On U List of Movie Reviews

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Up the Down Staircase (1967)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 7/12, 1/20, 4/22

UpD
7/12: Ah, Up the Down Staircase.

The movie reminds me of my first year teaching at a Title I school for the inner-city black students and the very reasons why I quit the job ten months afterwards. Forty-five years later, after the film was made, the situation hasn't changed at all. In fact, it has gotten much worse today.

Being a teacher in an urban school is an impossibly hard job. It didn't make things easier when the subject I taught was mathematics: a double-edged sword. I came to the school with the best of intentions and left there as an enemy.

It's the irony of my situation: I still have no idea what made me the enemy to these kids. I can safely say around 80% of the students I had will end up either in jail, poverty, welfare, drugs, and/or six feet under the ground within ten years of their high school "graduation." That's why it's labeled as "school-to-prison pipeline."

No matter what I did, nothing I said or taught went through the kids' empty heads. Academic expectations were nil. Common sense was thrown out of the window. Everybody passed, no matter what they did, because handing out F's wasn't allowed. It didn't matter if somebody knew virtually zero about anything or did nothing in school.

That's the sorry state of the education system in the United States of America. I ended up quitting the job because of the worthlessness of it. The majority of the time I spent throughout the academic year filling out a mountain of paperwork, creating lesson plans, and orchestrating the class had gone wasted.

Amidst the trials and tribulations, I realized that, after trying everything as possible, I had become a highly paid professional babysitter instead of a mathematics teacher. Now, I'm not surprised at why public and private schools have difficulty recruiting or retaining top-notch teachers who actually know the ins and outs of their subject. The money is simply...not worth it. The frustrations are simply...not worth it. The kids are simply...not worth it. The teachers and administrators are simply...not worth it.

Anyway, I'm glad a film like Up the Down Staircase exists because it's exactly what I went through. However, I'm peeved by the contrived ending because I know for sure Sylvia Barrett would've tendered her resignation, regardless. It's the most realistic outcome, but I will give it a pass since it's only halfway through the year. She'll come to her senses, believe me.

I think Sylvia did not because, simply put, there was no other job she would've been qualified for unless it had something to do with writing. Then again, why not become a secretary? No matter, the situation is much more improved today than it was during the 60's as women have many avenues, professionally speaking.

Cakewalking through a four-year university, taking out an ungodly amount of loans just to become a teacher, and then finally realizing the job isn't worth it is a rude awakening for many education majors, and it's their own fault for seeking shortcuts in life. Meanwhile, Sandy Dennis was a phenomenal actress back then because she was unusual, and it shows in the film.

All in all, Up the Down Staircase reflects very well the reality of what it's like to be a teacher, especially in an urban school.

1/20: Fifty-three years after its release, Up the Down Staircase remains the most realistic movie about what really goes on in public schools.

In fact, nothing has changed. The apathy and indifference shown on both sides are real. You may see a lot of emphasis on paperwork and forms in the film: that's the big part of it; hence, there's no actual learning going on. Speaking of it, notice how students are engaged in a lesson while the principal is observing the class. To me, it's all staged with the stuff being made up.

Anyway, Sandy Dennis should've been Oscar-nominated for her performance; what she did is perfect. So is everybody else. There's always a Joe Ferone in every school. I've worked in three different schools, and I've had him in every one of them with exactly the same makeup: high IQ but full of trouble and too lazy to do the work.

Perhaps the weirdest character is Paul Barringer who led a female student to her suicide attempt. His biggest mistake is allowing himself to dance with her. Besides, why would teachers dance with students? Eileen Heckart's Henrietta Pastorfield is dead-on; there are teachers like her who care too much for some students; therefore, they get arrested for sex crimes which is becoming common nowadays.

I normally frown on contrived Hollywood endings that show teachers having a change of heart and deciding to return the following year. But in the case of Up the Down Staircase, I'll let it slide because Sylvia Barrett made the decision mid-year. If I were her, I would leave the school after one full year and look for a suburban school with an all-white student body whose education is highly valued which isn't hard to find anywhere in the Northeast region.

All in all, Up the Down Staircase mirrors the realities of education all too well.

4/22: Up the Down Staircase is still the most realistic movie ever when it comes to teaching in urban schools.

If you think the students are confused or something, it's because their parents were never there for them, hence the attention-seeking behaviors which can be converted into sexual attraction. Many of them are loathsome to work with based on how they act like animals, and that's why I'll never go back again. Of course, the administration is the other problem: they just don't care; it's all about keeping the assembly line moving while preventing future lawsuits.

Sylvia Barrett should've followed through her intent to resign because things aren't going to get better. Where she belongs is a school with well-behaved kids who actually want to learn. Doing so, Slyvia will find it much, much easier and therefore live longer. Whoever wrote the note in regard to the last part was correct. Meanwhile, Sandy Dennis gives the best performance of her career although she did win the Oscar for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

All in all, Up the Down Staircase will always stand the test of time because it's a true representation of what goes on in urban schools.