There are two types of people in the world. Those who prefer the books and those who prefer the movies. I would normally say I fall into the category of those that prefer the book to the movie. Simply put because the detail that is given by the author can't make it all into a film and still meet budget. Sadly, with other readings due for college courses I have neglected my "fun" reading for the time being so my article is going to focus more on the majority that prefer the movies.

As a tutor here at Lander, and as a future educator, I encounter countless students that confess they simply don't like history courses. They find the to be boring, unnecessary, or some even refer to them as a waste of time. However many of you have flocked to the movies to see the latest hit movie, Hidden Figures, which is about the black women in NASA during the 1960's. Well ladies and gentlemen, you just paid and sat through a 2 hour film about history.

I can't count the amount of times I have referred my tutoring students to a movie just so they can see a reenactment of certain parts of history that they need a visual. Movies like Mona Lisa Smile to show the life of women at Wellesley College in 1953 or Pearl Harbor so they can see the attack on that Sunday morning. I know that they aren't accurate when it comes facts but they are enough to help them understand the importance of history. The importance of their history isn't what they see when they are sitting in a classroom listening to teachers drone but through the drama of film they are able to get it on a better level.

Film has a way of helping people understand things that words on a piece of paper can't. It gives them the ability to make the story more relate-able to them. It allows them to step into the shoes. I am by no way encouraging to teach solely by film but film can help those who have trouble with the books. Better yet, it can help those uninterested in a book want to read!