The class

Well, for starters I liked the movie. It was different from all the other teacher student movies we have seen. I felt as though it was more realistic and less dramatized compared to other movies. Yet everyone played a defined role, Roles similar to the ones in all the others movies including ours. Everyone in this movie played his or her role throughout the movie, it was excellent.

I would like to point out that This movie demonstrates a semi-functional educational system. There are some major flaws. They have such a tight and organized way of doing things and it does not work in a functional way. The teaching always follows a certain curriculum. Each student is judged based on the same rubric. While each student has different strengths, weaknesses and faces different problems themselves. In the class when the one girl admits to Mr. Martin that she did not learn anything like the other students did. The educational system has flaws like any educational system probably would. And having one amazingly smart teacher, or a different curriculum does not fix the entire system. This is when I think Lisa Delpit’s studies are the best way to go. That’s teachers should make more of an effort to get to know students and take into account for their strengths and weakness. So when it was Souleymane’s hearing, no one thought to take into account his situation at home, or address the good qualities that come from him. I do not think it was fair to expel him.

The movie starts, and starts to focus on a student who does not take school seriously. He ends up getting in trouble time and time again. By talking back, not bringing his things to class, or distracting the class. It seems like all his priorities are at home, and so he lies to his mom about doing well. After a while the administrators put in up for a hearing regarding his explosion. Then It becomes a matter of taking his personal life into consideration or not. Based on the very strict rules of the educational system, they decided to expel Souleymane from the school. I do not agree with the final decision that was made to expel him.

Everyone should be responsible for his or her own actions. Souleymane is guilty for being disrespectful and yelling at the teacher. Although he was provoked by the situation that Esmeralda caused. That to caused the teacher to get angry and use the word “skank” to describe the two students. That was crossing a line of respect too. Everything could have been avoided. Everyone played a part in it and therefore everyone is equally responsible.

Weather they realize or not Teachers can have major effects on a student’s life inside and outside of school. When a student came to talk to Mr. Martin and tell him the effect that Souleymane’s explosion would have, only then did Mr. Martin realized the role he was playing in Souleymane’s life. Mr. Marin’s true colors shine through at the end of the movie. He was aware of everything that was going on, and towards the end of the movie he is reveled as an imperfect, confused and dishonest individual. He did not want any one to see him as flawed. He talked to the other teachers and he felt it was not fair to expel Souleymane. He chose to do nothing, and all the other administrations did not do anything, or any other interest in his life either. I think a systematic change is needed. A change that’s would give students the guidance they need personally. Although Mr. Martin did try to find out about the students lives, he failed to make a difference. He asked the students to write their self-portraits so he could learn more about them. During a discussion of Anne frank the class talks about their feelings and experiences similar to hers. Even though he ends up better information about his students live he chooses to do nothing beneficial, helpful or significant with it. When it came down to Souleymane’s hearing Mr. Martin made the chose to leave any personal outside of school related information out.

There is always room for improvement because no one is perfect, and no system is completely fair to everyone. So we should aim for only the best we can do.