School Through the Eyes of Lizzie McGuire

Growing up I watched all sorts of shows, but my favorite would have had to been Lizzie McGuire. While I may not have known what it was like in middle and high school back in the early 2000's, I can see some of the classroom routines through what Lizzie and her friends encounter in the show.

Lizzie grew up in a middle class home with her mom, dad and brother, Matt. Like all siblings Matt and Lizzie fight most of the time, but love each other just the same. She has two best friends, Gordo and Miranda, whom help her get by in school. The three friends are not the most popular kids in school and they are reminded of that everyday by the queen of popular, Kate. Kate and her friends, make fun of and distract Lizzie from her everyday learning in almost every episode Although Lizzie may not be the most popular girl in school, she is an average students and holds straight B's even with the constant irritation of Kate. She even tutors her crush, Ethan, in many subjects considering Ethan is not the brightest. Outside of school, Lizzie loves to do gymnastics and hang out with her two best friends. Below are some clips of Lizzie in and outside of school.

^(start at 23:58 and watch until 24:40). This is an example of Lizzie being made fun of before class even starts for hanging out with a seventh grader.

^(Watch until :30). This is an example of Lizzie being a B students, but wanting to have better grades and do well in school.

^(Watch until 1:30). This is a clip of Lizzie competing in a rhythmic gymnastics competition.

As you can see, Lizzie is a smart girl and an average student who just gets picked on in school, and fights with her brother at home, which causes a distraction. If I were Lizzie's teacher some things I would do in my class would be a lot of independent work. Therefore, there is not an opportunity to talk or have Lizzie get made fun of. I would also use technologies such as the clickers to answer questions. This way Lizzie and other students who are embarrassed to answer questions, could answer freely without being afraid of being picked on for having the wrong answer. Finally, I would have hands on tasks since Lizzie likes to be active outside of school. Doing hands on actives are a good way for students to learn information in a fun way.

Overall, since Lizzie is still in middle school throughout all the of the seasons, I would not say she is "college ready." However, she is high school ready for sure and if she keeps up her hard work, there is no doubt she would be ready for college when it was graduation time.

You can all learn more about Lizzie and her friends by clicking here :)