In general, schools are treated not like any other venues or places in a community. Most of the time, such institutions have good architecture and good facilities to earn respect and trust of parents, who always want a good and conducive environment for their children. In this regard, school buildings and their quality play important roles in bolstering perception of people about education.
No parent would want to send his child to an indecent and uncomfortable school. This is because parents mostly believe that beautiful and homey places help children cope up better so they could open up and learn lessons. This could be verified from the psychological concept of association. Most of the time, parents want to draw appropriateness from identifiable and physical features. Thus, you should not be surprised if many of them judge schools with the most beautiful campuses as among the best, without further looking into overall quality of education.
This perception is very much alive not just in third-world countries but also in the more developed ones. In the US, it has been a common knowledge that school infrastructures are among the major investments of educational institutions. Schools strive harder to beautify and improve its surroundings and buildings before accepting students. In fact, many schools across the US are designed by famous architects. One would always be in awe upon seeing and appreciating the splendid built and architecture of some of the famous campuses in this side of the planet.
In struggling countries, schools are more likely to be judged by their aesthetic appearance. That is why many parents and children complain about lack and low quality of education, without really assessing the quality of teaching and mode of instructions. This is due to the almost universal thinking that education is guided and influenced by the surroundings. To most people, education could not be facilitated in a place that is less conducive for students and teachers.
That view could be arguably true. That is because how could students focus on studies if they are distracted by inferiority of their classrooms? How could teachers have the drive to teach if they smell foul odors in the room? In the view of real educators, education should go beyond such facets. Students who are most willing and motivated to learn would open their minds to learning no matter how bad their surroundings are. The best driven teachers would always strive to teach no matter how distracted and unmotivated they are.
Are you aware that in most countries, government budgets on education are spent building school structures and facilities than in paying teachers and investing in good learning materials? That is the reason why many global governments complain about the currently higher costs of education. Are they to blame when most people generally agree with that notion?
You must have your own fond memories of your school lives. You could argue that education could not have been complete if not for your beautiful and conducive school building. While such structures are important, people should not forget that the content, quality, and overall effectiveness of curriculum and teaching modes are far more important. School buildings really facilitate education, but it would always be the drive and motivation within students and teachers that would make a difference.
On a typical rainy or winter day and you just want to stay at home, you might want to watch several movies. If you have a strong interest in education, there are several feel-good and inspiring Hollywood movies that you should be watching. Here are three of those great and excellent flicks of all times.
The movie ‘Teachers’ was released in 1984. It starred Nick Nolte, Morgan Freeman, Laura Derm, and Richard Mulligan. The film was about a high school graduate who ended up suing her public high school because she was able to graduate even without knowing how to actually read. This movie discusses and describes all the setbacks and disadvantageous condition of the US public education at the time. It obviously aims to address education problems in a satirical manner, through conflicts and over-the-top movie characters.
‘Teachers’ also exposes several public education problems that are still left hanging even up to this day. What is more interesting is that such problems are not unique to the US. Many other countries experience those educational problems today. The teacher in the movie treated the lawsuit not as a blow to the institution but as a timely opportunity to prompt lasting changes not just to the public school but to public education in general.
In 1989, the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’ made waves, not because it starred Robin Williams (who was a hot movie star those days) but because it tackled the importance of education amid rigid society norms and strict parental expectations. It showed that talented and committed educators could always get in the way to inspire and touch lives of even the most notorious students. The movie was also noted for its ability to take viewers into typical life in one of those prep schools circa 1950s. Williams’ performance was one of the most charismatic in this movie.
‘Dead Poets Society’ has always been one of those educational movies that are recommended for tackling issues about curriculums and the real value of education. No wonder, many schools and classes run and hold viewing of the movie at the start of every semester. The movie would surely be worth your time. It is entertaining, touching, and inspiring all at the same time.
On the other hand, in 2006 ‘Chalk’ was released. This movie presents takes on education through tracing of three unique teachers who are at various stages of their teaching careers. The focus was at a teacher who used to be businessman. The two were a teacher who has been teacher of the year for two straight years and another who has been promoted to become an assistant to the principal. Actual teachers could all relate to the three main characters in the movie.
‘Chalk’ is a ‘mockumentary’ film that was produced to show satiric perspectives in education through portrayal of different unlikely events, from pokers to dog shows. It was produced by the same documentary filmmaker who was popular for his ‘Supersize Me’ (Morgan Spurlock). It may not be a full movie, but the documentary proves to be really entertaining and enlightening at the same time.
Education is truly an important subject to discuss. All three films show how life and education are intertwined and are connected. You should try to view some, if not all. These movies would really be worth your precious time.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy