The Teachings of Jon

First-time filmmaker Jennifer Owensby always wondered what her brother Jon, who has Down syndrome, was thinking. A consciousness educator told Owensby, “People like your brother are very highly evolved. They come here not to learn but to teach.” This ethos permeates the PBS-aired documentary The Teachings of Jon, whose titular 40-year-old subject has an IQ of 20 and doesn't talk. Photographs, home movies, and interviews with parents and siblings recall Jon's early years—he lived in a faraway nursing home until rejoining the family at the age of seven—before focusing on the daily activities of Jon and his parents (including the 39 steps Jon and his father perform each morning to get Jon ready for the day). Jon eats egg sandwiches, snuggles with Furbies, swims in the backyard pool, and folds lots of paper (his favorite thing to do). Jon's family comments on the challenging process of adapting to life with Jon, but emphasize that he has changed their values for the better, because Jon encourages unconditional love and acceptance of other people. A Telly award-winning inspirational portrait, The Teachings of Jon is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)