“I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”
–Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
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Whitman talks about the subtle power in simply being present, and I like to think Dead Poet’s Society is a cinematic wink to the same idea. It whispers that even small gestures like standing on a desk, writing a line, or sharing a thought, can echo farther than we imagine.
Dead Poet’s Society is one of those movies that never quite leaves you. At least not me anyway. It appears in my mind like a ghost, tugging at my sleeve in moments when I feel myself drifting far from the version of me I once wanted to be. When I was younger, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a high school English teacher. I was going to teach creative writing while I worked on my book. The plan was clear: books, chalk dust, and a never ending array of cardigans and literary masterpieces. I knew I’d be good at it. But then my guidance counselor pulled me aside, gave me the “there’s no money in it” speech, and nudged me toward a more “practical” path. I listened. I let go.
Sometimes I wonder if that was a mistake. Not because I pine for the fluorescent-lit classroom or the endless state-mandated testing schedules (truth be told, I’d probably have combusted under the current absurdity of our education system). But because there was a kind of magic in the idea of teaching. The idea of passing on words and ways of thinking and watching a face light up when something clicked. That part of me never really died.
A Midsomer Nights Dream
This movie isn’t just about poetry or teenage rebellion. It’s about not shrinking your life to fit the cramped little box someone else drew for you. It’s about risking being too much, too loud, too tender, because the alternative is living like you’re already gone. There’s a scene where the boys stand on their desks, looking at the classroom from a new angle. Clumsy, awkward, wobbly. And isn’t that what most of us are trying to do? Find a way to look at our lives from just a few inches higher, so we can remember there are more possibilities than the ones we were handed.
- Gel Pens, 5 Pcs 0.5mm Black Ink Pens
- Five Star Spiral Notebook + Study App, 5 Subject, College Ruled
The film is full of beautiful moments of self-discovery and joy, but also touches on the grief that comes along with being human. It captures the ache of being misunderstood, of feeling the weight of other people’s expectations pressing you into shapes that aren’t your own, and the quiet courage it takes to push back and claim your own voice.
The reminder that time is not infinite, that the people we love and the versions of ourselves we imagine can vanish quicker than we’d like to believe. The movie doesn’t let us look away from loss, it pushes us to ask what we’ll do with the time we have, what trace we’ll leave behind when we’re gone. That’s part of what makes carpe diem so haunting: it isn’t just a pep talk, it’s an elegy.
“To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.” –Henry David Thoreau, Walden
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Whispered Reminders
I have a tattoo on the inside of my arm, in a place where I can see it whenever I put pen to paper. Just two words: carpe diem. Seize the day. It’s my own little whisper from Robin Williams. Reminding me that even though I didn’t end up teaching there, I still get to teach here. What’s the point of learning all this, of surviving everything I’ve survived, if I can’t share it? Even if only one person takes something from it. Learns a lesson, finds a spark, or sees how not to do something. It means the effort wasn’t wasted.
I carry that message with me in ink and in action. Every word I write, every small insight I share, is a way of teaching without a classroom. Of leaving a trace that might echo long after I’m gone. A voice that someone recalls, maybe years later, because it gave them a little clarity or courage in the moment.
We don’t all need classrooms to be teachers. Sometimes all we need is a story, a moment of honesty, and the courage to write it down. That’s the kind of education I believe in: not standardized, not test-driven, but human.
Carpe That Diem My Friend
- Reflect: What dream or passion did you set aside because someone told you it wasn’t “practical”?
- Write one page in a notebook about something you’ve always wanted to do. Spend some time looking up stuff about it on the internet. Make a list, a Pinterest board, a vision board. For me this looks like…
- Do It: Easier said than done though, right? Don’t set the expectation that you’re going to walk out of your house tomorrow and do something you’ve spent possibly years fantasizing about. But take the first step. Check off just one thing on the list. Share it with a friend, you never know they may join you.
- Anchor it: place a small reminder in your space like a quote on a sticky note, a stone, or other object, that nudges you toward action over hesitation.
- Imagine: Someone remembering you ten years from now. What’s the ripple you’d want to leave in their memory?
⭐ Bonus Points: Make a playlist! Sometimes when I struggle to find the words to express what I’m feeling I spend hours working on a playlist and for me, it’s a type of poem. Or a story. The words of others beautifully crafted and paired with music to create a soundtrack of my day. I let others speak the words when I can’t.
Spotify Playlist
What a Lovely Sunday Afternoon
- A Sunday Kind of Love – Etta James
- Stormy Weather – Etta James
- Love Me or Leave Me – Nina Simone
- Someone to Watch Over Me – Ella Fitzgerald
- All Of Me – Billie Holiday
- Autumn in New York – Billie Holiday
- Blue Moon – Billie Holiday
- Li’l Darlin – Count Basie
- Dream a Little Dream of Me – Elle Fitzgerald + Louis Armstrong
- My Baby Just Cares for Me – Nina Simone
- Georgia On My Mind – Ray Charles
- I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James
- Solitude – Billie Holiday
Mr. Keating (and Robin Williams), My Inspiration
My love of teaching and sharing has never left me. It lives in the notes I leave for myself, the words I scribble in journals, the small ways I try to pass along ideas that might matter to someone else. I chose two words to carry with me forever on my journey: carpe diem. A reminder that even if the world misunderstands you, even if time is short, we still get to choose how we show up and what echoes we leave behind.
Even the small acts matter more than you realize.
—Kit
From The Library
🍄 All links in this post are affiliates, meaning I might receive a small commission if you purchase. It doesn’t change the price for you, and I try to point toward small businesses whenever I can.
- Support an independent bookstore and get your own copy of → Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman or Dead Poet’s Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
- A pen set that makes writing more of a ritual than a task → Gel Pens, 5 Pcs 0.5mm Black Ink Pens
- Don’t forget your sticky notes for those visual reminders → Post-it 100% Recycled Paper Super Sticky Notes
- This is my favorite notebook for writing down ideas and carry around my ever growing sticker and post card collection → Five Star Spiral Notebook + Study App, 5 Subject, College Ruled
- A small desk token or daily reminder → Ceramic Modern Thinker Vase
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