Flow of Madness

There will be times where I will focus on the minor characters of ‘Skins.’ Today is my first minor character detour. However to call this guy “minor” is a bit of an insult. He basically is Skins. He is the only character to be in every single Series and to greet every single generation with open arms. I can think of no better person to start this ode to the lesser credited than the godfather of Skins: Doug.

Doug is definitely an ode to the overenthusiastic teacher. All of us I think have encountered this type of educator. They think everything is excited and they always have a smile on when you see them. As angsty teenage students we may not show visibly our appreciation, but these adults become an important part of our educational experience. Why? Because a smile and some cheer even if not publically accepted subconsciously is needed. That was Doug he was that enthusiastic teacher who genuine cared about his students.

I always say that as an educator I strive to be a mixture of Mr. Finney and Doug. People laugh and may think I am joking; however, I am dead serious. Mr. Feeny is someone I admire in terms of classroom management, dependability, knowledge, and also the ability to give tough love. However I want to have Doug’s enthusiasm and affection for the students. He is such a big kid and treats every day with optimism and kindness. Characters like Professor Blood put test scores and reputation above the needs of the students. They rather mold the kids to fit the standards. Doug though did not care about the test scores he just wanted the kids to be enthusiastic and excited to learn. He would rather mold the standards to fit the kids. This is the philosophy I want to have as a teacher. I never want to be the type of teacher who tries to make the kids as how I want them, but instead show them that they can benefit from the information I want to present them.

Doug has so many funny scenes with the students. However there are two lines I want to explore that just hit me as an educator and as a fan of Doug’s. These two lines are stated in Liv’s episode as he tries to cheer Liv up and give her the best guidance he can. The first thing is that he said “I hope you love everything.” When you work with kids and you genuinely love working with them. You have these hopes that the kids will go out in the world thinking that everything is possible and that they will be able to be and do anything they want. We want them to leave our classrooms and our school with this feeling that anything is possible and everything is lovely. The fact that he said this and the fact that he believes it tells you something about Doug. He wants his students to love life and dream. He wants them to grow and to make noise. He wants his students to be extraordinary and think that this world is beautiful.

The second thing he said is a sad reality of adulthood. He says “I wish grownups could promise more things.” I find myself thinking this more and more lately. As adults we want to tell our students that everything will be okay and that things work out. However we can never promise that. We can believe it and we can hope it, but we can never know it. Sometimes though students seek that certainty form us in order to make decisions or to find the motivation to get through a tough time. It is hard reality adults have to face. We cannot protect our students from everything. I loved that the he voiced this. I loved that his character is just as disappointed as I am in this sad reality.

Doug is an amazing adult in our Skins world. He is eccentric, enthusiastic, silly, and caring. He has been there for many of our students in their time of need and has always been a constant positive force at Roundview. I will forever miss and I forever admire him. I wish that I can be half the educator that Doug was and I wish I can have a bit of a dance to make a student smile.

Why is Doug awesome? He gave students what they needed and even asked them for what they needed. He never told them what they should need. No other teacher or administrator has ever been that bold or that kind.

OGGY OGGY OGGY!!  

(Gif by jssula)