Educational Media Reviews Online

This binder includes a VHS tape and 24 pages of teacher’s guide materials including information on how to use the video and worksheets, handouts, and quizzes for students, creating a concise package useful as a standalone lesson or as part of a larger unit. The video opens with students very informally stating their goals. The very positive message is initiated by teen narrators who are pasted in front of a moving background of high school scenes which begins and ends each of the five inspirational segments. The first is “Setting Goals” showcasing a paraplegic basketball player who attends Georgetown University. Her main point is to set small goals on the way to reaching the big one and that the journey should be fun. The second strategy is “Be Disciplined” led by Senator Jesse Laslovich, age 24 who emphasizes self-discipline including staying away from situations where trouble may be lurking. A 17 year old poetry writer with a single, disabled parent stresses “Communication” including speaking and listening skills. “Organized” is presented by a 16-year-old boy who refurbishes donated bikes and gives them to kids whose parents are incarcerated. His main point is to keep things in their place and to have a system. Finally, strategy 5 is “Positive risk-taking” where Liz Murray is showcased from her struggles of parental drug-abuse and AIDS death, living on the streets, and finally choosing to enroll in high school and do well, which lands her at Harvard.

The “cut and paste” quality of the narrated scenes detracts from the smoothness of the rest of the tape, but does not alter the superbly presented message. Useful as motivation or lesson, this set belongs in a high school classroom or counseling office.