My Favorite Teacher Movie

Now I know I probably should, but I have never been a big fan of teacher movies.

To Sir, With Love

Stand and Deliver

Dangerous Minds

Coach Carter

Freedom Writers

Don't get me wrong. They all have a good overall message, and they may even bring a tear to your eye from time to time, but they never felt true to reality.

These movies always seem to focus on that one class or student instead of the many groups of students that real teachers see each day. These fictional teachers always overcome whatever stands in their way by the end movie whether that be a stubborn student, colleague, parent, administrator, or any combination of the four. A real-life teacher usually only starts or continues the process of changing the people around them. Unlike the gardener, we may help in the planting, watering, fertilizing, and weeding, but rarely are the students still in our class when the harvest comes.

I could go on for awhile about my problems with teacher movies, but I would prefer to talk about the one teacher movie that I absolutely love.... hands down!

Chalk is a fake documentary following three relatively new teachers and a first year assistant principal. I can identify with the sentiments expressed by these 4 characters as I have experienced, to some extent, the same things. I remember hoping the kids wouldn't figure out that I was a newbie the first few years or getting frustrated when I couldn't get my point across to the administration.

In the end, I really liked some of the lessons learned by the four characters throughout the year...

-developing a relationship and better understanding of students through the "spelling hornet"

-realizing that the students are the most important thing from a failed Teacher of the Year campaign

-administrators have their own unique problems to deal with and are real people too. :)

...Ultimately, as the tag line in the poster says, "Real Teaching Leaves A Mark." Teaching can be a hard job some days and as exciting as an amusement park on others. I know my heart will never be the same because of each and every student I have had in class.

-Mr. F

PS - I am not a total "grinch" when it comes to teacher movies. I do have a soft spot for Mr. Holland's Opus, Dead Poets Society, and an Indian film, Like Stars on Earth.

Mutually Assured Destruction

The Cold War was a weird time for our country. The enemy that we feared was the Soviet Union, yet we never had any direct military conflict with them. Imagine the two nations like the biggest kids in the neighborhood staring at each other, eye to eye, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Many historians have theories as to why the USA and the Soviet Union never fought each other, but one idea is called mutually assured destruction. This school of thought states that the Soviet Union never used their nuclear weapons to blast the USA because they were afraid that we would fire back and that the USA did not fire for the same reasons. These historians basically agree that if the USA and the Soviet Union had ever used their nuclear weapons then neither country would have won, but they would have only destroyed each other. Hence the name.... mutually assured destruction.

But how does this apply to a middle school? Unfortunately, I have seen many people firing away in the school setting without regard to what destruction may lay ahead! Let me explain...

As a teacher, we often have the ability to take care of issues in a more diplomatic way and have to resist the urge to pull out the "big guns" of getting into a student's face and yelling. Yes, we have to enforce rules, but do we have to get so emotional about the situation? Don't we know that the students are only going to defend themselves by getting louder and yelling back? I wonder what we think we will accomplish by using this destructive form of discipline with students who could most use some calm in their lives.

Why not rise above it and show them a better way? If you think about it, the main reasons students yell at teachers are because they have been hurt and want to repay the favor to someone else or, by upsetting the teacher, they distract attention away from the original behavior. It has been my experience that the most good has come from those times that I have checked my emotions at the door and focused on the actions that I want to see improved. I don't react to the volume of the student's voice or any whiny, hurtful thing they may say. Instead, I try to keep their attention on the fact that their behavior was poor at this time, and that in the future I would like them to try making a better decision.

In the end, you have to ask yourself, what kind of healthy, working relationship has ever been born of dislike or hostility? Whenever teachers mash the button to unleash their emotions, they only create a landscape of destruction not suitable for growth. We must work hard to avoid letting our classrooms and hallways meltdown into this cycle of mutually assured destruction before more crucial items are lost, most importantly our credibility in the eyes of others and the relationships we have with our students.

-Mr. F

All You Need Is... Time?

-Boys and girls chasing each other up and down the hallway because they have not yet learned the subtle art of flirting.

-Students yelling to each other from across the room because they lack a proper definition of a private conversation.

-Girls constantly checking themselves in the mirror to make sure their hair and makeup is perfect for the boy that treats them badly and probably doesn't deserve their attention in the first place.

-Boys laughing as they release the newest development in biochemical warfare from their backsides.

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All it takes to give most adults nightmares is to remind them that these same kids will be out in the real world soon, and who knows, one of the them may even be the future President of United States!

Before that thought frightens you too much, just calm down!!! Let me tell you a little secret.... ...they will eventually mature! I know, I know... looking at some of the youth out there makes you question that last statement, but trust me! It really does happen.

The beginning of the 2010-2011 school year meant that the first group of kids that I taught at my current school are now seniors in high school. Staying at the same school for the last seven years and the wonders of Facebook means that I have been able to keep in touch with some of these students.

• Remembering the girl that yelled often and had the bad habit of throwing her pencil whenever she got mad... She's now a young lady and able to hold a reasonable and intelligent conversation.
• Or running into the boy that whined too much and often spoke like a baby when I had to talk to him about his behavior...Now he's able to look me in the eye without any trace of a childish tone in his voice.
• Or what about me?! Thinking back on my own school experience and knowing how embarrassed I would be if someone judged me on how I acted at certain times during the school year!

All of those examples serve to remind me that the current crop of knuckleheads sitting in my classroom will eventually figure things out, mature, and be productive members of society. How do I know? Well... it happened for me, and it happened for you!

I guess you have to look at your students as wine or cheese. Be patient with them during the awkward stages, and yes, a few of them will always be spoiled or stinky, but the majority will only get better with age!

-Mr. F