School of Rock Response

In the movie, School of Rock, Jack Black’s character transforms from a drunk, selfish band member into a selfless human being that yearns to see his students succeed. Even though his ideas of success aren’t necessarily academically related, he equips them with important, indispensable skills that can be used within the academic field. One value assumption of Jack Black is that of a mentor. Not all teachers can be considered mentors; it depends on the individual teacher’s philosophy of teaching. In the media, I would have to argue I see teachers represented as a mentor/friend more than a strict disciplinarian. Is this to say that more teachers also serve as a mentor and only a few choose not to? The audience sees Dewy listening to his students’ problems and giving them advice. This can be seen when he’s talking with a black, female student (I can’t remember her name) about her weight, as well as when he listens to the pianist about feeling ostracized. In other words, he could also be seen as a savior to some of these students, especially Zach. Zach struggles with self-esteem issues and is constantly informed by his father that he is never good enough. When Dewy overhears Zach’s father scolding him for having a negative attitude and spending more time on music, he makes an effort to show Zach that music is NOT a waste of time and that he is a gifted guitarist. Without Dewy, Zach might have continued to be unhappy and have low-esteem. I think that music definitely adds to this “type,” because it is through music that he becomes their mentor and savior. Music is a way for people to identify themselves, as well as connect with others.

Viewers also see that he’s a “content expert.” He knows a lot about the subject he’s teaching and knows which area each of his students excel. We also see he (unintentionally) finds a myriad of ways to deliver “lesson plans,” such as powerpoints, videos, and CDs. Essentially, this allows the teacher to capture and engage a variety of students with different learning preferences. He also recognizes that to begin his “course,” the students need to be front-loaded on the history of Rock; hence where the powerpoints come on and there is a picture of the band “The Ramones.” Music definitely confirms this “type” in regards to teaching, because it’s his way of differentiating his lesson plans and assignments.
Once he begins teaching, it does become evident that he really does not have much of a life outside of his “profession.” There is one instance when he takes the principle out for a drink, but it’s solely to get her permission to take the students on a field trip. In other words, teaching takes over his life.

After viewing this movie, I’m torn about whether or not I think that this is a good representation of teachers. I mean, isn’t answering this question just stereotyping a profession? All teachers are different, and I think that’s a good thing because it increases the chance of students making a connection with at least one teacher. Within the article we had to read for today, teachers picked their top ten movies that they believe best represents a “good” teacher movie. Every person/teacher/student has a different definition of what it means to be a good teacher. How can a movie “best” represent something that is so subjective? It would be like asking yourself, “Pick your top ten movies that best depict female adolescents.” To me, it just seems like looking back at your OWN experience and things you’ve witnessed and making conclusions off of that. Obviously, a teacher who makes no jokes during class, has no relationship with the student other than that within the classroom, and scares the living daylights out of them is not going to pick Mr. Holland’s Opus as a movie he/she thinks best represents teaching. I’m now making myself a bit confused as to where I stand in regards to this movie. However, I believe that it’s very important to know your students and serve as a mentor, as well as a facilitator of learning. In the beginning of the film, Dewy starts teaching music only for HIS own benefit. The person he becomes, however, is a solid definition of a teacher (in my opinion). He finds fantastic ways to deliver his lessons, he meets with students individually to see how they’re doing, he responds to their needs, and he wants nothing more than for them to succeed.