Unconventional Learning Rocks!
“I'm a teacher. All I need are minds for molding” (School of Rock). Insightful words, spoken by a true visionary. Okay, maybe not, but still an inspiring statement nonetheless. Sarcasm at it’s finest, is presented by Dewey Finn, the washed up rocker turned substitute teacher in Richard Linklater’s 2003 film School of Rock. Dewey is not a real teacher, but poses as one because he’s desperate for a job. However, in his time “teaching,” he becomes an encouraging, influential role-model for the children in his class. The audience of this film is not specific; the humor and values presented are meant to appeal to all ages and all roles, whether the audience member is a student, parent, teacher, or someone completely unrelated to the characters’ roles. [I could've provided a more specific audience, but the intended audience is in fact broad so it would've been hard to narrow down a more specific audience.] However, critics, such as Peter Rainer a writer for New York Magazine, express the concern that only kids will see this movie. He suggests that, even though it features a cast of mostly kids, adults “may even appreciate it more than the kids, since they can look back on all those years of regimented schooling and laugh at their good fortune in having escaped” (Rainer par. 6) [Honestly, I kind of just threw this part in the paper in order to meet the requirement of three sources; it was definitely an unneeded bit of information.] Being a comedy, the values and serious claims of the movie may be hard to extract, but the movie makes several statements about education. The movie emphasizes that students should chase after their dreams and pursue their interests, regardless of what their teachers may say. It also suggests that teachers are too hard on students, and should let them enjoy their childhood while they can, even while in school. The film also presents a unique approach to education and asserts that students can learn in the unlikeliest of ways. [My thesis isn't as clear as it could be.]School of Rock is about Dewey Finn, a rocker who lives with his best friend, Ned Schneebly. Dewey takes advantage of Ned’s passive personality by not keeping up with his share of the rent, or really paying rent at all. When he gets kicked out of his band, and does not attempt to look for another source of income, Ned’s bossy girlfriend threatens Dewey and tells him to come up with his portion of the rent, or he’ll be evicted. Ned is a substitute teacher, and one day while he’s out, the phone rings with a teaching opportunity. Dewey is there, and answers the phone; he makes fun of Ned for being a “temp” but as the conversation goes on, he plays with the idea of taking the job for himself. After finding out the large salary offered ($650 a week), he poses as Ned and accepts the long-term substitute teacher position. He arrives for his first day at Horace Green, a ritzy, private elementary school that upholds incredibly strict rules and expectations. The students are required to wear uniforms and take advanced classes to abide by a strict curriculum set before them. The film shows private education in a negative light and implies that private schools are judgmental and severe. Horace Green only accepts certain students that the faculty deem worthy of attending their prestigious school; this is unfair judgment in every sense of the word. The principle of the school, Mrs. Mullen, is very strict and holds the children and the school’s teachers to an extremely high standard. Her rigidness is shown during a scene depicting Mrs. Mullen disciplining a student, a little girl, and she makes her cry; [I wish I could've portrayed the humor of this scene more effectively. This part of the movie was hilarious!] the movie is suggesting that modern educators are too harsh on young students. The same idea is also shown in a scene where the students are outlining their daily schedules for Dewey. They explain that part of their course study includes being forced to take an advanced music class, and some challenging foreign language classes, while only being in the fifth grade! The film is trying to say that the education system is too hard on younger students and teachers should just let kids be kids for the short time we get to be carefree children. I completely agree with what the director is saying; I look back on my early education and envy the amount of free time I had in elementary school. Teachers should not force kids to grow up too early. I believe that responsibility should be taught at a young age, but there is a point where educators have to understand that kids need to be encouraged to embrace their childhood and enjoy it while it lasts.
When Dewey first arrives in class, he explains to the children that he has a hangover, so they can have recess for the rest of the day. One of the students, Summer, the class teacher’s pet, interjects and says that it’s not time for recess, but for Vocabulary. Dewey asks the class if they really want to learn, and decides to “teach” them by going on a rant that can only be quoted in it’s original words to be fully appreciated:
“The world is run by the Man. Oh, you don't know the Man? He's everywhere. In the
White House, down the hall, Ms. Mullins, she's the Man. And the Man ruined the ozone,
he's burning down the Amazon, and he kidnapped Shamu and put her in a chlorine tank!
And there used to be a way to stick it to the Man. It was called rock 'n roll, but guess
what, oh no, the Man ruined that, too, with a little thing called MTV!” (Cite) [I can't believe I actually did this. I wrote cite instead of actually putting the source, seriously?]
Dewey is trying to explain to the kids that the Man can be many different authorities in society; the film is mainly showing education as the Man. Several times throughout the movie, Dewey refers to the Man and tries to reiterate to the kids that they shouldn’t do what society, their parents, or their teachers tell them to do; essentially, they shouldn’t listen to whoever the Man is in their life and they should follow their own dreams, not the ones created for them. Throughout the movie, one of the students named Zack is interested in playing the electric guitar, but his dad forbids Zack to play any music or instrument that isn’t strictly related to his school music class. Dewey helps Zack fulfill his dream by standing up to his dad (the Man in his life) and learning how to shred on the electric guitar. While this situation doesn’t directly relate to education, the confidence and assertiveness Zack uses is praised and encouraged by the director; he suggests that this approach to oppression can be used not only on parents, but teachers and other educators as well. [I liked how I introduced this point into the paper, but my argument kind of fizzled out towards the end of this paragraph.]
Determined to enter the local “Battle of the Bands” contest and win the top prize to be able to pay his rent, Dewey comes up with a farfetched plan after seeing his new students in their music class; he sees their talent, and wants to enter the kids into the contest, with himself as lead guitarist and vocalist. After the kids return from their music class, Dewey surprises them with a new “class project” he calls ‘rock band.’ One of the students, Lawrence, plays the piano, so Dewey recruits him to play the keyboard. Another girl plays cello in the school’s music class, and Dewey teaches her how to play the bass guitar. Dewey gives positions to all the students, and their band, later named “The School of Rock,” is formed. Dewey goes on to transform the class and make it his own by teaching rock appreciation and music theory in the mornings, and holding band practice in the afternoons. The kids learn a lot about themselves through this process, while having fun along the way. One of the students, Tomika gains a tremendous amount of self-esteem through finding and taking advantage of her talent: singing. This is something she never would have found in a traditional classroom setting. [I should have started a new paragraph here.] A few weeks into the project, Dewey is informed that parent-teacher conferences are coming up and he must make a presentation for the parents of the students in his class about what they’ve been learning thus far. Mrs. Mullen explained to Dewey at the beginning of his job that the school takes curriculum extremely seriously, and that Dewey must stick to the lesson plans provided. The parents of the children value curriculum as well, and when Dewey doesn’t have a reasonable explanation of what he has been teaching their kids, they become angry and start questioning him. Another statement is made about education here; teachers and parents believe that sticking to a precise curriculum is the best way for their children to learn. School of Rock shows that there are unique ways to teach students that may not be conventional, but just as effective. [I should have expanded on this point more; it's a really important part of my paper!]
During the parent-teacher conference, Ned and his girlfriend show up to expose Dewey for who he really is. Dewey is fired and forced to leave, much to the children’s dismay. They have not performed in the “Battle of the Bands” yet, and find out what Dewey’s plan has been from the get-go; that their “project” was just a scheme Dewey created to win money. However, the kids still care about Dewey and decide to play the show regardless. The students don’t end up winning the contest, but the audience loves their act so much that they demand an encore. All of their parents come to watch, and Mrs. Mullen reluctantly attends the event as well. Even though the parents are old-fashioned and were angry about Dewey’s intentions, they are ultimately proud of their kids and what they have accomplished. Showing that Dewey’s teaching method is successful, suggests that the director believes in using unique alternatives to education. However, this must approach must be used in moderation. An example of a real-life adaptation of creating a rock band, is a school in Dayton, Ohio that created a “virtual game” as a class project, modeling their ideas roughly off of the plan used in School of Rock. While this idea seems interesting, Scott Elliot, a newspaper reporter that specializes in education, investigated the topic and found that the plan is very risky; he interviewed faculty members at another school that didn’t recommend the approach, having tried a similar plan that failed (Elliot) This evidence doesn’t suggest that a hands-on project of large proportions is not possible, and couldn’t be beneficial like the movie depicts, but undertakings such as these should be pursued with caution. [I should've found an example of an alternative form of education that works, rather than one that goes over the top.]
School of Rock makes several bold statements about education: schools hold younger kids to a higher standard then necessary and while teachers and parents think a concrete syllabus is imperative, a standard curriculum is not necessary in order for students to gain essential knowledge. Dewey Finn teaches the students in an educational setting, things that they wouldn’t have otherwise learned in school. He becomes a role-model for the children, regardless of the fact that he’s not a real teacher. School of Rock shows that educators should rethink their methods of teaching and throw out bored and tired lesson plans. Teachers should strive to be relatable and encourage students to do what they want to do, not what their school tells them is their predetermined destiny. Schools should be a place where students learn about themselves, not just about history, math, and science.[I definitely could've made my conclusion longer and more detailed. There was a lot more I could've said about the statements the movie made about education.]
Works Cited
Elliot, Scott. "The ‘School of Rock’ Approach to Education." Dayton Daily News. 24 July 2006. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/education/entries/2006/07/24/the_school_of_r.html>.Rainer, Peter. "School of Rock - New York Movie Review." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. 6 Oct. 2003. Web. 6 Apr. 2011. <http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/n_9275/>.
School of Rock. Dir. Richard Linklater and Scott Rudin. By Mike White. Perf. Jack Black and Joan Cusack. Paramount, 2003. DVD.
