Everything I Need to Know About Teaching I Learned at the Movies

Teachers touch lives. Teachers change lives. And some of the most beloved of all teachers—both real and fictional—can reach us all through the medium of the movies.

Movies about teachers can be divided into two main categories: fond, heartfelt tributes to passionate, beloved teachers, and those about the tough teachers committed to delivering an education to students in hopeless or dangerous environments. Either approach can inspire aspiring teachers to become stellar educators, and provide potential teachers with a taste of the trade. Among the best:

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) - In this great-granddaddy of all teacher flicks, the title character (Robert Donat) takes a sentimental journey through his memories of teaching, love, and loss. Peter O'Toole in the title role of the 1969 musical remake makes an acceptable substitute teacher.

To Sir, With Love (1967) - Sidney Poitier is the "sir" of the title, who tackles a tough bunch of blue collar East London high schoolers and teaches them to overcome prejudice, (among other practical lessons from the adult world), and eventually wins their respect.

Dead Poets Society (1989) - Inspirational and heartbreaking, this story about a prep school teacher (Robin Williams) who is passionate about poetry won an Oscar for its screenplay and its "seize the day" message. An A+ rating by most movie viewers has elevated it the status of modern classic.

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) - Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a musician turned music teacher, reviewing his life and realizing how he inventively inspired decades of students. Don't miss it—but keep a hanky handy.

Blackboard Jungle (1955) - Glenn Ford stars as the teacher who must cope with violence and apathy among his class of New York inner-city "juvenile delinquents." Based on a true story, and co-starring Sidney Poitier (long before he assumed the role of inspirational teacher himself in To Sir, With Love).

Up the Down Staircase (1967) - Sandy Dennis plays the overwhelmed inner-city New York teacher in this adaptation of a real-life teacher's (Bel Kaufman) best-selling book. Drama, chaos and eventual triumph are all part of this newbie's first year on the job.

Stand and Deliver (1988) - The true story of Jaime Escalante, who quits his job as an engineer to become a math teacher in a tough East Los Angeles high school. He treats his unruly students with quiet respect, convincing them that an education is the only way out of the 'hood.

Lean On Me (1989) - Morgan Freeman portrays real-life principal "Crazy" Joe Clark, whose dictatorial attitude cleaned up a drug- and gang-infested high school. He might rule like an Old West sheriff, but he sure cleaned up Dodge—well, Paterson, New Jersey, anyway.

Dangerous Minds (1995) - Michelle Pfeiffer as an ex-Marine who establishes an intellectual beachhead in a high school full of players and thugs? Well, it worked for LouAnn Johnson, the real-life teacher on whom the film is based. Critics hated it, but audiences loved it.

Extra Credit

If you want to be teacher's pet, there are many other good movies featuring inspirational educators, including The Paper Chase (1973), Conrack (1974), Children of a Lesser God (1986), Good Will Hunting (1997), Finding Forrester (2000), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), The Emperor's Club (2002), and Freedom Writers (2007) among others.