When A Great Teacher Comes Along

Tonight's marathon is focused on exploring some of the great inspirational stories surrounding teachers and the impact they have on their students. Every once in awhile a great teacher comes along that inspires those who take their class to think higher of themselves than they originally imagined and to always reach higher in fighting for what they want. Whether these teachers are a martial arts instructor, an aggressive principal, a math teacher, an English teacher who makes his students question what is poetry or a cop going undercover as a Kindergarten teacher only to realize that he cares more about the latter job than he originally thought, these instructors have left a mark not only in the hearts of their students but in the hearts of moviegoers everywhere. This is an intensely emotional and uplifting experience that has a very inspiring message behind it all. For tonight's fantastic marathon that's dedicated to all the hard working teachers in the world who truly do care about their kids, we have on the following menu as a heartfelt dedication.

The Karate Kid 1984, Stand And Deliver 1988, Lean On Me 1989, Good Will Hunting 1997, Dead Poets Society 1989, and Kindergarten Cop 1990



As one can see from this stunning and inspirational set of movies, it plays heavily off the endless stream of teachers inspiring their students films that ran rampant throughout the 1980's which almost feels like it's own genre of movies. Whatever the reason was that made these films such a wild success back in the 80's, there's just something about a teacher coming into the life of a troubled student and seeing something in them that no one else does and makes them reevaluate their self worth and to work harder that packs an emotional punch to it. It's an appealing theme and can be a very broad one with the teacher not exactly needing credentials to change a persons life. Teachers can be ordinary men on the street like Mr. Miyagi who can teach you to push yourself more than you originally thought and stand up against people who push you around. Psychologists like Sean Maguire from Good Will Hunting can help you to find direction in your life by making you realize the gift you possess. A teacher doesn't necessarily need to be in a classroom to make a difference like Joe Clark played by Morgan Freeman on Lean On Me. Clark was a principal with a temper who turned a failing school upside down on it's head and made his kids realize that no one is inferior and incapable of achieving the American Dream. A teacher like Professor Keating from Dead Poets Society can encourage his kids to seize the day and stick to what your true dreams are and not what someone else wants you to become. The first movie of the night is the perfect setup with the 1984 critically acclaimed and blockbuster classic titled The karate Kid. Nominated for an academy award for best supporting actor for his unforgettable portrayal of the martial arts instructor Mr. Miyagi, Pat Morita plays a handyman and martial arts instructor who agrees to teach a desperate young boy to defend himself against school bullies. While he teaches him how to defend himself, he also makes him realize that there is much more to life and himself than just fighting an opponent. The Karate Kid is not your typical teacher and student film but has the same story arc. Work is being done to change the life of a student whether it's in a classroom or Dojo. Of the four films in it's series plus the decent remake it spawned in 2010, The Karate Kid remains one of the most inspirational and influential movies in film history from the director of Rocky and Lean On Me. The second movie of the evening is the 1988 Oscar nominated film titled Stand And Deliver starring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Philips, and Andy Garcia. This story centers around a High School mathematics teacher who became famous in the 1980's for successfully having his near dropout students pass a Calculus AP exam. When their test scores turned out to be outstanding, they were accused of cheating because their scores were too high given the urban environment that surrounds them. What makes their story inspirational is their stubborn refusal to give up on their dreams and not let anyone push them around. The teacher in Stand And Deliver made them realize that they are worth more than what anyone says and to believe that they have it in themselves to do great things. The third movie of the lineup is the 1989 John G. Avildsen inspirational classic titled Lean On Me. Starring Morgan Freeman, the film centers around a dedicated but ego centric High School principal named Joe Clark being appointed as the principal of a troubled High School. His mission is to clean the school up in less than one year and get his students to pass a state test with the lack of corporation from city officials who threaten to undo all of his achievements. From the director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, John G. Avildsen crafts another great story about a man who went against all the odds to show his students that they can succeed regardless of what people think about them. Why Morgan Freeman didn't receive an Oscar nomination for his role is mind-blowing as the performances in the film were outstanding. The fourth movie of the evening is the 1997 blockbuster and Oscar winning classic titled Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Credited as being the film that jump started the careers of the two up and coming actors Affleck and Damon, the film centers around a janitor at M.I.T who has a gift for intelligence but is a troubled teenage kid. His actions place him in the hands of a Psychologist who vows to help him find direction in his life. Robin Williams won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as the compassionate and caring psychologist who see's something inside the troubled young teen and decides to give him a chance. The film was nominated for a total of 9 academy awards and nabbed two for Williams and best screenplay done by Affleck and Damon. The fifth movie of the marathon is the 1989 Oscar winning classic titled Dead Poets Society also starring Robin Williams. Nominated for a total of four academy awards including Best picture, director, writing and a best actor nom for Robin Williams, the film centers around an English teacher named Professor Keating who inspires their students to realize their love for poetry and to take advantage of their dreams and seize the day. Dead Poets Society serves as the perfect parallel to Good Will Hunting and has one of the greatest performances of Robin Williams career. The ending of the film is legendary with Keating's students giving their professor a heartbreaking farewell and demonstrating the influence that their professor had on their lives. One of cinemas greatest tearjerker endings. The sixth and final movie of the evening is the perfect finale to this powerful lineup. The 1990 film Kindergarten Cop starring Arnold Schwarzenegger centers around a undercover cop masquerading as a Kindergarten teacher to uncover the son of the man he's chasing but ends up becoming engulfed in his job as an instructor while also falling in love with the ex girlfriend of the criminal he's trying to put behind bars. Kindergarten Cop is the perfect ending to this marathon because it's ending is the happiest with Schwarzenegger becoming so good at his job as a Kindergarten teacher that he leaves behind his job as a cop to become one, and falls for the ex girlfriend of the villain who just happens to be a teacher herself with a son in his class. Schwarzenegger still to this day declares his fondness of making Kindergarten Cop calling it one of the best movies he ever made, and has become one of the best teacher movies ever made.

So what is the message behind this marathon when you put all the films together? The movies say that you should always fight to achieve the impossible and work hard to make your dreams happen. No one can tell you that you are inferior and if you have the determination, anything is possible. A persons dream is precious to them and they should be able to strive for it and not be told they can't have it. A troubled person should not be judged because one doesn't understand what their problems are and that they may very well be gifted in ways one would never suspect. Everyone needs a great teacher like Mr. Miyagi, professor Keating, principal Joe Clark, or a Kindergarten teacher like Mr. Kimble in their life.