On B List of Movie Reviews

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Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 7/13

7/13: Although I'm sure the viewers felt the events in Blackboard Jungle were unrealistic when it first came out, I, a former teacher, can tell them it's the opposite and will vouch for it based on my experience of working in such schools.

I can relate to the first-year teacher, excellently played by Glenn Ford, who starts out as idealistic by wanting to convey his love of learning to his students and transform their lives. I had the same mindset when I first entered the teaching profession. Then, the unthinkable happened. The education system was nowhere near what I expected. It was an awful truth that I had to accept. Throughout the year, I never felt that I belonged there or didn't appreciate being the enemy of the students for no apparent reason.

As a secondary mathematics teacher, I had to keep lowering my standards, and when they still couldn't meet them, I had to lower them even more until I hit rock bottom because nobody, save for a dozen or so, had the necessary basic skills or academic discipline to succeed in the classroom. By the end of the year, I decided that I had enough of the students and the whole education system and that the money wasn't worth the mental and physical drain I was enduring week in, week out. Eventually, I quit for good and became part of the statistic that half of the new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

Anyway, Blackboard Jungle reminded me exactly of what I went through. I had many episodes that were similar to what happened for Mr. Dadier except I would never bring anything valuable to the school. Actually, I wished I saw the film first before I became a teacher, causing me to change my mind and select a different career path to save myself the trouble.

All in all, everything as shown in Blackboard Jungle is true.

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