The other night I had a bout of insomnia and found myself wide awake at a little bit after midnight. Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed, made my way downstairs, and started flipping through the channels, when I came across The Ron Clark Story. This past week, I saw several different bloggers post about this movie and I'll admit I loathed watching it. Teacher movies depress me because they always depict teachers going above and beyond the extraordinary in the toughest of situations.
Well, I watched it and yet again, I feel the same way I did before about teacher movies. The reason? There are several times in the movie in which Mr. Clark almost seems superhuman and lives, eat and breathes being an educator. That in and of itself is not necessarily bad, however, I think it sets us up to have unrealistic expectations from those who have never stepped foot in a classroom to teach.
For example, Mr. Clark becomes ill with pneumonia. He tries to continue teaching despite being told he needs to stay home for two weeks. Instead of heeding the doctor's orders, he goes to work, tries to teach and proceeds to pass out in front of his students. Only at this point does he decide to stay home, but not without getting the help from a friend. His friend comes over to Mr. Clark's apartment to tape him teaching. This friend discovers later that she'll be needed for four hours everyday to tape these lessons that will be shown to his students until Clark can return to the classroom.
The message seems to be that the only way we can be effective teachers is to put the education of our students ahead of our own needs at all personal cost to us. For too many of us as educators this is simply not possible, nor should it be necessary.
In another scene, Mr. Clark goes to the home of a student who he knows has a lot of potential, but due to her life circumstance she is unable to be successful in school. When he arrives at her dingy, cramped apartment, he realizes that this student is responsible for babysitting and feeding her younger siblings. In order to help this student out, he prepares their dinner, enabling his student to do her work.
Okay, I suppose one could do this if you were single and without children, but why should anyone feel that this is something they have to do? I'm all for being there for my students as much as possible, but I think that even as teachers, we are entitled to some down time and more importantly, time to spend with our friends and family.
I give a lot of myself everyday when I'm with my students, rarely taking a lunch away from the classroom, often staying after school and offering my e-mail address to all of my students to contact me if they need help. However, there comes a point in time where the needs of my own children must come before those of my students. I cannot be the parent to children I have not birthed. Furthermore, I cannot imagine how I would feel if I were single. Would the expectation of what I could give to my students be even greater than what it already is?
When I see movies such as this, it doesn't inspire me. Instead, it depresses me. For once I would like to see a movie that depicts every day teachers doing their every day jobs. Teaching is tough, even more so when you choose to teach in an environment such as the one that Mr. Clark was in, however, does it really require us to be extraordinary? Is it not enough for us to go into our classrooms, give it our all and simply teach?
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13 comments:
Though many of us don't have careers that could be filmed for a "movie of the week" I do feel that we are extraordinary people simply because we do what we do, we put up with what we put up with, and we take what we're given.
I don't think we will ever see something that depicts every day teachers doing their jobs....the average American wouldn't want to face up to the difficulties we face.
I was rather glad that the movie did show the struggles Ron Clark faced--instead of all smooth sailing. You're right, though: he sold his soul to his classroom. There is pressure for new teachers to give, give, give and I think THERE IS more pressure on single teachers than on those teachers who have families. Oh! And I have so many sick days saved up that I could take off 3 months, but I have to be practically dead before I'd bother to take a sick day. Why are we like that?? The pressure? The guilt?
Our district invited Ron Clark to some speak to us last spring, and I was so put out to have to go listen to some young buck teacher who stumbled onto success. I have to work for my successes, and it's not easy! He was rather inspirational, though. He spoke of many of the experiences portrayed in the movie. As I was watching the movie, I was trying to remember if the story REALLY took place in one year, or if the movie was a complilation of the events of a few years. In the back of my mind, I just have this voice telling me that there are some teacher movies that do that, but I cannot remember which ones. I wonder if Ron Clark's story is pieced together from a few years of good experiences. I know I could put together a heckava good story if I pieced together the great stories of my years as a teacher.
I think many people like those movies (I have not seen that one) because they depict passion. You are right though, in the real world, one cooks dinner for one student's family at her own family's expense.
I do what I can at work, think about work when I am not there, and occasionally mentor a student or two. I feel good about what I do. I am not superteacher.
I asked some of the same questions.
Here's the stuff I know: He taught for six years, so I'm sure that the movie spanned more than one. The guy was really young and single, so that's another part of the story - I know he quit to be a speaker (like most of these famous teachers do) after that many years, too. I've never seen a "great teacher" that everyone used as an example that didn't quit to go on the motivational speaker/writer track. Maybe it's because by that time, they have families and can't devote all their time to those students.
No, it's definetly not fair that teachers have to do that to be inspirational. But heck, firefighters have to DIE to get movies. It's not fair that we are expected to give up everything for our students, but it's not fair that those students have to give up an entire future because they're horrible poor and no one cares to give them the extra time, either. Life isn't fair.
I don't know where the balance is; I'm still a first year. I do know I've given all I've got at school and when I come home, my patience is shot and I've been taking it out on my family. I hope I learn a balance somewhere, because even if I die of pneumonia for my students, most of them wouldn't be remotely grateful. I love them anyway, but that's the truth.
I think it's better to be balanced. In my opinion, if any part of my life is overwhelming, I'm probably not tht effective as a wife, mother or teacher!
I think the balance is essential to allow you to be a better teacher. My first year of teaching, my roomate (also a first year teacher) used to fall asleep in her classroom because she would stay so late grading papers. She would wake up at 4:30am when the morning janitor arrived, drive home, shower, turn around and go back to school. It was crazy. I, on the other hand, didn't have the "luxury" of staying that late because I'd picked up a second job. Although my two jobs "crunched" my time together, I learned to be efficient, and I think that made me a better teacher.
Was I any less devoted to my job? Nope, I loved (and still love) teaching, and I gave it tons of time and energy. I still do!
My roomate? She quit teaching after that first year--she was totally burned out and hated it.
Balance is incredibly important--it helps keep your passion (and compassion!) alive and allows you to renew yourself and last the distance.
I JUST watched this movie-like just finished watching a few minutes ago. I am with you- I think that in order to be effective in the classroom, you have to have a "if Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy" attitude. That was crazy that he tried to go to work with pneumonia. People DIE from pneumonia. And wandering around Harlem in the middle of the night, a nice young white boy like him? Probably not such a great idea.
I thought the movie was mediocre at best. I appreciate Clark's dedication and passion, but found many of his actions to be over-the-top. Giving that much of yourself does take a toll, and teachers like these (who make the news and have movies made about them) don't stay in the classroom.
We had Erin Gruwell speak to our district last year (she's a wonderful speaker), but like Clark, she's moved out of the classroom and on to speaking engagements and teaching at the university level. I hope to retain my passion and dedication, and stay in the classroom for twenty more years, without making dinner for my students. ;-)
As an education major I can understand the passion that "movie teachers" possess. At the moment my schooling takes all of my focus and attention. I give my schooling all my energy for my future students whom I have not met. During practicums, the students become my own and I want to pour as much as I can into their lives. I think teaching is very rewarding; one just needs to know where to look. I cannot wait to have my own classroom and inspire children to grow, change, and achieve. Teaching is a very selfless act, but I think the results are worth it.
As a father, I understand his passion for learning and teaching, I try to impart that on my kids. I certainly understand why teachers would resent the movie. My take on the movie is that we need creativity in the class room. According to the movie, it looks like w a creative teacher, you can teach a lot of kids, a lot of info in a short time. They were barely reading when he started. Look like 4-5 years of schooling can be done in a year, if you get the kids interested. This is where Pay comes in, if there is a teacher like that....PAY HIM WELL!!!. The current system does not have a way of rewarding such people w the teachers unions. I accept anyone's position if they say they do not want to devote their entire life to the job. But also accept the compensation that goes w that view. The business world has had to deal w that, why wouldn't the teaching world? It seems to me that teachers are caught in the middle between Government and Parents. As a parent, until I can get some honest feedback from teachers on what the problems are, there is no hope of fixing them and teachers will be caught in the middle. Lets start w a no school board left behind act and require them to get meaningless certifications and hold them accountable to the results. If there is an achievement gap, they should be the first to go. After all they are the ones who agreed to such BS anyway. The Basic fact of humans is that we are not equal, we are different for a variety of reasons. Are there things we can do to improve the achievement in our schools...YES. Does it mean that all kids who come out of school will be equal? If it does, someone got cheated, and it was probably the smart kid. It's just not noticed because he makes up for it later in life.
I don't know if you realize or not, but Ron Clark is still teaching at his school, The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. He is not only a classroom teacher, but also one of the administrators of the school. He has opened his school to other teachers as a training facility and is hoping to inspire other teachers to put passion back into their teaching. You don't have to be a superteacher to be a great teacher. You just have to have heart. You put into it what you can, but in return, you only get back what you put in.
Please check out ronclarkacademy.com and greatamericanteachersclub.com.
Ms.Teacher It is 2011 and I am pretty sure you won't waste your time reading responses to your ugliness. I am a 50 year old female, mother of 2 and not a teacher. You, as did some of your fans, start your days feeling no one does as much as you and you don't get recognized so you will be damned befor you ever believe Ron White did anything that we seen in the movie. Well I would hope my kids never had a teacher like you, you poor, poor thing! Nobody knows how hard it is to be a teacher, but we do , most, not all parents respect that of you or teachers. I cannot imagine ever having a parent-teacher conf. w/you. I live in Colorado, but was born and raised in California! I had a Ron White type of teacher, that was done from his heart not because he had to, that was 5th grade. Then I got to middle school, and it happened again, this time 2 teachers, maybe not as time but they gave alot nonethe less. They were just amazing, I was growing up on the East side of San Jose, poverty and crime, and I have memories that just by what I have read today you and none of your fans will have that student that remembers you, it would be my thought that you really are not doing what yu want, maybe instead of asking for someone to give yu Disneyland tickets, (you really have the nerve?) but maybe Disneyland should be your employer, see people with not having to know who they are. I hope your kids give you enough ata girls, because they were not even mentioned for Disneyland, even though they are adults,if they would not be too miserable, they might like a family trip. Lon time ago, I know but ugly BLOGS, get new jobs,lot's of you!!
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