The Class (Entre les Murs)
It was recently pointed out to us that our newsletters have looked at books, news, research, trends and a wide variety of events impacting schools and education, but we have never addressed a movie. There have been plenty of inspirational films made about teachers and classrooms. Just to name a few, we'd include To Sir, With Love (1967). Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Dead Poets Society (1989), Mr. Holland's Opus (1996), Stand and Deliver (1988) and, more recently, Freedom Writers (2007).
But one movie currently showing deserves addressing.
The Class ("Entre les Murs") is less a "movie" and more a "documentary." It's currently nominated for an Oscar for "Best Foreign Film."
Teachers of the French language will immediately note the English title fractures the language a bit: "Entre les murs" translates literally to "Between the Walls" and not The Class. The film is directed by Laurent Canteta and based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Françoiis Bégaudeau. The film received the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, making it the first French film in 21 years to do so.
The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a literature teacher in an inner city middle school in Paris. The film stars Françoiis Bégaudeau in the role of the teacher.
Yes, the main character of the film is a real teacher, not an actor. And the students are real students!
The film (in French with English subtitles) shows, perhaps better than any film before it, the complexities of a real classroom. The students are a diverse mix (socially, religiously, economically, culturally, etc.) from a tough Paris neighborhood. Many are recent immigrants. Most are angry and disrespectful. But as one watches the film he can see the students making an effort to understand the world around them - as well as themselves.
To keep his students on task (and at bay!), Françoiis uses every trick in the arsenal: wit, energy, jokes, stern looks as well as empathy. He has a "no-nonsense" demeanor about him, but his students often see his compassion. Order in his classroom teeters on the edge, but learning occurs.
The director, Laurent Cantet, encouraged his teacher and students to improvise and the result is a wonderfully real view inside that space "between the walls" of a tough classroom. As an educator you will probably identify with the teacher Françoiis as he works hard to teach his class: he will be a hero. But as the film moves along you might take a step back and see that there is no need to "take sides" here. This is real.
In some ways this teacher is already a hero, but he has his flaws. And as tough as the toughest kid in class seems, the film catches his softer side. Even teachers will feel the ebb and flow of young friendships and the intricate social politics of this crowded classroom.
There are a few French cultural subtleties that it helps to know before seeing the film. As opposed to most other countries, teachers in France are managed nationally, not regionally. So once a teacher qualifies, he or she is given the least desirable job in the whole country from which to work his or her way up. These tend to be the schools in the working-class parts and suburbs of Paris, which are very ethnically mixed (Malian, Turkish, Chinese, Moroccan, Guadeloupean and French, among other nationalities). And one of these schools is the location of our movie.
The Class is certainly worth seeing, especially as an educator. You might walk away from it with a "Whew! And I thought I had it bad" or perhaps an "I recognized a couple of those kids!" Either way, it holds a message for all of us: Teaching kids is a hard job.
If your students become bored and act out in class, why place them in a detention room where they will become even more bored, and perhaps act out again? Give them something to do that will not only keep them active, but will help them set goals to prevent future misbehavior. The Advantage Press, Inc. publishes a number of behavior packets ready to use "right out of the box." No learning curve, no working at understanding basic theoretical concepts -- students simply read material that can help teachers successfully manage student behavior. You are welcome to try our free samples.