Being a substitute teacher is kind of like being a step parent but with major differences. For instance a substitute teacher doesn’t always get a lot of respect unless they’re somehow unique enough to love their job and be considered a value to the classroom. Also, substitutes are also highly expendable and are meant to be moved around wherever they’re needed, meaning that they don’t get a lot of face time with the same classes. On the other hand though, substitute teachers in films are often the type that don’t take a lot of flak from the kids and aren’t there to do anything but their job. They don’t often ask for pay raises because they know that their job is temporary and they try harder because they know their job is constantly on the line.
Movies tend to glamorize the role of a substitute teacher, but they do make it look good from a certain point of view.
5. The Substitute
Anytime you see an inner city school with a rough crowd of kids and obvious gang influence you simply know that the substitute is going to be a timid individual that learns to toughen up, or they’re going to be someone that knows how to deal with rough situations. When it’s a Marine like Tom Berenger you can only think that any student that crosses him is going to find out the hard way that he doesn’t tend to care if you’re a student or not. If you cross him he will go full on warrior chief and put you back in your place.
4. School of Rock
Jack Black really seems like the last guy you’d want teaching your kids. He’s a slob, he yells and screams too much, and his ideas of how to learn are kind of skewed off into left field. But beyond that he’s got a passion for music that is very infectious and a very childlike manner that becomes endearing if you can move past the entire man-child behavior. Once you get to the guy that just wants to make life better for people then you can see the value in his teaching methods.
3. Dangerous Minds
One look at this class and you can imagine that Michelle Pfeiffer would be eaten alive. This is the kind of class that makes teachers retire, have a stroke, or a heart attack from the stress of trying to get through to the kids. They’re not dumb in any way, but their lack of attention and motivation to do well is the bane of most teachers that just want to see their students succeed.
2. Summer School
Mark Harmon doesn’t necessarily play a substitute, but he does play a teacher that was looking forward to enjoying his summer before getting roped into teaching summer school for a bunch of underachieving students. His desire to gain tenure at his job is on the line so he does what he can and eventually finds a way to get the students to actually want to learn.
Arnold isn’t a real teacher in this one but he plays the role in order to protect a young boy and his mother whose criminal husband is coming to retrieve his son. It’s simply amusing to see the children’s reaction to Arnold. In turn it’s pretty funny to see his reaction to them and their behavior as he swiftly finds out that being a teacher is not quite as easy as he might have thought.
Substitute teaching in film looks a lot more fun than it does in real life. Maybe that’s why more people try to become licensed teachers than taking the long way around.
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