Tuesday, July 17, 2007 4:56 AM
by
jtspencer
Hollywood Teachers
In watching movies, it is interesting to see how teachers are portrayed. Movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off or a more recent A Cinderella Story apply the stereotypes of a bland, dull, geeky teacher. The classic role of Ben Stein fits this notion of the teacher who burns out and continues to show up regardless of whether students learn. More often, though, there is the stereotypical, non-conformist teacher who inspires students to live differently.
In movies such as See Mona Lisa Smile or Dead Poets Society the teacher rails against the system, attempting for students to see art for themselves, outside the rigid boundaries of the system. At first, this notion is appealing to me. I don't believe in standardized education. Yet, I also see value in starting small and learning the theory. The best musicians start rigid and improvise as they master the skill. A better example of that process would be Finding Forrester, where an older author mentors a new author - beginning with a rigid technique and slowly watching as the young author finds his voice. In Dangerous Minds, the author fights against the system, using Bob Dylan's poems rather than prescribed curriculum. Students seem to fall in love with the subject as a result. In Stand and Deliver, Jaime Escalante inspires students to learn Calculus. Unlike the other movies, his requires students spend crazy hours to accomplish their goals.
Does Hollywood "get" the teaching profession? It seems that the medium cannot show the daily grind very well - the discipline issues, the boredom of grading papers, the awful staff development meetings, where I draw pictures while a speaker drones on and reads PowerPoint slides. A two hour movie about someone sitting behind a computer at 5:30 frantically inputing grades would not be a large box office draw. It also seems that the change is almost always instantaneous. A more realistic example would be Mr. Holland's Opus, where he spends hours each week (to the detriment of his family) building a program that, over the course of decades, is eventually cut due to funding.
I feel ambivalent toward the Hollywood examples. On one hand, I find them motivating. On the other hand, I find them discouraging because they can be so unrealistic. In a sense, they are great at showing the power of a teacher. On the other hand, they rarely give credit to the powerful role of the student. And though, on the silver screen, the teachers sacrifice all in order to impact their students; ultimately, my family comes first.
That leaves me with a lingering question: What type of a movie would my teaching experience be? (I'm thinking a low-budget indi film or a documentary)