What made him a good educator? It is no small miracle that John Keating made it past the interview process before reporting for assignment at Welton Academy. It would be easy to imagine that Keating had been duplicitous during the hiring process if he werent so damned honest. Keatings teaching method largely depended on transparency. He was open and honest with his students, and he expected the same of them. Through a series of trust-building exercises, Keating was able to free many of his students from emotional barriers that had stunted them in the past, particularly with regards to poetry. Over the course of the film, Keatings lyrical explorations of Whitman, Thoreau, and Tennyson encourage the boys to seize the day. What made him a bad educator? John Keating is, in part, responsible for the suicide of star-student Neil Perry. Many viewers are too quick to absolve Keating for his involvement in the tragedy. Its true that Neils father deserves the brunt of blame for his constant bullying, but Keating gives Neil imperfect advice on how to deal with the problem in the first place. Keating insists that the only way to solve Neils domestic issue is to meet it head on. This might be fine advice for a boy with more chutzpah, but Neil is a meek and insecure fellow that often feels paralyzed when confronted by choice. When Neil was unable to articulate his feelings directly to his father, he surely remembered Keetings insistence that that had been the only way to solve his problem. To Neils overwhelmed teenage mind, suicide was the only remaining alternative. Perhaps Mr. Keating should have conveyed the full breadth of Neils options. Neil was less than a year away from graduating. Keating could have advised him to apply to arts colleges without his fathers knowing, or sought to help him find a job that might allow him to gain financial independence from his father. In a matter of weeks he would have been legally free from his parents influence. Keating telling Neil that his only option was to confront his domineering father or live with an unbearable pain wasnt just an incorrect assessment of the situation, it was fatal.
