It is no secret that media has a huge impact on our decisions and how we choose to see things. According to the article, " Hollywood goes to school", Teachers are displayed as "super teachers", meaning they can alter the students lives as if magically. This creates a high expectation of teachers, and makes it seem like they are able to change every single student to be better and have a better life. The movie, "freedom writers" is a great example of a "super teacher". Ms. Gruwell was assigned to teach in a classroom with students of different backgrounds and cultures, who were said to be unteachable. Each student had their own personal issues and many were mainly of low income. Ms. Gruwell would take them on road trips, give them supplies, and create a family like environment. By showing them how alike they are despite of their differences, she was able to adjust to their needs and get them interested in learning. Not only did she better their grades and get them learning, she also changed their lives and helped them steer away from a troubled life. As inspiring as the theme is, it makes people believe that all teachers should be that dedicated, however, it is different in reality. Teachers are caring and strive for the best of their students, but they can only do so much, they do not involve themselves the way the teachers in the movies do. This is also why there are a lot of critics who don't believe teachers are well prepared, and that they are not doing enough.
Hi Alexis, I agree with your post so much! I also loved how you covered the fact that their are certain films that make teachers have the image of being "superheroes" in a sense. These films have great meanings and lessons to them, but at the same time they are also putting a lot of pressure on the shoulders of real educators. Do I agree that teachers should help their students succeed and help show them their potential? Yes, I agree completely, but I also understand that it is not as easy as it may seem in these films. It takes both parties to be willing to cooperate with each other in order to get somewhere. Teachers are supposed to care and be willing to do everything they can to help their students succeed, but we can't disregard the challenges that come with trying to meet these goals. It's not going to be an easy process and I feel like many forget to understand that.
ReplyDeleteHello Diaynara,
DeleteI agree, I feel like movies aim for a story that people would find pleasant, but some people believe too much of what they see. It is not that teachers aren't doing all they can, they do what's needed for their students, it just doesn't seem like that to others. Critics don't see the process and hard work teachers do, they just see end results that don't meet their standards. These films make it all look so easy, especially when they display the super teacher formula. This is when an new teacher who is usually unexperienced, is put into a classroom of hard to teach students. Magically, in a short period of time, these teachers are able to change the students around and even make them better people. This is difficult to do, but people see it in movies and expect it to be the norm for all teachers in real life.
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ReplyDeleteAlexis, yes, the article we read made good point about Hollywood teaching standards being unattainable. I especially like the lines "Now, that's teaching!" exclaims the principal.” (Farhi, 1999). A line said by the principle in school the movie Summer School. The author wrote “No. That's Hollywood.” (Farhi, 1999). Something interesting I learned through this model is that we as teachers know this is unattainable. Many teachers are showing this movie in their classrooms to inspire their students to work. However, it winds up doing the opposite. The article attached https://www.newamerica.org/weekly/please-stop-talking-about-stand-and-deliver/ discusses how it makes children feel like everyone around them believes they are stupid. Therefore, even teachers buy into the Hollywood drama of teaching. That is why it is so important for us as teachers to not only fight against the stereotypes forced upon us; but also ensure we are not stereotyping our students.
ReplyDeleteI think that quote sums up the whole perception of teachers and what is expected of them. The teachers in movies are practically Hollywood itself. Which we know is made up of exaggeration, theatrics, and things people want to see but aren't necessarily realistic. The movie itself is very inspiring, to see these students change their lives and create such bonds. We however know that's not how classrooms actually are. I think it affects the parents in that it makes them feel like parents aren't doing the best for their kids if they don't get results like in the movies. Thank you for the link! it is a great article and I can see how it would affect the students. Instead of inspiring students, it seems to be doing the opposite. Teachers shouldn't strive to be like those in movies, they should know their students and what is best for them. Its mutual in that students and teachers respect each other and know what each is capable of.
DeleteHi Alexis! I also Read "Freedom Writers" and really liked you take on the film and how it addresses teaching. I absolutely agree that this film made it seem like all teachers need to give their students as much time and dedication that Ms. G did. However, like it was discussed in the PBS YouTube videos, teachers have their own lives and cannot set aside as much time as these superteachers do for their students. This does not make them bad or unprepared teachers, it simply makes them human! Although I do believe that teachers should try and have lasting impacts on their students, it is very unlikely that one teacher will change every single on of their students' lives for the better like Ms. G did - it just isn't very feasible.
ReplyDeleteI agree! we shouldn't expect teachers to drop their personal lives for their students. There are other ways to show dedication and care. It is also difficult to invest so much of their own money, especially with the budget issues as we have seen in past modules. Teachers do impact their students lives, I know mine have. It is just not as dramatic as in the movies. It is okay to be humans, not only are the students learning, but the teachers as well.
DeleteHey Alexis, this was a really awesome post. I totally agree with you that movies make these teachers into superheroes and there is always a perfect ending where everything is happy and magic. Teachers go through so much and it is very hard to be that superhero that people always seem to be expecting. But one things I take away from seeing films like this is that I shouldn't let it discourage me. I've known since I was young that life isn't sunshine and rainbows, and things rarely work out the way we want it to.. But that doesn't mean I can't try. I know life will never be like in the movies, but that will never stop me from tryin to do everything that I can for my students so that they can get the best recourses and education from me.. I want to be someone they can go to for help or even comfort. I know I can change their lives completely, but I want to do what I can for them.
ReplyDeleteHello Elena!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I had to go back and think about how I perceived teachers when I was younger. I would see these movies and it was either them altering the students lives, or just being represented as bad. It was easy to see the difference from my day to day classroom, and that of a movies. High school musical is a good example of the made up teaching environment. The teachers are kind of carefree or super strict, and kids of a young age are all seeing this. They also might have a certain expectation for their teachers based on what they see. I like how you said teachers can always improve, because every teacher is different and some things could be done better. However, it is a learning process that may take them time, not to be perfect like in the movies, but to be the best they can for their students.
Hi Alexis! I could not agree more with the wording and points posed in your post this week. I think it is far too common an issue for teachers to be portrayed as having super powers that may be used to drastically alter the lives and success of their students. This is not to say that teachers do not play an important role in getting children ready to participate in the real world as adults, nor to say that there should be no desire to try and have a positive influence on the lives of the kids you teach. An overwhelming amount of teachers are dedicated to their students, doing every thing in their power to ensure their safety, growth, and support. However, the types of teachers depicted in the media (especially movies), tend to exaggerate this quality to the point of inaccuracy. No matter how loving, hard working, and compassionate a teacher is, there are a multitude of factors in a students life that typically must also be addressed in order to create a total transformation. Though it is not necessarily "bad" to insinuate that teachers can have a powerful influence in children's lives, but depicting this skill in such a dramatized way raises expectations of real life teachers to an unattainable level.
ReplyDeleteHi Alexis. I loved your blog post this week. In the article "Hollywood goes to school" Teachers were portrayed as super teachers. However, I didn't watch "Freedom Writers"it does act as an example as a teacher being a 'super teacher' , because Mrs. Gruwell goes above and beyond for her students. An example of what she did for her students were; to fund her own lessons, weekend field trips for her students, and even drive them home after school. These types of teachers are unappreciated, she changed their lives and helped them steer away from their troubled lives. However, the media portrays that teachers should be as dedicated as Ms. Gruwell.
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