I would like to talk about one of my favorite Teacher Movies, “Chalk”.  It is compared to  “The Office” shooting.  They do the interviews with teachers in the same manner as “The Office”, music even sounds the same.  Morgan Spurlock who is known for “Super Size Me” and “30 Days”.  About a year ago I found this flick “Chalk” on my netflix list.  I feel instantly in love with the movie and even have bought it for my iPod where it stays all times.  There is a corny side to it and a ill fainted romantic dream scene that kind of doesn’t fit, but overall it is good.

What I got out of it most is the relationship or connection to the main characters.  This is a movie I believe every first year teacher (or even in a class in college) should watch.  Try to find the good qualities and bad qualities of each of these characters and think how would they fit in your classroom.

Who are you more like?

Mr. Stroope – (3rd Year History Teacher)-determined to win the highly sought title of “Teacher of the Year”. He is more of a friend with his students and goes out of his way to help his chance to win “Teacher of the Year”.

Coach Webb – (2nd Year PE Teacher)- RULES! Every Rule must be enforced to the letter of the law.  But you also want students to think they are good.

Mr. Lowrey – (1st Year History Teacher)-is facing a big challenge. He has no experience, and therefore tries his hardest to bring order to his classroom.  He tries to use fear and discipline but does not have the backbone.  I find this character grows the most throughout the movie as he finds his groove (or doesn’t find it).

Throughout the movie, there are some very good truths and quotes. The movie opens with ” 50 percent of teachers quit in the first three years.”  This is more true for males than females.  Most Lutheran Male teachers feel they have to quit, because honestly there is not a lot of money in Lutheran Education.   Males feel they have to be the bread winner for their household and in turn have to find a job that will support their lifestyle.

“Care about you, you can trust me, and I have your best interest at heart.”

“Focus needs to be on the Students”

“Make them think they are good they start thinking they can do it”

“Be Encouraging”

“#1 it starts at home, #1-57 is home, #58 is school”

“Being a Teacher is a gift”

One of the funniest moments in my view is some of the teachers are eating lunch and a custodian type person walks in and says “I dropped your piano” The dialog goes on for a little bit but the music teacher and AP asks “How do you drop a piano” The custodian looking for help says “I can’t lift it myself,” which the music teacher responds, “of course you can’t its a 500lbs piano.”  I guess you have to watch it to laugh, or maybe I just have some weird humor that I thought that was funny.

In the end, the movie is about CONNECTIONS with the students and that being a teacher is tough.  If you do not have a good support group, you are going have trouble.  But, the connections you make with students and other teachers can keep you sane and happy.

If your a new teacher or wannabe teacher or your an old pro, this movie is encouraging (or might scare you away). It is funny at parts and overall good job done.