A Look Back: Using “A Million Miles Away” As An SEL Opportunity

(I’m republishing my favorite posts from the second half of 2023. You can see them all here)

I previously posted about “A Million Miles Away” when the trailer first came out, and was not disappointed when I finished watching it last night.

There are many ways to use the movie in the classroom.

One obvious strategy is to use the five or six step goal-achievement plan that astronaut José Hernández’s father gives him, which is used as an outline for the movie.

Depending on your preference, here are a couple of slightly different ways it’s described:

Here’s a quote about it from this article:

Hernández says a key factor in accomplishing his dreams, was putting into action his father’s five step recipe for success: “Determine your purpose in life. Recognize how far you are. And then draw yourself a plan, a roadmap so you know how to get there. Prepare yourself according to the challenge. Develop a work ethic second to none.”

“And my ingredient, the sixth one, is perseverance,” he adds. “Never, ever give up on yourself.”

This is the list exactly as the movie describes it. I got it from this article, which shares some more specific classroom ideas:

Ingredient 1- Find Your Goal

Ingredient 2- Know How Far You Are

Ingredient 3- Draw A Roadmap

Ingredient 4- If You Don’t Know How, Learn

Ingredient 5- When You Think You’ve Made It, You Probably Have to Work Harder

I’m adding this info to Best Posts On Students Setting Goals.

And here’s a video that includes excerpts from the movie, along with clips of the actors and Hernandez discussing the film: