Summary

My name is Elias Johansson-Miller and I'm a teacher at Alliance Health Services Academy High School.  I'm beginning my third year there and I love it!

For the past two years I have taught 5 sections of Drama.  This upcoming academic year, I will continue to teacher 3 sections of Drama, but will be adding 2 sections of Film Studies.  The course will have three majors goals: (1) Increase students' critical thinking and writing abilities by watching challenging movies, (2) Increase students' understanding of how art can influence people's lives and society at large, (3) Make them better human beings.

This will be the first time any of students will have taken a class like this.  

I'm asking for $300 to buy the DVD's for this course and to help cover the costs of a field trip to see a movie in theaters.

I need your help to make this course a success!

What We Need

Here is how I will spend your generous contributions:

• $300 - Buy 25 DVD's that each cost between $5-10.  I will also try to use online resources like Netflix, HBOGo, and ShowtimeAnytime to stream movies, but having the DVD is the most secure way to show the movies.  These movies will comprise the "textbook" for this class - they are the core material for this year long course.
• $60 or 10% - IndieGoGo costs.
• $240 - Subsidize the cost of 24 movie tickets for a class field trip to see a movie.  While this will not cover all students, it will help make the trip possible because I will need to ask for less money from my already-money-strapped school.

What You Get

Besides feeling the personal satisfaction of helping students access important works of art in a way that increases their academic and personal skills, you can choose to get one of the following perks:

• A $10 donation will get you a handwritten letter from a student in my Film Studies class.  In this letter they will share a bit about themselves, a bit about the class, and a bit about a recent film we have seen.Tell people about your unique perks. Get them excited!
• A $25 donation will get you an original movie poster created by a student in my Film Studies class for a movie we have recently viewed.

The Impact

Think of a movie that changed you.  Now think about never having seen that movie.  What lessons would you have never learned?  What insights about the human experience would you have never gained?

I am honored to be an high school arts teacher in a low-income community.  The arts have a unique ability to teach academic skills and life lessons.  I know this because I have experienced it first as a student and now as a teacher.

I cannot wait to show these films to my students and watch as their worldviews expand, some of the preconceptions are challenged, and their written expression becomes more focused.

This cannot happen without you.

Last summer, with your help, I raised $550 for a prop box for my Drama class and for money to help fund a field trip to see a play in downtown Los Angeles.  Here's a picture of some of my students using the props in class:

Other Ways You Can Help

If you cannot help by contributing a cash donation, there are still ways to help make my Film Studies class possible:

• You can email me your suggestions for the movies I should screen in class.
• You can email me any ideas you have for movie groupings or projects.
• You can look through your DVD collection and see if there are any you would like to donate to my class.
• You can spread the word about this campaign.