego
development, the teacher’s role, parental style, juvenile delinquency, adolescent
pregnancy, adolescent mental health and bullying are addressed.
Apart from teaching in the classroom, the teacher takes on the role of being a
cop and a psychologist. Unconventional methods of teaching to make students
engaging, accurate study of the subject matter, complete set of materials and
resources.
Parenting styles determine how a child grows. They need guidance, although
we, teachers are considered guidance councilor still the child must have parents to
help monitor or guardian instead.
Maybe sometimes, my students find me nagger, obsolete or not perfect, but I
know in God’s perfect time, they would come to realize that what I am doing is for
them to be a better individual.
I will let my students and co-teachers watch this during the forthcoming school
year 2018-2019.

9. 9
Movie #04: I AM SAM
Movie Summary
The compelling story of Sam Dawson (Penn), a man in his 30's with a mental age of
7 and autistic behavior , a mentally challenged father raising his daughter Lucy with
the help of an extraordinary group of friends. Lucy's mother, a homeless woman,
gave the baby to Sam and disappeared shortly after giving birth. When a social
worker suggests that Lucy should be placed in foster care, Sam forms an unlikely
alliance with a high-powered attorney (Pfeiffer). Together they struggle to convince
the system that Sam deserves to get his daughter back and, in the process, fuse a
bond that results in a unique testament to the power of unconditional love.
REFLECTION/COMMENTS/REACTION
I Am Sam is rated PG, Parents strongly cautioned (bad words). It has a few
upsetting scenes and some strong language.
It is all about the tragedy of Sam's predicament, not only on justice and
injustices. Sam doesn't know more because he's retarded. He knows less.
Soundtrack Beatle in well-timed. They dress funny. They say silly, charming things.
They are lovable, clumsy and odd.

10. 10
Movie #05: EVERY CHILD IS SPECIAL
Movie Synopsis/plot and Summary
Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) is an eight-year-old boy who dislikes
school and fails every test or exam. He finds all subjects difficult, and is belittled by
his teachers and classmates. But Ishaan's internal world is rich with wonders that he
is unable to convey to others, magical lands filled with color and animated animals.
He is an artist whose talent is unrecognized.
shaan's father, Nandkishore Awasthi (Vipin Sharma), is a successful executive who
expects his children to excel. His mother, housewife Maya Awasthi (Tisca Chopra),
is frustrated by her inability to educate her son. Ishaan's elder brother, Yohaan
(Sachet Engineer), is an exemplary scholar and athlete, which Ishaan is frequently
reminded of.
After receiving a particularly poor academic report, Ishaan's parents send him to a
boarding school. There he sinks into a state of fear and depression, despite being
befriended by Rajan (Tanay Chheda), physically disabled and one of the top
students in his class.
Ishaan's situation changes when a new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir
Khan). An instructor at the Tulips School for young children with developmental
disabilities, Nikumbh's teaching style is markedly different from that of his strict
predecessor, and he quickly observes that Ishaan is unhappy and contributes little to
class activities.
He reviews Ishaan's work and concludes that his academic shortcomings are
indicative of dyslexia. On his day off, Nikumbh visits Ishaan's parents and asks if he
can see more of their son's work.
He is stunned by the sophistication of one of Ishaan's paintings, and tells his parents
that Ishaan is a bright child who processes information differently from other children
in his class, but Ishaan's father is suspicious that the explanation is simply an excuse
for his son's poor performance.

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Nikumbh demands that he read some Japanese text on a box and berates him when
he cannot, giving him a glimpse into Ishaan's experience of school. Nikumbh
describes dyslexia to them and explains that it is not a sign of low intelligence. He
tells them he can provide extra tutoring that will help Ishaan, highlighting the boy's
artistic ability evident in his many paintings and other creative works.
Nikumbh subsequently brings up the topic of dyslexia in class, and offers a list of
famous people who were dyslexic. As the students are leaving the classroom,
Nikumbh asks Ishaan to remain behind and reveals to him that he too experienced
the same difficulties with dyslexia. Nikumbh then visits the school's principal and
obtains his permission to become Ishaan's tutor. He attempts to improve Ishaan's
reading and writing by using remedial techniques developed by dyslexia specialists;
Ishaan soon develops an interest in language and mathematics, and his grades
improve.
Towards the end of the school year Nikumbh organises an art fair for the staff and
students. The competition is judged by artist Lalita Lajmi. Ishaan, with his strikingly
creative style, is declared the winner and Nikumbh, who paints Ishaan's portrait, the
runner-up.
The principal announces that Nikumbh has been hired as the school's permanent art
teacher. When Ishaan's parents meet his teachers on the last day of school they are
left speechless by the transformation they see in him. Overcome with emotion,
Ishaan's father thanks Nikumbh. As Ishaan is getting into the car to leave with his
parents, he turns around and runs toward Nikumbh.

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REFLECTION/COMMENTS/REACTION
Each child is special in the sense that they have their own calling, which may
or may not be in line with what their parents want. Although I have already watched
this movie several times, still it makes my heart burst in tears and at the same time
brings hope that having dyslexia is not really a desperate situation. Friends and
family support, patience, and love are central themes in the story.
I highly recommend this movie to everybody to realize that it is the parenting
which contributes much to the development of the child.
The movie is definitely inspiring and an eye-opener that moral transformation
comes at home, that respect and fairness should be observed. The story line is truly
a masterpiece. It also takes on the topic about the awareness of the condition that
Ishaan had, which is Dyslexia.
As I journey towards my profession, I always reminded to pay attention on the
child’s progress. I must always have to be creative in employing MAPEH teaching
strategies to be able to cater the needs of my learners. Sometimes, I read my
students facebook timeline about family, school and personal problem. In the
morning, I always finds time to talk to them one on one. I would give them advises
and explain that there is a solution to every problem.
One of these days, like Ishaan, I could also make my parents proud of me.