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Hollywood mavericks: A tradition of eccentric, successful teachers

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  • “I wish the real-life mavericks received as much applause as those on the screen.”

    Catherine Cornbleth,
    Professor of Learning and Instruction

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By CHARLES ANZALONE
Published: September 17, 2008

Baby boomers to Generation X and Y all have had their inspirational movies revolving around maverick teachers or educators, notes Catherine Cornbleth, professor of learning and instruction, Graduate School of Education.

“Maverick teachers have long been part of the culture,” says Cornbleth, who has studied the effectiveness of this particular type of teacher. “I wish the real-life mavericks received as much applause as those on the screen.”

While entertaining, these films, Cornbleth points out, do little to encourage new teachers to teach in “the city,” where many maverick-teacher movies are set. “Most of us are not superhuman. We do not want to give up our personal and family lives, or pay the price of divorce or heart attack, as do the heroes of these films. We live in the real world where students, teachers and schools are neither all good nor all bad.”

Cornbleth offers this top-10 list of maverick teacher movies, in chronological order:

  • “Blackboard Jungle” (1955)

    “Blackboard Jungle” (1955)

    The first in the ongoing movie genre of a passionate teacher who confronts alienated, rebellious students. Glenn Ford portrays idealistic teacher Richard Dadier. Sidney Poitier is Gregory Miller, an anti-social but influential student. The film’s opening credits, which feature Bill Haley and the Comet’s “Rock Around the Clock,” helped ignite the exploding popularity of what would soon be known as rock and roll. | See video

  • “To Sir, With Love” (1967)

    “To Sir, With Love” (1967)

    Sidney Poitier plays an unemployed engineer taking a teaching job at a tough London high school to make ends meet. Lulu’s rendition of the title song made it to Number One on the U.S. pop charts. | See video

  • “Up the Down Staircase” (1967)

    “Up the Down Staircase” (1967)

    Sandy Dennis is an idealistic teacher who leaves a tough, urban public school for a cushy private teaching job, only to return when she realizes she has touched the lives of her students. Her opening words to her class—"Good morning. My name is Miss Barrett. I am your home room teacher..."—became a well-known tagline.

  • “The Paper Chase” (1973)

    “The Paper Chase” (1973)

    John Houseman’s signature role of law professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. defined his career. Although ultra-conservative, Kingsfield was still a maverick, Cornbleth says. “He kept pushing his students,” she says. “He wasn’t just harsh. He wouldn’t let them get away with anything.” Houseman’s first major film role won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. | See video

  • “Stand and Deliver” (1988)

    “Stand and Deliver” (1988)

    Edward James Olmos of “Miami Vice” fame plays Jaime Escalante, a math teacher determined to change the system at an East Los Angeles school and push students to higher achievement. Based on a true story. | See video

  • “Lean on Me” (1989)

    “Lean on Me” (1989)

    Morgan Freeman spent extensive time with “Crazy Joe” Clark, the inner city high school principal from Paterson, N.J., on whose career the story is based, to learn his mannerisms and speech patterns. | See video

  • “Dead Poets Society” (1989)

    “Dead Poets Society” (1989)

    Robin Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of John Keating, the idealistic and unorthodox English teacher who awakens a literary and poetic imagination in his students with dramatic and tragic consequences. | See video

  • “Dangerous Minds” (1995)

    “Dangerous Minds” (1995)

    Michelle Pfeiffer is a retired U.S. Marine who finds a fulfilling challenge teaching students bused in from a tough ghetto in East Palo Alto, Calif. Another maverick teacher movie based on a true story. | See video

  • “School of Rock” (2003)

    “School of Rock” (2003)

    Jack Black’s breakthrough role. He plays Dewey Finn, the flamboyant and hyperactive singer and guitarist voted out of his band "No Vacancy," who becomes a substitute teacher and helps his 10-year-olds discover the power of rock music. Joan Cusack’s over-the-top comic performance of uptight principal Rosalie Mullins is worth the price of admission. | See video

  • “Freedom Writers” (2007)

    “Freedom Writers” (2007)

    Hilary Swank is naïve teacher Erin Gruwell, who compiles her students’ diaries in a book called “The Freedom Writer Diaries.” “Grey’s Anatomy” heartthrob Patrick Dempsey plays her husband, who divorces her because of her commitment to her students. | See video