Unbothered: The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne

I don't see many movies on the big screen.  The last grown-up film that I can remember watching in the theater was Dreamgirls when I was pregnant.  Or maybe it was The Help.  In any event, it's pretty sad; my parents have seen Straight Outta Compton and The Perfect Guy- I have not.  However, I do enjoy a good documentary and The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne is one of the best that I have seen in a long while.  You know when you watch something and it's so good that you either:

a) want to watch the entire thing again b) text all of your friends and tell them to watch it?

It's that good.

My first exposure to Doris Payne came a few years ago.  If I remember correctly, I was teaching Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man in 7th and 8th grade LE and we were discussing the trickster in the African-American literary tradition.  I came across an article about a female jewel thief in her 80's, and we ending up having a debate about whether she was a hero, a criminal, or both.  Ever since then I have been (not-so) patiently waiting for this documentary to come out.

Brer Rabbit, the original trickster

I must say that watching Doris Payne on screen in her 80's is inspiring.  The way that she artfully applies her Chanel make-up and combs her white bob into place is like an actress getting into costume.  The thought that she puts into details of her appearance (pale lavender nails and animal print flats) puts me to shame.

Say Yes to the Dress!

The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne is interesting because it is about the power and pathology of physical beauty.   The way that Payne presented herself was crucial to the success of her cons.  She was able to get rich, white people to ignore her blackness at the height of segregation because of the way that she styled and carried herself.  Her crimes (or "campaigns" as she calls them) were victories against racism as she used her looks and her intelligence to outmatch her victims.

Ironically, there is nothing remarkable about Payne's physical features.  In The Bluest Eye,  Toni Morrison refers to "the cloak of ugliness" that Pecola puts on that makes her unattractive.  Doris Payne demonstrates that there is also a "cloak of beauty".  She was attractive because she believed it to be so.  And because she believed it, so did others.

She was described as "sharply dressed" and "looking like a model" in her police reports.

Doris Payne's success as a jewel thief was due to her skills as an actress, as well as her looks. Actresses are professional liars and Payne is riveting to watch.  I wonder why the filmmakers did not make more of an effort to verify her stories about her childhood and her children.  Her mother was a Cherokee? That's what we all say.  Her son, who is clearly an addict, never asked her for any money?  Ok.  Perhaps they wanted viewers to do the work of figuring out what was true and what was not.

One of the most interesting scenes in the film was when Payne was caught lying to her probation officer about being with the filmmakers when she was not.  She first got angry and then tried to make him feel guilty for her lie.  Hmmmm.  Very familiar.  The thing that is refreshing about Payne is that she seems to know when she's lying, as evidenced by the final scene in the film.

Is Doris Payne a liar? Yes.  Is she a psychopath?  Probably.  Does she have anything to show for the 2 million dollars without of jewels she stole?  No.  But as her daughter says, she lived her life the way that she wanted to live it.  With joy and without apologies.

Watch the trailer and then see the film on Netflix. I'm about to go watch it again!

The Man Who Was Almost a Man

I don't like sports, but I stumbled upon this Showtime documentary about former NBA star Allen Iverson and found it absolutely riveting.  In many ways, Iverson's life can be seen as a series of blessings and curses that played out on a grand scale.  On one hand, he was lucky enough to attract coaches and teachers who acted as parental figures when poverty prevented his biological parents from being effective guides into adulthood.  On the other hand, these adults couldn't prevent him from being unfairly convicted of three counts of "maiming by mob" connected to a racially motivated fight in a bowling alley. (Ironically the "maiming by mob" statute was originally intended to combat lynching).

Iverson was lucky enough to attract the attention of NBC's Tom Brokaw who did a story on him that highlighted his athletic potential, the harshness of his felony conviction and the resulting five year prison sentence.  Eventually his sentence was commuted by Virginia Governor Douglass Wilder, and his conviction was overturned.  Nevertheless, Iverson spent time in a prison work camp at the height of his career as a dual-sport athlete for a crime that video evidence proves that he did not commit.  Perhaps what looked like a chip on his shoulder or resistance to authority was PSTD.  He was 17 years old and authority had failed him.

Despite his criminal conviction, Iverson was able to earn an athletic scholarship to Georgetown University, and while there, he developed a nurturing relationship with coach John Thompson.  Unfortunately, he left Georgetown without a college degree in order to join the NBA.  How would Iverson been different if he had two additional years under Thompson's guidance to develop as a man?

Despite his prodigious talent,  Iverson  was never able to win a championship.  During his time in the NBA he seemed to be looking for a father figure who would provide unconditional support, yet he challenged those who would have offered it to him.  It was as if he was asking coaches and fans, "If I show you my worst would you still care about me?"  The answer was defiantly "no" and Iverson had to learn the hard way that the NBA is a business and not a family. The last quarter of the documentary is heartbreaking as it details Iverson's being shuttled from team to team looking for a home.   The film glosses over his divorce, financial issues, and struggles with alcohol but it is definitely insightful, emotionally engaging, and worth watching.

Iverson is available on Showtime on Demand.

New on Netflix: Anita

I was in high-school when Anita Hill was forced into the national spotlight during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas.  I don’t remember much about her other than the strange juxtaposition of a beautiful woman with perfectly curled hair and language about pubic hair in a Coke can. 

Anita: Speaking Truth to Power begins with a surreal voicemail recording of Clarence Thomas’s wife, Virginia Thomas, asking Anita Hill for an apology. It then backtracks to shed light on Anita Hill's personal history and the confirmation hearings.

Born the youngest of thirteen children in rural Oklahoma, Anita Hill worked her way through Yale Law School and later became the first tenured law professor at The University of Oklahoma College of Law.  When George H. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in 1991, part of the vetting process involved contacting people who had previously worked with him.  Anita Hill was one such person.  She reported that she was sexually harassed by Thomas when they worked together at the Department of Education and the EEOC.  Because Thomas had only been a judge for a year, his character was a particularly important part of the evaluation.

Anita Hill was brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Joe Biden.  Some of the details of the harassment seem tame by today’s standards (this was B.C.- Before Clinton).  However, what is shocking is that there were some members of the committee who seemed to get a thrill out of asking Ms. Hill to describe what happened to her in the most salacious terms possible.  With her elderly mother sitting behind her, she was forced to talk about pornography and what Thomas said about the size of his private parts.   

Dirty Old Men

One of the most striking moments of the documentary was when Ms. Hill was asked if she was a “scorned woman” as if participating in the confirmation hearings was her idea.  Throughout it all, she demonstrated fortitude and dignity.   In one scene, at the end of the hearing she thanks the committee for their time and the look on her eyes is a haunting mix of defiance and defeat.

What is equally interesting was watching Clarence Thomas’s masterful refutation of the charges against him by referring to the hearings as a “a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas."  According to Thomas, the confirmation hearings were "a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree.”  It's always interesting when blacks who deny the power of racism use it when they feel victimized.  The whole mantra of 'personal responsibility' goes out the window when they are in the hot seat.

Thomas was savvy enough to know that the Senate committee would be unwilling to look like racists. His lynching comment ended the hearings and Thomas was confirmed for Thurgood Marshall's spot on The Supreme Court.  The documentary goes on to describe how Anita Hill struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy in the aftermath of Thomas's appointment and later became an advocate for gender equality in the workplace.

Kerry Washington recently signed on to play Anita Hill in an upcoming HBO movie.  Watch this documentary first.

My Classroom is a Monarchy!

This is the fist time in my teaching career that I haven't taught black students or had the flexibility to design my own curriculum.  Consequently, this has also been the first year that I haven't taught novels by people of color (or with female protagonists for that matter).  I miss teaching The Bluest Eye,  but this new environment has forced me to learn and grow.

I definitely miss this class!

I believe that the purpose of education is, in part, to develop empathy by exposing students to the inner worlds of others.  Even if I am not going to be able to do that through Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Huston, or Sherman Alexie, I am determined to work social justice into my curriculum somewhere!

All private schools talk the talk about the importance of diversity, and this year the theme at my school has been socio-economic diversity.  That is my way in! And here's why it is important:

One day early in the school year the 6th graders and I were discussing the gubernatorial elections and looking at various social and political issues.  It surprised me how economically conservative, yet socially liberal many of my 6th graders were (students at The Storefront tended to be the opposite).  I ended up being disturbed by the conversation because some of my students' opinions about why people are poor would make the staunchest conservatives cringe (they are lazy, they didn't take advantage of their education, they have too many children, they waste money, etc.)  It is disconcerting to hear such stringent political views from kids who are still carrying baby fat.  Here is an except from one of our conversations:

Fabulously Dressed Teacher: Why are people poor?
Student: Because they don't work hard and didn't do well in school.
Fabulously Dressed Teacher: Well, you didn't do your homework today; does that mean you are going to be poor?
Student:  No way, my family is rich.

Obviously, this is me.

There was clearly a disconnect.

In response I decided to show them the documentary The Queen of Versailles, which is about the family of David and Victoria Siegel.  The start of the film shows the family lavishing in the excess provided by their billionaire lifestyle, but then slowly deteriorating as the economy does.  Students love this documentary because it's really character driven and it unfolds like a Greek tragedy.   I love it because it illustrates how all of the stereotypes that they associate with the poor apply directly to this family as well.

Photo: Magnolia Pictures

Students get excited about researching "where are they now" stories about characters in documentaries and this film provides lot of opportunity to do so.  The Siegels are now suing the filmmakers for defamation and have been attempting to do damage control with a reality show.

Photo: New York Times

In Social Studies we have been learning about different forms of government (monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny) and the development of democracy in Ancient Greece.  We have also looked at the difference between direct democracy and representative democracy.

This week I am going to have my students read the following article.  Afterwards, students will:

1.  Define irony (review of a concept from English class)
2.  Identify two examples of irony in this article
(Possible answers: Siegel said that he would be forced to lay off workers if Obama was elected, but has ended up richer than ever.  Siegel criticizes a system that "gives to the unproductive" when that statement describes many of the members of his household.)
3.  Describe two things that Seigel has done in order to influence the votes of his 8000 employees.
(Possible answers: Siegel put anti-Gore articles in the paychecks of his workers.  Seigel told workers that Obama's election would force him to fire workers.)
4. Discuss the following questions:
-Do Seigal's actions go against the ideals of democracy?
-If  Seigel's company, Westgate Resorts, was a country; what type of government would it be?  Why?
-If our classroom was a government, what type would it be?  What kind of crown would the queen wear?

Just kidding about the last question (kinda)

Movies for Rainy Days (You Can Thank Me Later)

The beginning of the school year is fast approaching; I start orientation at a new school tomorrow!  Where did the summer go??

James and I enjoying our last moments of Summer!

As teachers, our goal is always to present meaningful, well planned lessons.  However, there are days when it rains and we are responsible for indoor recess, and let's face it, there are also days that we just don't feel like teaching.  Sometimes we are just too sick, tired, or frustrated to implement lessons so we end up fumbling  around Neflix looking for something appropriate to put on The Smartboard.

This doesn't mean that we are 'bad teachers;' it means that we are human and susceptible to life's challenges.  However, your students don't have to stop learning because you are having an off day.  The following films are proven crowd favorites that are guaranteed to get your students thinking and talking.  They can also be integrated into thematic units for Middle and High-School students.

(Plus, if you aren't a teacher or student these films are perfect when you need a break from Rachet T.V.)

Social Justice:
1. The Harvest- This film is about a few of the 400,000 children who work as migrant laborers in the United States.  It will make your students think twice before they complain about anything being "too hard."

2. Hoop Dreams- "Hoop Dreams" is a favorite with my students.  On the surface it is about basketball, but deeper themes such as educational inequality, poverty, and family instability make it worth watching.  Asking students to research where the main characters are today is an interesting follow-up project.

3. The Central Park Five- Ken Burns's documentary about The Central Park Jogger case is about the failure of both the justice system and the media in New York City.  I show this film when teaching The Crucible and discussing false confessions.  This film would also work well paired with To Kill a Mockingbird.

4. Bully-My students were riveted by this documentary from beginning to end.  It was important for them to think about the factors that motivate bullying and the damaging impact that it can have on individuals and families.  I was also interesting for them to get a glimpse of  life in large Middle-American schools different from their own.

Crime:
5. Newburg Sting- This HBO documentary is about the case of four accused Islamic terrorists in The Bronx.  Were these men even Muslims?  Is this a case of entrapment or federal law enforcement at its best?  Did the FBI create the crime that they were trying to prevent?

6. The Impostor-  If your students are interested in psychology or true crime stories they will love The Impostor. It is the story of a French trickster who pretends to be a missing American child-and the supposedly heart-broken parents who went went along with his ruse.

Global Studies:

7. The First Grader- I love this movie!  "The First Grader" tells the story of an 84 year old Kenyan man attempting to go back to school in order to learn how to read; it is wonderfully sentimental without being corny.  "The First Grader"also  gives students a sense of Kenyan history, focusing on the fight against colonialism.

8. Mandela-This was one of the most underrated films of 2013.  It gives a nuanced portrayal of Nelson Mandela and the history of apartheid in South Africa.  This is a must-see  (and I'm not just saying that because Idris Elba is in it).

9. Elevate- Elevate is an amazing story of West African students who travel to the U.S. to play basketball, attend prep school, and hopefully make it to the NBA. It is relatable to anyone who has experienced a major transition.

Animals and The Environment
10. Black Fish: This documentary will single-handedly change the way that Sea World does business.  Animals are not my thing, but this film was extremely thought provoking in it's exploration of human interaction with killer whales.  If your students are into this, they probably will also enjoy The Cove.

11. Grizzly Man: Hauntingly narrated by Werner Herzog, "Grizzly Man" is the story of Timothy Tredwell and his eventual death at the hands (paws?) of the bears that he dedicated his life to protecting.  "Grizzly Man" demonstrates how humans often project their own thoughts and desires onto animals.

12. The Elephant in the Living Room: Who knew that there are more tigers living in homes in the United States than in India?  This is the story of wild animals living as pets and the unconventional people who keep them.

Politics and Economics:
13. The Queen of Versailles: I watched this in conjunction with teaching The Great Gatsby. "The Queen of Versailles" will make students think about the American financial system and the people who benefit from (and are handicapped by) it.

The Art of the Tale: 
14. The Beasts of the Southern Wild: Quvenzhane Ellis is riveting as Hushpuppy, a young girl living in a small Louisiana community called The Bathtub.  This film is the perfect vehicle for teaching metaphor and symbolism.  Students will love watching the relationship between Hushpuppy  and her father, and they will get excited by the fantasy elements in the film.

15. The Village: "The Village" is another underrated film that will have your students squirming and screaming in their seats.  I usually show it after I finish teaching The Giver to illustrate the concepts of Utopia and Dystopia.

I hope that all of my former students and teacherfriends have a great school year!
Candace