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The Wonder Years Season 5 Episode 13

Kodachrome

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AIRED: 1/29/92

Miss Shaw was one of Kevin's most memorable teachers. She was young, black, anti-authoritarian and actually enjoys teaching. But her unorthodox methods get her in trouble with the school board.

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Kevin's teacher Ms. Shaw abolishes formal grading from her classroom.

9.0

By dseabroo, Jan 30, 2011

For most people in the world, formal grading, an educational concept celebrating its two hundredth anniversary on the air-date of this episode, is an accepted fact of life. For most people its welcome feedback and a benchmark of performance. For many others its a source of stress and even despair, embarrassment, dread and even self-loathing.

Few people realize that something as essential and standard as grading systems is a source of controversy among academics in education. Are a few meaningless numbers on paper really able to determine who should have the right to determine which people become physicians or lawyers and which of us become brick-layers or trash-collectors. So much of our future can rest in the opinion of our teachers and tests which are proven to be often bias against cultural status, values, income level and even basic ways of thinking.

Many people are surprised to learn that even today many school around the world do not use formal grading. These schools are often called alternative education facilities or self-directed learning centres. Many people are surprised to learn that I myself even attended such a school for over ten years.

Despite this, its almost a taboo to criticize standardized grading in any way and this episode of the Wonder Years is unique in its ability to do this quite effective. My hats are off to the producers of the Wonder Years for bringing this concept in education to public attention.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Fred Savage	Kevin Arnold
Jason Hervey	Wayne Arnold
Alley Mills	Norma Arnold
Dan Lauria	Jack Arnold
Josh Saviano	Paul Pfeiffer
Olivia d'Abo	Karen Arnold

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Lanai Chapman	Miss Shaw	Guest Star
Richard Fancy	Dr. Valenti	Guest Star
Claude Earl Jones	Linzer	Guest Star
Josh Berman	Harold Grutner	Recurring Role
Scott Nemes	Ricky Halsenbach	Recurring Role
Michael Tricario	Randy Mitchell	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (2)
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- Narrator: It seemed like my high school teachers came in every conceivable shape... size and style. There were the hopelessly confused... the terminally repetitious... the insufferably boring. But of all the teachers I ever had... I only ever had one...who was... a natural. Miss Shaw taught English 2-A. She was a year out of graduate school... and there was something about her that was... cool. She didn't take attendance - she didn't need to. She let us sit anywhere we wanted. And she never, ever, used the word "literature". But maybe the most remarkable thing about her was... she actually liked what she did.
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- Narrator: That afternoon there was kind of a... celebration. They were celebrating youth. Enthusiasm. Idealism. They were cheering for the best, and the brightest. Only they didn't know what I knew then. But they found out. I guess in the end, Miss Shaw did what was best for her. After all, no compromises, no regrets. The only thing is - she didn't do what was best for us. Even today... I don't know who to be angry at. Her... or the system that drove her away.
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NOTES (1)
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- Featured Music:
  "Both Sides, Now" by Joni Mitchell
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- The name of this episode is the same name of the Paul Simon song Kodachrome.
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