Movie: The Ron Clark Story

The film portrays Ron Clark's experiences teaching in an inner city school. His search for fulfilment led him to a school in Harlem. There he chose to take over a "problem" class where he dealt with the students' hostility. In the end, he was able to make a difference by helping his students achieve higher test scores and most of all for making them realize that they have the potential to succeed. He was able to know his students at some personal level and a sense of belonging was felt by his students.

The piece serves an inspirational tool for teachers and for those who aspire to become teachers. Although Ron Clark had violated some protocols such as walking out of a job (which to some employers is a just cause for termination) and shaking a student's desk in anger, he realized through a friend that he can't give up on his students. It shows his strengths and weaknesses in every situation. It shows that like every other teacher, he is not perfect. He strive to have meaning in his teaching by taking upon a challenging class. However, it is those same situations where a teacher can be faulted. Teachers need to be aware of protocols, procedures, and regulations of a school to avoid being the "bad guy" although it may work at some point.

Will this film be enough for teachers to keep teaching? I think not. Deciding to teach and to continue to teach is a personal decision. It sure is a motivator and a glimpse of what lies ahead.