Rena Ingram

Social & Emotional Issues Case Studies

Movie Selection

Akeelah & the Bee

Movie Review

“You know the feeling when no matter what you do or where you go, you just don’t fit in?”

These were the sentiments of a young 11-year old 7th grader at Crenshaw Middle School
named Akeelah who had an exceptional gift like no other. Moreover, these are also the
sentiments of most gifted learners with abilities that outstretch their age peers. As a result of their
expertise in any field, gifted children come face-to-face with several social and emotional issues
as they may often feel alone, alienated from/misunderstood by their peers, and may even have
difficulty or receive ridicule from adults that are unaware of how to label and/or deal with their
abilities. According to Thomas Herbert and Kristie Neumeister (2002), guided viewing of
movies that address critical issues for gifted students is important for assisting us (parents and
teachers) in our understanding of giftedness and helping the learner cope with the social and
emotional issues that they encounter because of it. Furthermore, as it is also deemed
“cinematherapy”, the guided viewing of movies can also be therapeutic for gifted learners as it
helps them view their issues through a more positive lens and develop alternative solutions to
their problems. Herein, I will highlight the popular 2006 film, Akeelah and the Bee, by
examining the giftedness of its main character and why it would be an appropriate choice for a
guided viewing activity.
Akeelah was an amazingly gifted speller who enjoyed playing Scrabble for fun and had a
journal she would joyously fill with new vocabulary words as she came in contact with them.
The first sign of giftedness was made apparent within the first few minutes of the film when her
English teacher, Ms. Cross, handed back failing vocabulary quizzes to everyone except for
Akeelah who had made a 100. When she asked her, “How many hours did you study?”
Akeelah’s response matched any other gifted learner in a field of their expertise as they tend to
already know the content without working hard - “I didn’t.” Per the teacher’s request, when
Akeelah stayed after class to talk with her, another inclination of giftedness was provided within
their conversation as Ms. Cross expressed her concern with her lack of turning in homework
assignments and showing up to class as gifted students often become bored and unmotivated
with material taught to their class because they perform at a level beyond their peers. However,
based on her undeniable gifts, Ms. Cross placed the upcoming school spelling bee on her radar –
a request that Akeelah would decline, not because of her lack of skill, but because of the very
reason she got picked on and bullied by a few kids the next morning for: “Hey freak! Take care
of our English work! Brainiac!” Ultimately, all of these experiences aforementioned led me to
believe that Akeelah can be rightfully labeled as the “underground” type of gifted learner as she
fit within all of its characteristics as a middle school female who denies their talent in order to be
accepted and frequently feels insecure and anxious because of it. Eventually she would end up
called to Mr. Welch’s (school principal) office where he, too, would eventually persuade her to
be apart of the school’s spelling bee, but within their conversation, we also received another key
piece of understanding for Akeelah as a gifted student as she confessed to experiencing grade
acceleration – she skipped 2nd grade. As she began to work with her spelling bee coach, Dr.
Larabee, more of her desire to confirm to her peers in order to shy away from her intellectual
 Rena Ingram
Social & Emotional Issues Case Studies
ability was made apparent as he requested she removed the “ghetto talk” from her speech in their
dealings, “You use that to fit in with your friends. Talk proper here.”
The social and emotional issues a gifted learner experiences are prevalent within the
school setting, but it is also not shy of appearing due to their home environment. Akeelah came
from an environment that didn’t originally foster her intellectual development – it was constantly
noisy as she was trying to study for the spelling bee (heard dog barking and sirens on several
occasions), her sister had a crying baby, her troubled brother originally discouraged her every
chance he got, and her mom had so many things to worry about as a single-mother that she was
not originally invested in Akeelah’s talent. For example, when seeing her study one night, her
mother expressed, “You got other homework. Don’t spend all your time on that game”, told her
that she “wasn’t in the mood” when her attention and excitement was expected, and readily told
her to “just do it next year.” Moreover, the limited resources in her environment played a
significant role as well. When she met Javier at the regional spelling bee, it was if she met a
friend on the same intellectual level (one that almost cost her the relationship built with her best
friend with lower ability) – a friendship that was exciting for her, made her feel understood, and
ultimately led her across town in Woodland Hills: a different environment deemed the “white
side of town” with more resources readily available. For example, within the movie you could
find herself desperately comparing the spelling club and Latin classes that were available in
Woodland Hills to the lack of balls for PE class and bathroom stalls without doors at her home
school, Crenshaw. These comparisons most accurately explained why Akeelah was the first
student from her school to go to the national spelling bee, let alone regionals.
According to Herbert and Neumeister (2002), guided viewing is beneficial for shedding
light on the social and emotional issues of the gifted learner as not only have movies been
recognized for their potential to simultaneously affect the emotional lives of a large number of
viewers, but it provides each party involved with an opportunity of self-reflection. Any gifted
learner who is torn between avoiding their true gifts and conforming to the liking of their peers,
is bullied by their peers for being smart, has lost friends because of their journey through
different forms of acceleration, feels limited in their intellectual journey due to the limited
resources available to them, and so much more can directly relate to Akeelah. However, I believe
what would be most rewarding about the guided viewing of this movie is its ending. By the end
of the movie, Akeelah had a village. She didn’t need to go to Woodland Hills, she had 50,000
coaches around her that found different strategies to help her succeed from at home with her
family, to workers at the diner, gang members, and so much more. Instead of placing their own
expectations on Akeelah that could increase anxiety and denial, they supported her in ways that
presented her with a least restrictive social environment in which she could truly develop.
Ultimately, Akeelah became the first-ever co-champion of the national spelling bee – a joyous
moment that would seamlessly succeed in opening channels of communication between teachers,
parents, and their gifted students over issues faced by families of the learner.

Hebert, T.P, & Neumeister, K.L.S. (2002) Fostering the Social and Emotional Development of
Gifted Children Through Guided Viewing of Film.
https://www.sengifted.org/post/fostering-the-social-and-emotional-development-of-
gifted-children-through-guided-viewing-of-film

Fishburne, L., Ganis, S., Ganis, N.H., Romersa, M., Llewelyn, D., & Atcison, D. (2006) Akeelah
and the Bee. United States. Lionsgate Films.
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Social & Emotional Issues Case Studies
Discussion Questions

1. After watching Akeelah and the Bee, what do you believe is being portrayed about gifted
learners and their abilities?
2. After watching Akeelah and the Bee, what do you believe is being portrayed about how
teachers and parents interact with and/or provide support to gifted learners?
3. After watching Akeelah and the Bee, what role can you say her environment played on her
development as an avid speller? Discuss a time when your environment may have had a
negative impact on the development of your skills due to a lack of resources and/or other
“distractions.” How do you believe things would’ve been different if better/more resources
were easily accessible?
4. Throughout most of the movie, Akeelah had to deal with 2 bullies who tormented her
because of her abilities. One morning before school, they approached her and yelled, “Hey
freak! Take care of our English work, Brainiac!” before shoving her around. Have you ever
been bullied because you were smart or really good at something? How did it make you feel?
5. After the principal, Mr. Welch, heard of Akeelah’s spelling abilities, he requested that she
come to his office and during their discussion he asked, “Have you skipped a grade?” A
question in which Akeelah simply said, “The second”, with her head faced down. Have you
ever skipped a grade or received instruction at a higher level because of your advanced
abilities? If so, do you regret the experiences you might’ve missed as a result?
6. Mr. Welch pleaded with Akeelah to join in the school’s spelling bee when he called her to his
office and she responded, “So everyone can call me a freak and a brainiac? Nah, I ain’t down
for no spelling bee.” Describe a moment in your life when you purposely denied your talents
in order to be accepted.
7. Although Akeelah’s dad passed prior to the time period of this movie, his presence and the
impact he had on her gift was made apparent. When considering if she would compete in the
spelling bee, her brother expressed, “Do it for dad. You know how he was about words. He’d
love to see you do something like this.” Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone
important in your life? What impact did they have on the development of your expertise?
8. When Akeelah got caught returning home after sneaking across town to Woodland Hills, her
mother expressed, “If this spelling thing means sneaking out, I’m calling it all off” and
ultimately told her the decision was not only “not fair, but final.” Afterwards, Akeelah
stormed off to her room and looked at a picture of her father and sorrowfully said, “You’d let
me do it.” In that moment, it was clear that her needs didn’t match what was being expected
of her. Describe a time when you felt like your needs conflicted with a parent’s or teacher’s
expectations.
9. During one of their introductory teaching sessions, Akeelah’s spelling coach, Dr. Larabee,
asked her to read the infamous quote by Marianne Williamson, “Our deepest fear is not that
we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask
ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talent, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to
be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own
light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” After reading it,
he asked her, “Does that mean anything to you?” At first, she wasn’t sure but eventually she
expressed that it meant she shouldn’t be afraid of herself. As a gifted learner, have you ever
been ashamed to excel or lacked pride in your intelligence because it made you different
from everyone else?
 Rena Ingram
Social & Emotional Issues Case Studies
10. At the end of the movie, Akeelah went on to be the first ever co-champion of the spelling
bee, but it came with the support of everyone in her family and around the neighborhood that
her mom named her “5,000 coaches.” Have you ever felt like your teachers and/or parents
finally got it right when it came to implementing strategies that properly fit your learning
ability? Describe how you felt in this moment and the benefits you feel came along with it?

Follow-Up Activity

During the guided viewing of Akeelah and the Bee, you observed examples of the social and
emotional issues gifted learners encounter in their every day lives. Throughout this activity, you
will be provided with a deeper understanding of the experiences of gifted learner which will
ultimately provide you with more opportunities of introspection regarding the social and
emotional issues gifted learners face as well as the impact others people/things have on the
fostering of their development (parent, teacher, environment, etc.). You may work alone or with
a partner.

Your Task: Choose one of the scenes from the movie that focuses in on the social and emotional
issues of Akeelah and reenact the scene. As you place yourself in the shoes of the gifted learner
commit yourself to the emotions that come about. Afterwards, create a product that showcases
your journey through those emotions. Your product must be creative and should be one of the
following: a one-pager, a song, a poem, a cartoon or any other illustrative drawing. If you would
like to choose another form of creative expression, get it approved by me (your teacher)
beforehand.

Implementation Plan

This guided viewing activity with take place over four 90-minute class periods.

Day One
 Class will begin with a brief introduction to Akeelah and the Bee and any situation/target
goal that has prompted the use of this movie. Although students may have seen the movie
before, they will be instructed to now view the movie through the senses of themselves -
the gifted learner. (5 minutes)
 Teacher will have students complete a ticket-in that charges them to define what it means
to be gifted and how they are affected by the social and emotional issues they face. (10
minutes)
 The students will begin to watch the movie and take notes using their AVID Story Arc
graphic organizers to help them maintain the main idea of the story and the significant
role of each character involved. (75 minutes)

Day Two
 Students will watch the reminder of the film, continuing to use their graphic organizers to
take notes. (37 minutes)
 Teacher will, then, engage the students in a discussion using the discussion questions
above. The target of the discussion is to help the students relate the movie to their direct
 Rena Ingram
Social & Emotional Issues Case Studies
experiences, moreover, identifying with the movie’s characters. Throughout the
discussion, the teacher will response to the students’ comments and concerns in a way
that suitably recognizes their strides in communicating an acceptance of their own social
and emotional responses. (30 minutes)
 Teacher will have students complete a ticket-out where they will re-answer the question
about what being gifted means to them and how they are impacted by the social and
emotional issues they face. They will then analyze and discuss the difference in their pre-
and post-responses. (23 minutes)

Day Three
 In pairs, or individually, students will complete the follow-up activity where they will
explore the social and emotional issues of gifted students based on the featured movie.
By the end of class, they should be finished constructing their creative products. (90
minutes)

Day Four
 Students will present their reenactment skits and products to the class. (90 minutes)