Once per month, I will post a teacher movie and brief synopsis of it. Within that month, feel free to watch the movie and share your thoughts! Have a happy teacher month! 🙂
School of Life
I like Ryan Reynolds. He’s played a variety of roles, and has played many of them well. I wasn’t too sure I was sold on him being a teacher, but the fact that this was a teacher movie, and this comedic actor was playing one of the leading roles, I couldn’t pass it up. If you have read my first post, you already know how I feel about teacher movies.
School of Life was a made-for-TV film back in 2005. I had never heard of it until I was scrolling through Amazon Prime back in June. So 11 years have passed, and I had never heard of this teacher movie. I must not be a huge Reynolds’ fan or the movie wasn’t that good. On Amazon.com the rating was 4.5/5. I decided to watch it.
The new teacher, Mr. Perfect, Mr. D., Mr. Michael D’Angelo is played by none other than Ryan Reynolds. His rival is veteran teacher Matt Warner. As Mr. Warner works day in and day out to become The Teacher of the Year, and carry the legacy of his father, he soon realizes that Mr. D is a threat.
Mr. Warner will stop nothing to discredit Mr. D’s character. He is obsessed and follows him around town. It is not until he learns Mr. D’s deep secret, that he learns a lesson about life for himself. (You’ll have to watch the film to get anything more).
What I liked most about this movie is that it ultimately showed that teachers should not compete with each other. We should work together for the sake of our children. Additionally, as I now enter my tenth year of teaching, I am no longer the youngest teacher in my building.
When I first started teaching, I had grand ideas that I wanted to share with everyone, and I was shut down a lot. But I have respect for new teachers too because they do have something to offer to the plate and that’s novelty. Their perspectives are fresh and untainted. They are willing to take more risks because they have not experienced much failure.
When I first started teaching, I was big on using quotes from important historical figures. A few days ago I was reminded of that by a teacher I haven’t worked with in almost four years. She said I remember your first year teaching and that Frederick Douglass quote you said all the time, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress,” and how I had never heard that before, and how it still makes sense. She also told me it is a quote that she has continued to use with her students today.
I was surprised and humbled. But it made me realize that veteran teachers and novice teachers learn from each other when they are open and willing to listen, not compete with, or judge. Mr. Warner learned this as well.
Thank you for taking time to read. If you have seen the movie or decide to watch it, come back and share your thoughts! Until then, happy teaching! 🙂
The RenewED Teacher 