Mona Lisa Smile Notes

Mona Lisa Smile Notes

·         Miss Watson came because she wanted to make a difference.

·         She came to teach History of Art

·         movie took place in new England at welsley 1953

·         First day she showed pictures on the first day that the girls knew everything about already. She was very taken back.

·         All of the girls read the entire text of the Art History.

·         So the girls just left to go to independent study.

·         She showed art that was not in the syllabus so the girls didn’t know. She asked them if what they thought of it. She told them to think without having a text book telling them what to think.

·         She tried to get them to open their minds to a new idea.

·         She showed a picture she painted for her mom when she was a child, and then a picture of her mom. Art can be anything.

·         Girls are taught that their sole purpose is to take care of their husbands and kids

·         She gave some girl a C grade on a paper because she didn’t write what she thought, she referenced Strouss instead of writing what she thought. Miss Watson gave her another chance to write what she thought.

·         She is pre law and said after school she was gonna get married and didn’t plan on going to law school. Ms W told her she can get married and go to school.

·         She gave her an application to Yale law school.

·         Miss Watson took the students to a warehouse to look at a piece of art. She told them to do themselves a favor and stop talking and look and observe.

·         Her teaching methods were unorthodoxed and that Welsley has more traditional teaching methods.

·         Her room is messier than the other teacher’s rooms.

·         Her boyfriend came to visit on x mas and proposed to her.

·         Vango refused to conform the ideals.  Nobody understood his art until sixty years later and then he was famous. She told them not to conform to what other people say you should do.

·         Mrs. Jones  hadn’t showed up to class since she was married.  She said that the faculty turns their head on a few absences when a girl gets married. Miss Watson said she expects attendance “ why don’t you just get married when you are a freshmen that way you can graduate without actually ever having to step foot on campus ” “come to class do the work or ill fail you” She said if you fail me there will be consequences”

·         Miss Watson is nominated by Julia to attend a girls meeting.

·         Mrs. Jones wrote an article saying miss Watson encourages welsley girls to reject the roles they were born to fill.

·         She showed the girls a portrait of women,” you are the smartest women in the country I didn’t realize that by demanding excellence I would be challenging the roles you were born to fill. That was my mistake.”

·         There just buying their time until someone proposes.

·         She is teaching at a school that is a finishing school she thought would turn out tomorrow’s leaders, not their wives.

·         She went to junes house to tell her about more law schools close to where she will be living and june said she doesn’t want to sacrifice a family for her career. She wants a family more than anything.

·         The board reviewed ms Watson for next year and said that she can return next year. They want her to under conditions: will teach only the syllabus as outlined, lesson plans must be submitted for approval, must not provide counsel for any of the girls.

·         I came to welsley to make a difference but to change for others is not comprisable.  

·         Not all that wanderer’s are aimless.

·         She decided to leave welsley, and all of the girls in the class followed her cab on their bikes waving goodbye.