Some Great (Movie) Teaching Moments

Far too often, films depicting schools don’t show education in a positive light. Movies marketed toward teens are especially prone to displaying these institutions as nothing more than a meeting place to stage the intricacies of adolescent drama.

If a teacher enters the scene, there’s a good chance the character is nothing more than a cardboard stereotype of an unfeeling dictator—and an easy target for immature humor.

Such portrayals of authority figures are the sign of a writer making a quick grab for the young audience’s loyalty. Mocking educators is an easy way to appeal to this rebellion-prone age group that is anxiously trying to define its independence by saying, “This movie understand how bad school really is.”

Thankfully, some of Hollywood’s creative types have provided a better perspective on the important profession of teaching. And just as movies (and all media for that matter) can have a powerful negative influence, they also can motivate an adolescent to recognize the incredible significance of education in our information driven society.

Likewise, it would be logical to suggest many teachers may also discover an inspiring characterization in these movies—even if these films sometimes suffer from a strong dose of sentimentality and simplification.

No matter which side of the desk you find yourself on, this list below may help you find some great school stories.

To Sir, With Love
This is perhaps the classic of all teaching movies. Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, an unemployed engineer who takes on a job teaching undisciplined high school students in an East End London school. One of the first in this genre, it sets up the scenario of a frustrated teacher and rebellious kids who will eventually meet on middle ground.

Societal changes are evident in this 1967 production, but weightier issues, which would have pushed the limits of 1960’s cinematic decency (like teen motherhood), are included. And don’t forget that catchy theme song!

Stand and Deliver
Probably one of the most underrated performances in recent movie memory is that of Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver. This movie is a personal favorite of mine for various reasons. First, it’s a true story about California teacher named Jamie Escalante who took on the challenge of teaching inner-city kids what they need to know in order to pass AP Calculus. Second, there are few movies starring Hispanics that give a glimpse into this culture.

But no matter where you live, or the color of your skin, this film drives home a timeless point: You’ve got to have “ganas” (desire) in order to reach your goals. This message, along with the wide variety of cast members and personalities in this movie, make it a treasure that will never grow old.

Mr. Holland’s Opus
I spoke with Patrick Sheane Duncan, the writer of Mr. Holland’s Opus a few years ago at a media literacy conference in LA. He bristled at the idea of being a “family movie writer,” and instead firmly stated his goal in this script: To convince California schools to make arts a priority.

That political message is anything but subtle in this film, but what gives this movie a place on my very short favorite movie shelf is the idea that we may not always get to do what we want in life, yet given enough time and with the right attitude, our rewards will still come. Also, Mr. Holland wasn’t always the greatest teacher, or perhaps the best father, but he made good decisions when it really counted. That’s a character worth emulating.

October Sky
This movie reminds me of the many years I spent in a small school located in the hamlet of Bindloss Alberta on the Canadian prairies. Just as Homer Hickam’s principal in October Sky assumed an education wasn’t all that important for the young men in their community who would most likely go to work in the town coal mine, so it was assumed for the many children of farm families in my hometown.

Thank goodness for a teacher in Homer’s life who saw beyond the coal-dusted horizon. Miss Frieda Riley encouraged Homer to literally shoot for the moon in this true story about a man who ending up working at NASA. And I’m just as grateful for Mrs. Rinker, Mrs. Seward, and Mrs. Ertmoed.

Remember the Titans
Yet another true story, Denzel Washington and Will Patton star in what may be the only Jerry Bruckheimer movie you’ll want in your family room. Dramatizing the events that transpired after an African-American coach is hired to helm a racially integrated football team’s first year, Ttians offers a palette of well-rounded characters and a protagonist who isn’t always right.

More than preaching tolerance, this film (and the real people it represents) rises further and demands cooperation, respect, and even love between those on opposite sides of the racial divide. Also, the DVD edition has interviews with the real coaches who provide exceptional background information. Toss in the expected retro rock soundtrack, and you have a winner that even the most jaded teen moviegoer will enjoy.

Freedom Writers
In the early 1990's, a fresh-faced teacher (based on the life of Erin Gruwell) finds herself in the middle of gang wars right in her own classroom. Unable to teach because of the racial tensions, she finally discovers a way to reach her students by introducing the horrors of the Holocaust to them.

Additionally, she gives the students journals in which to record their own thoughts and feelings. And in finding a place to express themselves, they are finally able to discover the similarities they share with the others in their classroom. Their entries were later published in a book called The Freedom Writers Diary.

Rod Gustafson