4.+Context+for+Teaching

Any episode from the Often Awesome series would work well in multiple thematic units, especially ones about heroes, the human spirit, or the American dream. Tim and Kaylan embody heroic qualities through their refusal to be defeated by this disease, and in the way they motivate the people around them to remain positive. Students could compare Tim to traditional heroes encountered in literature, and decide whether Tim follows the usual heroic quest journey or if he embodies the traits of an epic hero. This episode could accompany a study of //The Odyssey, Hamlet,// or any other text students read with a hero character.

The same ideas would apply to using this episode in a study of the human spirit. Even though Tim and Kaylan face insurmountable odds, they choose to live as normal of a life as possible -- getting married, going on an international honeymoon, etc. The series focuses on their love and spirit, rather than falling into the trap of chronicling every single symptom of the disease that Tim experiences. This episode would work well with a study of //The Last Lecture, Tuesdays with Morrie,// or any other text in which a sick person tries to leave a lasting impact on the people around them.

One of the central essential questions in many American Lit classes is "What is the American dream?" Students are supposed to discuss and analyze how the dream changes from time period to time period, and person to person. With this episode and series, we meet a man whose American dream is forced to change due to his circumstances. Tim may have dreamed of growing old with Kaylan and watching their grandchildren play in the front yard, but due to ALS, he will never achieve this dream. Instead, he must find a way to achieve all (or many) of his dreams before he dies. This change in an individual's dream would garner an interesting discussion that could explore the following questions: How do you define success? In what situations is it okay to forfeit one's dreams? How did Tim's dreams change after he was diagnosed? Did his dreams change?

This episode would also work well in a unit about media literacy. Students could analyze the rhetorical devices and techniques the filmmaker uses to impact the audience, decide what elements of truth the documentary and storyline privileges, and discuss the creative and editorial choices the filmmaker makes. As an assessment, students could support or refute the filmmaker's decision to distribute the documentary on the internet, and/or decide which television channel would be the best fit for this documentary based on similarities in story themes, editing styles, bias, etc.