Movies about teachers are a dime a dozen. Every year the moviegoing public is treated to some flick or another about a hard-nosed educator that is just trying to reach these kids. They can range anywhere from academically astute to criminally incompetent, though we are often meant to be inspired by the courageous actions of these (mostly) fictional characters regardless. Today, well examine the lives of five educators who, within the world of their respective scripts, are considered outstanding contributors to the development of Americas youth. Unfortunately, the outlooks of Americas brightest seem a bit dimmer with these teachers at the helm. NOTE: Any criticism listed in this article only pertains to the fictional characters represented in their respective films.
5. LouAnne Johnson - Dangerous Minds
What makes her a good educator? Former U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, armed with a masters degree in English, fought her toughest battles in the classroom. It was no easy task to teach the academy classes at Parkmont High School. The task was all the more unenviable when Johnson accepted the position, her first, during the middle of a school year. Despite an overwhelming sense of apathy brooding at Parkmont, Johnsons tenaciousness and dedication to her students outside the classroom would eventually lead to their respect, trust, and love inside of the classroom. What makes her an awful educator? The film depicts several scenes from a spring semester in the mid-90s. The only academic content covered during that time was poetry. In fact, the students only ever seem to dissect either Bob Dylan or Dylan Thomas, and at no point are they ever asked to move beyond oral recitation and commentary. Johnsons questions are mostly answered by Emilio, Raul, or Callie, with the other students falling into agreement soon after. She never even attempted to appeal to different modalities of teaching. Visual, kinesthetic, and tactile learners were marginalized in her classroom. It would be impossible to talk about Dangerous Minds without mentioning the scene where Johnson took her entire class to a theme park during school hours. This was supposed to make us admire the heart of Johnson, though any member of the schools administration must have come to the conclusion that she essentially committed 30 acts of kidnapping. On top of that little problem, one cannot help but wonder what became of her other classes that day? The students of Parkmont clearly articulate abandonment issues at various points of the film. How did those other periods feel being left alone while their teacher illegally took her favorite class out for cotton candy?
