From the beginning of Entre Les Murs, I could tell that the relationship between students and teachers in this school was strained. The movie began with teachers warning each other of how horrible their new classes will be. Going through their class lists one by one, teachers all began their year with preconceived notions about their students. This introduction of the film focused on the main theme I was able to take away from watching this film; student-teacher relationships and the importance of trust and mutual respect. Throughout the film, Mr. Marin demanded a certain level of respect from his students; however, he was never asked or expected to give them any in return. The students were able to call him out on this lack of respect, but Mr. Martin insisted on maintaining a hard demeanour as he felt that this was the only way his students could come to trust him.
I found Mr. Marin’s intentions juxtaposed the way he acted toward his students. At first, it was easy to see his downfalls. He had no legitimate, trusting relationship with his students, which prevented him from ever fully controlling his classroom. By making classroom management the main priority, he actually gave all control of his classroom over to the students. Yet, when we see him behind closed doors, it appears that he does in fact have legitimate feelings of care for his students. He seems to actually want them to succeed in his classroom (and not just for personal gain, but for the benefit of his students). He is seen to fight for them, fighting for their best interests in the face of his colleagues. And yet, any effort is overlooked by his students because of the in-class dynamics that have been established. I found that Mr. Marin should have been more open with his students and truly get to know them. Although he tried through the students’ self-portraits, his over-all attitudes made the effort seem insincere. It was never realized that “classroom management” is much simpler to achieve when the students feel like the classroom is a comfortable, welcoming place for them. Now, I will say that there was some effort on the part of Mr. Morin. In discussion with other teachers and the principal, this teacher did in fact suggest positive reinforcement as a form of classroom management, which was very quickly shut down by his colleagues. I was actually amazed at how closed minded some of the teachers were to new ideas, including those presented by fellow colleagues. As a teacher candidate, I find having an open mind and being willing to try new techniques in a classroom is critical for classroom management and student success. During my own CSL placement so far, I have seen how differing teaching strategies and an unwillingness to learn new strategies can cause tension between colleagues and within the whole school community. I find that there comes a point when teachers have to ask themselves what role they have in maintaining negative interactions in their classrooms. If students year after year are “hard to control”, then there may just be an issue with how the teacher approaches classroom management. Not all blame should be put on the students. From a more pedagogical standpoint, Entre Les Murs has caused me to re-think how some of the teachers’ decisions not only affected classroom management, but also the educational success of the students. In the classrooms we saw during the film, all the desks were in rows, and student discussion was limited. When the teacher would ask for class discussion, the students would often get off task and ignore the educational questions at hand. The environment of the classroom was cold and unwelcoming. If the teacher would have allowed for more group discussion, while getting to know the kids and allowing the kids to get to know each other, there may have been more educational success. Of course, not all students were doing badly, as some students are able to succeed in a more isolated classroom. Nonetheless, it is important to re-think how classrooms are arranged and what teacher strategies are used that can have an overall greater impact on the students. As I said, it is easy to vilify Mr. Marin; yet, I question how I would react in certain situations he found himself in. As a teacher, it is extremely important to maintain a calm and controlled attitude, even in situations where you will be pushed to your limits. I know as a teacher, I will be pushed to my limits. Regardless of the relationship and trust built in a classroom, we all will be pushed there. How can I, then, learn how to react respectfully? I think one of the main things that I could do, that wasn’t really seen by Mr. Marin when he was arguing with his students, was giving all those involved a chance to talk. In Mr. Marin’s case, he would let the students finish (yelling) their statements, but he wouldn’t actually listen to what they were saying. He was extremely stubborn when arguing, which ended up causing more tension to build in the classroom. As has been repeated to me throughout my program so far, the students are not yelling at you. They are not swearing because they hate you. There is most often something else happening in their lives, school-based or not, that is causing them to feel and act in an angry or hostile way. As teachers, we should be seen as protective, caring listeners. We should be understanding of personal experiences and be aware that outside circumstances often affect the tone of the classroom. I find, in many instances, students are pushed away at times when they most need someone. If a child is acting out because they are fighting with their family at home, should they then be subjected to a walk to the principal’s office? What will that achieve? Why do some people insist on pushing those away who most need our help? In the case of Souleymane, for example, Mr. Marin was willing to look at his situation with an understanding eye, but none of the other board members were. They looked at the facts of the incident, and nothing more. They did not consider why Souleymane would act the way he was, what personal, social or emotional situations are affecting his behaviour, nor what the consequences would be for suspending him. There was no relationship built, so there was then no way for his situation to be better understood. This lack of understanding could also be what contributed to his lack of academic success at school. If he felt isolated, like no one would care if he was missing or interacting in class, and that no one would care if he succeeded, what motivation would he then have to try to succeed? The only time we see him do well in class was when he was given a platform to properly and fully express himself, without any judgment. He felt proud in his work, and he also felt like people cared about the things he had accomplished. Therefore, giving students a platform to express themselves, while respecting their personal situations, can help them succeed both academically and socially. Again, I am not saying that no situation requires outside intervention or punishment; however, we must work daily to concern ourselves with our students’ issues. We must be willing to talk and to listen, to be understanding and to make students feel welcomed to come to class. Finally, I wanted to comment on another small theme touched upon in the film - the importance of parent-teacher relationships. In Mr. Marin’s interactions with the parents during parent-teacher interviews, it is clear that there are many types of parents that we as teachers will have to work with. Some will be extremely dedicated to seeing their children succeed, others will not care. Some will do anything to up their child’s grade; others will feel it is completely the student’s responsibility to succeed. Some will want to be in constant communication with you; others will not even know how to speak English (or will not care to speak to you). Teachers must be able to work with every type of parent in order to all students the best opportunity at success. By interacting with parents, teachers also get a better sense of the student-parents relationship and how that relationship can play into the classroom experience of the student. At school, teachers should work to build relationships with both students and parents. Through regular communication and getting to know each other, all parties can learn to better understand each other and communicate any concerns honestly and respectfully in order to promote student success. In conclusion, I think this film provided me (and other new teachers) an opportunity to see how real classrooms are, and different challenges I will face as a teacher. I find this film provided some examples of how not to act in certain situations, but has also made me realize how difficult some situations might be to manoeuver. I have seen fist hand how different experiences, both positive and negative, affect how students behave and what they feel they are able to achieve in the classroom. I find it is critical to maintain high expectations for all students, make them feel welcomed while pushing them to become their best selves. This fil allowed me to re-think the importance of building relationships in all aspects of schooling. Although student-teacher relationships are critical, teacher-teacher and parent-teacher relationships also greatly affect student experience at school.
1 Comment
linda radford
10/17/2015 09:02:55 pm
I'm so glad that this film was so formative for you as a beginning teacher. You have delved deeply into a number of issues in the film and I appreciate how you have also touched on the importance of parent-teacher relationships. Many thanks for sharing your insights here.
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