Teacher Features

Regrettably, this week we watched the movie Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz. This movie was terrible. We both hated it. Even Jason Segel could not elevate this dumpster fire of a movie. But maybe we can learn something from this, right? Cameron Diaz is Ms. Halsey. She wants to attract a rich husband, so she […] The post Bad Teacher | Teacher Features: Episode 12 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

October Sky is the story of a rocket-loving boy named Homer and the teacher who inspired him. The teacher is Ms. Riley, played by Laura Dern. We watched October Sky and did an evaluation on Ms. Riley. The post October Sky | Teacher Features: Episode 11 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

This week we continued our discussion of Matilda and did a teacher evaluation of Agatha Trunchbull, aka The Trunchbull, the principal at Matilda’s school. Ms. Trunchbull, a former Olympian, rules her school with an iron fist. Her towering figure and acerbic tongue strike fear into the hearts of her students and staff. A firm believer in […] The post Matilda (part 2) | Teacher Features: Episode 10 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

For this episode we evaluated Ms. Honey, the loving primary school teacher from Matilda. Directed by Danny Devito, this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic middle grade novel tells the story of a gifted young girl named Matilda. Matilda is a genius and when she goes to school her teacher immediately recognizes her gifts. However, the wicked […] The post Matilda | Teacher Features: Episode 9 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

In this special holiday episode we evaluate Ms. Shields from A Christmas Story. Shields is definitely old school – this movie takes place in the 30’s – but we can still apply some of her strategies in our modern classrooms. Ms. Shields definitely has command of her students, but there are a few things we didn’t […] The post A Christmas Story | Teacher Features: Episode 8 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

In this episode we watched Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and did an evaluation of Yoda’s teaching. Yoda isn’t a typical teacher like we’ve seen in the other movies we’ve reviewed. He’s doing a 1:1 Jedi training with Luke Skywalker. His methods may seem unconventional, but he gets results. We went into a lot of […] The post Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | Teacher Features: Episode 7 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

In this episode we discuss Dead Poets Society, the classic teacher movie starring Robin Williams as Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is back at his alma mater as an English teacher, trying to give the prep school adolescent boys a good education. He inspires them to form the Dead Poets Society and seize the day. We discuss […] The post Dead Poets Society | Teacher Features: Episode 6 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

For this episode we watched Mean Girls and evaluated Tina Fey’s character, Ms. Norbury. Ms. Norbury is not the main character in the movie, so we had less evidence to base her evaluation on than movies in which the teacher is the focus. She has far less screen time than teachers in other movies in […] The post Mean Girls | Teacher Features: Episode 5 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

For this episode we watched Mona Lisa Smile (2003) to evaluate Julia Roberts’ character, Katherine Watson. Ms. Watson is an art history professor at a prestigious women’s college, but her progressive beliefs rub a lot of students, parents, and faculty the wrong way. Katherine has to navigate through her first year teaching in a place where her views make […] The post Mona Lisa Smile | Teacher Features: Episode 4 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

In this episode we evaluate Jack Black’s character Dewey Finn (aka Ned Schneebly) the movie School of Rock (2003) . In the film, Dewey Finn (Jack Black) poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. He decides to toss aside conventional curriculum and teach the kids how to be a rock band. Things get tricky […] The post School of Rock | Teacher Features: Episode 3 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

This week we watched Freedom Writers. In this 2007 movie, Hilary Swank plays Erin Gruwell, a young teacher who inspires students in an inner city high school. In our discussion of this movie, we touch on White Savior movies and how they are problematic. The White Savior story is super common in teacher movies. For more […] The post Freedom Writers | Teacher Features: Episode 2 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

We discuss Kindergarten Cop (1990) to determine whether​ or not John Kimball (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was a good kindergarten teacher. The post Kindergarten Cop | Teacher Features: Episode 1 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.