Only one word. Fantastic. Crazy. Confusing. Intimidating. Unworthy. Difficult. Hard. Punishing. Tons of Patience needed. Why do it?
I can understand parents slogging it off for their own kids. But what about teachers? Why especially in this modern sueing society. Luckily, the 'slut' word didn't hit hard on the teacher from the French society, law or even his peers. But what if he was in a school in USA or Britain? His career would have been finished. No wonder it is so difficult to find good teachers. They are the unloved, unsung heroes for the country and the world.
I loved the teaching methods. The natural progression. The lack of imposing by the Director. The state of teaching from argument about introducing oneself by putting ones name card on one's desk to Reading an essay to writing one's self-portrait to the exasperation expressed by one of the teacher at the thankless job of teaching to the teacher-parents meet to disciplinary committee to finally what one learned in the year. What a journey. Just like life so full of roughness and potholes but I suppose it is worth in the end.
Full marks to François Bégaudeau for not interfering in the narration of Entre les murs
(The Class). He not just avoided the temptation to dramatize but also to edit. By keeping the narrative rough, he did his job well.
So, if somebody says there are no challenges left in the world, he/she is deluding oneself. There is always a challenge and TEACHING is one. The only others which can claim to come close to it is GARDENING/COOKING/CURING ILLNESS. But in the latter, you are not dealing with Kids who are asking questions like Are You Gay? Not running a country or company, not earning money, not handling nagging wife/mistress.
The only other film, which can come closer to this on the topic of education is Nicolas Philibert's Être et avoir(To Be And To Have).
Pradeep Kabra
