Freedom Writers The “good” teacher myth

Movies make up part of the dominant discourse reflecting and at the same time affecting society (Farhi, 1999). The mythical portrayal of the good teacher in Freedom Writers supports the idea that urban schools are in need of a “good teacher” (who is portrayed as being perfect) to save the unruly children in this locale from their limited and culturally inferior worlds. The students are expected to cultivate new academic skills and cultural values with the help of this teacher. Erin Gruwell plays the super-hero-teacher who demonstrates relentless devotion and attention to her angry, frustrated and violent students. Despite her difficult colleagues and sometimes unsupportive administration (both which serve to make her appear much more honourable), she exhibits exceptional qualities such as flexibility, empathy and understanding and manages to change her students thereby, transforming their lives forever.

I use the word good and perfect synonymously as the good teacher in the film is portrayed as having mastered her identity. Erin is free from any emotional confusion and anxieties that may stem from past and present difficulties. She is totally confident in her ability to make radical changes in the lives of her students. From the first day that she walks into her classroom, her idealistic values of the perfect teacher becomes apparent when she erases and re-writes the last two letters of her name on the board to make sure that they are perfect. The movie ideally portrays one side of the teacher; the side of her being able to attain set goals seemingly with ease. In this way, the film focuses on the end result and ignores the possible emotional difficulties and anxieties that a teacher may face through interactions with students.

Everything flows smoothly for Erin, leaving the audience with the impression that the perfect teacher must be born into the profession. Even though she faces some difficulties with her fellow colleagues opposing her and her husband who leaves her due to feeling neglected by her, none of these hold her back. The extent to which she is portrayed as being able to overcome difficulties without being phased by them, indirectly implies that to be a good teacher you also have to be a kind of superhuman. The discourse that teachers are self-made maintains that they are “complete” or perfect for the profession and do not require changing (Britzman, 1986). The internalisation of the “good teacher” fantasy causes teachers to feel as independent individuals who are solely responsible for their students’ success or failures. We get the impression from the film that Erin is the sole cause of her students’ success.

When so much emphasis is placed on the teacher as the principal figure in determining student success and achievement, it results in the narcissism of teachers feeling a great sense of pride and worthy of receiving praise for their children’s achievements. They begin to attribute their students’ success to the good choices that they made and see themselves as possessing the skills of the “perfect teacher”. The fantasy of the good teacher places the teacher in the center of student outcomes thereby reinforcing their power and authority in the classroom. Even though Ms. Campbell was not successful in changing these unruly students, she is certain that she knows what works and what does not work for them. She is aware that the problem is much greater than the teacher.

Her strong conviction in opposing Erin’s unconventional methods of teaching supports the dominant discourse which views the teacher as possessing ultimate control and expertise. How can teachers be open to alternative ways of thinking if they have been programmed to see themselves as experts? This belief in the teacher as central in shaping students outcomes disregards the fact that a teacher’s interactions are shaped by his/her individual biography as well as the broader socio-political contexts in which he/she is located. How can a teacher be the sole determinant in a student’s success when schools are located within a wider social, political, economic and cultural context that make them unique in their location, type, size, community, parental involvement, how much financial support they receive etc.? As seen in the film, Woodrow Wilson is a high school situated in an area where parents are not involved in their children’s education.

In addition, parents’ expectations for their children are very low and there is a lack of relevant material in the school’s curriculum that caters to minorities despite the fact that they make up the majority of the school’s population. In the real world, all these conditions and more work together to impede or facilitate students’ success. Films that portray the ideal of the good teacher basically impose on real teachers, the responsibility of having to fix societal problems. This kind of thinking is problematic as it places a burden on teachers which can inherently affect their well-being.

It also fosters a narcissistic attitude in teachers as they become determined to strive for this cultural ideal in order to experience the intense feeling of gratification in hearing about or seeing their students’ success. Teachers who do not think critically of their role as teacher are guided and even “controlled” (Britzman, 1986) by these cultural images which function in a way that perpetuates itself. I wonder, can a more realistic portrayal of a teacher’s emotional experiences through his/her interaction with students as well as an examination of how broader socio-political, cultural and economic contexts affect teaching style create alternative ways of thinking about teaching and learning?

Works cited

Britzman, Deborah (1986). “Cultural Myths in the Making of a Teacher: Biography and Social Structure in Teacher Education,” Harvard Educational Review, 56(4): 442-456. Farhi Adam. (1999). “An Essay is Being Written: Between Aggression and Just Words,” Changing English: Studies in Culture and Education, 19(2): 167-178.