ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

Graduate School of Nursing

2600 Legarda St., Sampaloc, Manila

Jaime M. Santos Jr., RN

C215 EAN Instructional Procedure in Nursing
1st Semester 2018 -2019

Mona Lisa Smile

Summary

The movie is about the teaching experience of Ms. Katherine Watson at the Wellesley
College, New England in 1953. As an Art History teacher, she did not only focus on the subject
matter but on a more practical and unorthodox approach to connect to her students whom she
found very competitive at first. The boarding school itself, which is exclusive for girls, was
portrayed to be too conservative such that a certain tradition has been passed through
generations of alumni: “how a woman, after graduation, should be of service to her husband and
the family that they will build”. Ms. Watson chose to defy the tradition by teaching the girls to
look beyond what seems to be the way of life that has been planned for them. By using modern
art aside from her syllabus, she taught them how to think more progressively and appreciate
things from another point of view other than traditional and predictable ways. Ms. Watson went
into Wellesley to make a difference, and true enough, four (4) of her students were portrayed as
“changed women” at the end of the school year. Since Ms. Watson’s unorthodox way of teaching
did not please the alumni and the school administration, she was invited to teach again in 1954
with a lot of conditions which are in accordance with the school tradition. She did not want to
compromise and abide by the rules so she left and went to Europe to continue her career.
Besides, her post graduate dissertation was about European art but she has never set foot in
Europe nor seen any of the art works she would like to write about. The film did not only
presented the way Ms. Watson has affected her student’s lives but also on how her teaching
experience has made her a better person both personally and professionally.

Reaction

There are a number of lessons that can be drawn from the film from the story of Ms.
Watson and her students Betty, Joan, Giselle and Connie. In relation to the film’s title: “Mona
Lisa Smile”, it may be noted that The Mona Lisa, a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci,
appeared towards the end of film as the subject matter of discussion by the students. By this
time, the students are discussing on their own about their views on da Vinci’s work. One of the
main principles being espoused was mentioned by Betty, i.e., that while Mona Lisa appears to be
smiling, there may be a question of whether she is happy, and that things are not what they seem
to be. This powerful line summarizes the plot of the story. The characters had individual struggles
behind the fun and merry making that happen at the boarding school. Ms. Watson’s teaching
methods were challenged by the school administration. Betty’s marriage, which should set a
good example to her friends, was compromised. Joan’s plans to become a lawyer has been
hindered by her personal decision to get married. Giselle’s attitude towards elicit relationships
has earned her the impression of being too liberated. Connie’s lack of confidence and too much
dependence on her friends almost cost her the kind of relationship she always wanted. The title
is indeed suitable to depict the kind of lives that the characters have experienced. Sometimes,
we may get distracted by how things appear to be perfect but the reality is that there will be
challenges along the way. The only way to appreciate things is to look beyond what has been laid
before our eyes and be real to ourselves. We have to accept the fact that people have their own
ways to cope with their own struggles and we should not put judgement based on what we see
without even digging deeper into the real story. When the characters learned these principles,
their appreciation of each other changed a lot. For one, the students who appeared too proud at
first ended up showing gratitude and love for their teacher up to the time that she was leaving
during graduation day. We have to understand why the people around us act and react
differently so that we will also be able to appreciate and build better relationships with them like
the characters in the film.

One of the main topics that may be discussed out of the movie is the difference between
conservative and unorthodox teaching, i.e., the Wellesley tradition and that of Ms. Watson’s. In
relation to the teaching method of Ms. Watson, I believe that it has been very effective in terms
of both learning the subject matter and reaching out to students at the same time. While the
importance of having a well-structured syllabus cannot be discounted, other teaching methods
like: a) introducing new ideas; b) encouraging students’ participation through recitation; c) going
out of the classroom like when they viewed an exhibit; and, d) giving students some time to
discuss among themselves, prove to be a good combination to teach a quite challenging group
who has been taught through very conservative methods for a long time. Also, Ms. Watson
elicited both an authoritative and welcoming/more open attitude toward her students
depending on the situation.

Introducing new ideas outside the teaching syllabus/lesson plan has its benefits. For one,
not all books will have updated information. Using examples from current events and new trends
will surely gain the interest of students because they will be able to relate to the subject at hand.
It may be noted that while Ms. Watson taught art history, her examples included modern art
such a photography, print advertising, even “painting by numbers”. While it appears to be very
ironic, such teaching style allowed the student to learn things which they are not found on the
text provided for the subject. While we can learn from what we read in books, we can appreciate
better when we are able to relate with real events and do some hands-on activities.
 Through recitation and group discussion, Ms. Watson was able to listen to how the
students view the subject at hand. In teaching, I believe that is it also important that students are
given the opportunity to voice out their ideas. By listening to what students have to say, the
teacher will be able to validate if the lesson being taught has been understood well enough.
Coming from different walks of life, any class will be able to maximize learning by encouraging
discussion and even debate about the subject matter. Sometimes, students will not have the
courage to speak in front of everybody, thus the other alternative of allowing group discussions
like what Ms. Watson did. Students may be able to relate and be more open to their classmates
especially when the instructor is new.

Furthermore, doing activities which are more practical or doing some of the work outside
the classroom will be able to help break the monotony. Like what Ms. Watson did, going to an
exhibit to see real art has been a deviation from the traditional slide-by-slide technique. Lessons
become more interesting when students get to see the real thing. At present, some schools even
organize immersion sessions and on-the-job training so that the students can see the relevance
of what is being taught inside the classroom.

In conclusion, I believe that there is no clear cut way of teaching students effectively, as
it is only through a combination of traditional teaching and unorthodox principles that a teacher
can be very effective. A good teacher-student relationships are built on trust and it can only be
achieved when they are able to relate to each other. There is no better way of doing so than
reaching out and engaging the students at all times.