A PowerPoint Presentation Highlighting Films about Teachers
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. This presentation is designed to share some films about teachers and teaching… so, sit back and enjoy the show!
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.
Blackboard Jungle is a movie about the events which occur at North Manual High School, an inner-city school. Richard Dadier is a new teacher at the school and is faced with challenges and disappointments. His students are rude, unruly, and violent. As a teacher, he finds a lack of support from students and staff.
The movie features Glenn Ford, Sidney Poitier, and Jamie Farr. Bill Haley & His Comets’ song “Rock Around the Clock” is also featured in the movie.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The Breakfast Club is a movie about five teenage students who have detention together on a Saturday. Despite the fact that the students are quite different from one another, and represent different cliques, they realize they experience some of the same thoughts and feelings as teenagers. This movie is considered to be what is called a cult classic. It has its own group of fans/followers.
The movie features Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Cheers for Miss Bishop is a black and white film from the early ‘40s about a teacher who dedicates her life to teaching. Family and friends are important to her, but teaching is her passion. In many ways, Miss Bishop exemplifies teaching at its best.
The movie begins with Miss Bishop as a young teacher and follows her through her retirement. The movie ends with a celebration given by her former students honoring their favorite teacher, Miss Ella Bishop.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The Chocolate War is a movie about what goes on behind the walls of a particular elite Catholic School for young men. As a new student at the high school, Jerry Renault is faced with the task of selling chocolate candy bars for a fund-raiser even though he does not want to. Jerry takes a stand against some of his peers and teachers, facing consequences which cause him to question right from wrong.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Coach Carter is a movie based on a true story about a basketball coach who benched his team. The team was benched because of the players’ poor grades. In the movie, Coach Carter finds his students challenging and disrespectful. He takes the necessary steps to get the team back on track by setting strict rules and having high expectations of them.
Coach Carter refers to a quote by the well respected Marianne Williamson throughout the movie. The quote is about fear and liberation.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Dangerous Minds is a movie about Lou Anne Johnson, a first year English teacher. On her first day of school, she finds her students to be apathetic, disengaged, and tough. She soon realizes she has to take on a tougher image to get their respect and attention. She does so by revealing she was an ex-Marine. Yet, she also shows her “soft side.”
Ms. Johnson gets her students “hooked” with poetry by using Bob Dylan’s song “Mr. Tambourine Man” and leads them to study Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Dead Poet’s Society takes place in a preparatory school for boys. John Keating (played by Robin Williams) is a rather quirky English teacher who provides his students with a new outlook on life. He encourages his students to appreciate what literature and poetry offer.
The title of the movie is from a literary club Mr. Keating was a member of when he was a student at the same prep school. The movie line “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” fits the film perfectly.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The true story of Ernest Green, one of the “Little Rock Nine.” This movie serves as a reminder of discrimination toward African-Americans in the ‘50s. Ernest Gideon Green was the first African-American to graduate from the previously all- white Central High School. He graduated on May 27, 1958.
This movie, as well as “Ruby Bridges” and “The Long Walk Home” serve as exceptional movies about the Civil Rights Movement.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. This movie is about a young African-American man named Jamal (played by Rob Brown) who becomes friends with a reclusive writer, William Forrester (played by Sean Connery). One day, one of Jamal’s friends dares him to enter Forrester’s apartment. Jamal does so and accidentally leaves his backpack inside. Forrester finds it and reads Jamal’s journals and carefully “edits” them. A friendship begins.
The two men share the love of writing and help one another as writers, but even more importantly, as confidants.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Freedom Writers is a movie based on the book “The Freedom Writers Diary.” It is about a new teacher, Erin Gruwell (played by Hillary Swank) who has a class of at-risk students. Mrs. Gruwell encounters problems with her students and her department head. She remains determined to persevere.
Educating her students about the Holocaust, Mrs. Gruwell takes on two jobs in order to purchase materials for her students. During her teaching career, she has her students read “The Diary of Anne Frank” and invites Holocaust survivors to speak to her classes. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The Great Debaters is a movie based on a true story about Melvin Tolson, a debate coach from Wiley College and his debate team. The time frame for the movie is in the ‘30s- a time of Jim Crow laws and lynching. Discrimination against African-Americans inconvenienced their use of public facilities and schools. This posed problems for the Wiley College debate team and their coach who were African- Americans. The team had to travel to and from competitions, which were held with students from all-white schools.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. This made for television movie is based on the true story of Liz Murray. Liz is homeless at the young age of 15. Both of her parents are drug addicts, and Liz and her sister are faced with the challenge of taking care of their parents, as well as themselves. Wanting more, Liz goes back to school and enters an essay in a contest sponsored by the New York Times.
She wins the essay contest and earns a scholarship to Harvard University.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The Karate Kid is the classic movie about Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio), a teenage boy who moves to Southern California. He and his mother live in a small apartment, and he learns karate from the handyman, Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita). Daniel learns martial arts in order to survive beatings from another boy at his school.
Daniel learns karate and lessons in life. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel form a special friendship and celebrate a victory together.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Lean On Me is a movie based on Eastside High School in New Jersey. The students in the school are involved in drugs, gangs, and violence. The school’s principal, Joe Clark (played by Morgan Freeman) permanently suspends the troublemakers.
Faced with problems from staff and parents, Clark remains focused and does not give in. In the end, he is put in jail, but his fans (students) show their support for him and demand he be released. The students also show him that they passed the state exams.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Matilda is a movie based on the book of the same name by Roald Dahl. Matilda Wormwood (played by Mara Wilson) is bright from birth. She belongs to a family who places no value on education. Her father, Harry (played by Danny De Vito) and her mother, Zinnia (played by Rhea Perlman) are neither educated nor effective as parents. Matilda loves to read and has a wonderful teacher, Miss Honey, who inspires her to challenge herself.
The movie offers comedy, fantasy, and some suspense.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. The Miracle Worker is a movie available in different versions. It is based on the autobiography of Helen Keller. As a young girl, Helen Keller became deaf and blind due to an illness. Her parents hired a young teacher, Miss Annie Sullivan, to teach her.
The movie’s first version (1962) starred Anne Bancroft. In 1979, Patti Duke played Miss Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert played Helen. In 2000, Hallie Kate Eisenberg played Helen. The story is also performed as live production.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Mona Lisa Smile is a movie about a young art teacher from California who teaches at Wellesley College. The movie takes place in the ‘50s, a time in which most females were conservative. Miss Watson (played by Julia Roberts) is rather liberal and wants her students to seek more from life. For this, she is judged somewhat harshly by her colleagues, administrators, and some of her students.
Though Miss Watson was at the college one brief year, she made a lasting impression on her students.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Mr. Holland’s Opus is a movie about a music teacher named Mr. Glenn Holland. Mr. Holland (played by Richard Dreyfuss) teaches music at Kennedy High School for thirty years. During his thirty year tenure, he faces problems at school and at home. At home, he has a son who is hearing impaired, an unfortunate occurrence for a man who can never share his passion of music with. At school, he fights for his music program. The school has budget cuts which force Mr. Holland to retire.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Renaissance Man is a comedy about a man, Bill Rago (played by Danny De Vito) who loses his job and is assigned a temporary teaching position as an English teacher at an Army base. His students are in need of guidance and direction, which he offers. Rago teaches them about Henry V., literary works, and quotes.
In the end, his students prove to be successful and he signs on for another year.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Speak is based on the novel by the same name. It is also a made for television movie about a teenage girl who is raped by a senior student at her high school. As a result of the rape she, Melinda (played by Kristen Stewart) does not speak. When her best friend starts to date the boy who raped her, Melinda tells her about the rape incident.
Later in the movie, Melinda is confronted by the rapist and puts up a fight with him.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Stand and Deliver is a movie based on the true story of Jaime Escalante, (played by Edward J. Olmos) a math teacher at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. Mr. Escalante had a unique gift of winning the respect and attention of his students. He tutored them on Saturdays, and led them to passing the AP Calculus examination. For him, they gave their best.
The Educational Testing Service is surprised with the passing test scores and demands that the students take the exam again. The students comply, and pass.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Take the Lead is a movie about dance, school, and vandalism. Antonio Banderas plays Pierre Dulaine, a dance instructor who oversees students serving detention in the basement of the school. Dulaine encourages his students to perfect their dance performances and compete in a dance competition.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. This movie is based on a short story entitled “The Palace Thief” and takes place in a prep school for young men. William Hundert (played by Kevin Kline) is a professor who encourages his students to prepare for an annual Julius Caesar competition.
Mr. Hundert’s biggest challenge is one of his students, Sedgewick Bell, the rebellious son of a U.S. senator. Sedgewick is a cheater, liar, and troublemaker but Mr. Hundert tries to help him, only to find he really didn’t learn.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. This movie takes place in an inner city school in London, England. Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, an engineer who has not found a job in his field. He accepts a teaching job and encounters that a majority of the “kids” rule at the school. He realizes he has been treating his students as kids, rather than adults. He adjusts his lessons accordingly and sees positive results.
Thackeray is able to “reach” his students, gaining their trust and respect. They, in turn, learn many important lessons in life.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Up the Down staircase is a movie about a young woman, Miss Barrett, who begins her teaching career at Calvin Coolidge High School in New York City. The school is overcrowded and filled with unruly students. Several incidents occur involving some of the students and their teachers, and Miss Barrett becomes more and more discouraged about teaching.
At the end of the year, she submits her resignation. She soon realizes she has made a positive impact on one of her students and her plans change.
Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.