Movie Reflection: Diary of Wimpy Kid

The film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is produced by Freudenthal et al. in 2010 to illustrate crucial life-related events characteristic of children in middle school level. The story revolves around Gregg Heffley who is the main protagonist. He is only 11 years old and soon after he joins middle school his more or less uneventful life enters a phase of big ups and downs. Born in a family of three children, Gregg has to deal with associated teenage problems right from home to school. He joins the wrestling team with a friend Rowley Jefferson and quits after Fregley, a boy he dislikes, beats him in a match. Gregg’s quitting depicts the struggle for perfection which is characteristic of every teenager. To every student, becoming popular matters. During Christmas, Gregg and Rowley play a game where Gregg causes him to break an arm. When school resumes after the break, girls get so concerned about Rowley and take so much care of him that Gregg becomes jealous. Thus, this part still exhibits the struggle for social acceptance which is one main trait associated with teens.

Punishment scenario occurs when Principal boots Jefferson mistakenly from being part of safety patrol after Gregg frightened kids with worms and sticks. This extract shows that punishment remains one of the main strategies used in school to help correct students wrongdoings. Almost at the end of the movie, during the auditions for a play, Gregg becomes nervous and throws a prop at Patty stopping the process. So, this is an example of instances where teens try to “display prankish sense of humor” in order to achieve their own goals (Salyers, & McKee, 2007). At the end of the film, a group of teens bully Gregg and force him to eat cheese from the basketball court floor. Eventually, Gregg and Rowley mend their relationship and plan a summer holiday. The struggle to fit in the social setting in the middle school is real, and every student must strive to stand out regardless of challenges. On the whole, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid shows significant teen’s development stages, thus calling for educators to address them amicably by dealing with the rate at which these changes occur through effective educational reforms.

I have noticed that several educational issues, such as punishment, bullying, and relationship complications are dealt with in the film. An example of relationship complications is when Gregg is made to sit close to Fregley, a weird kid he does not like. Rowley is his friend, but he looks immature to him. As stated by Salyers, and McKee (2007), teens’ “physical and social development become priorities.” Punishment, as the central education problem, is manifested when Rowley is expelled from safety patrol after Gregg scared younger kids. So, from this common practice in schools, teachers often apply it in order to instill the necessary discipline. In all the craze for popularity, getting the right friend is every teen’s dream, and Gregg was no exception. He did not like Fregley and later fell out with Rowley. Self-identity is a problem, and Rowley once noted: “My mom said to just be myself, and everyone would like me (Freudenthal et al., 2010).” Similarly, Gregg observes, “The best I can figure out is that I’m somewhere around the 52nd or 53rd most popular this year” (Freudenthal et al., 2010). So, these instances point out the relationship among teens in the school. Bullying is often considered universally unacceptable behavior in schools. For example, a group of teens forces Gregg to eat a piece of cheese from the ground.

Having read the “The young adolescent learner” article, I find that several problems addressed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid coincide with those in the reading journal. For example, Gregg often strives to be liked by girls and everyone around. The desire for social acceptance is common among teens. This is coupled with testing one’s limits for the acceptable behaviors where everyone is determined to stand out among the rest. Also, emotional conflicts are common among teens. On the whole, these problems are common in middle school psychology. Establishing education reforms to address the issues that teens undergo will help them deal with their situations better.

References

Freudenthal, T., Filgo, J., Filgo, J., Sachs, G., Judah, J., Jacobson, N., Simpson, B., … Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc. (2010). Diary of a wimpy kid.

Salyers, F., & McKee, C. (2007). The young adolescent learner. Annenberg Media.