See You At The Movies

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. 

As I spent the day researching and writing, the news of his passing came through my Personal Learning Network. Just some news of the world, albeit sad, got me thinking about how I learned as a kid. I watched At The Movies religiously growing up the 1980s. Reflecting on what I learned from Siskell and Ebert, I'd have to say, they modeled how to make an argument about what you like and didn't like. They helped me see that you have to stick with the text, and that personal attacks can only get you so far. We live in a thumbs/thumbs down world, but life is often more complex than that. Ebert modeled, although I wasn't smart enough at the time to recognize this, that you can make a living doing something you love.