Stereotypes of Teachers in the Media

The image of teachers on TV has been pretty positive, we must admit. They are often portrayed as dedicated, intelligent, caring, and often attractive. The stereotype is accurate, of course. There was “Our Miss Brooks” and “Mr. Novack.” Pete Dixon in “Room 222”, Charlie Moore in “Head of the Class”, and Gabe Kotter in “Welcome Back Kotter” were all shown in a positive light. Young, hip, personable, interesting – you've got to admit that when it comes to TV stereotypes, teachers have made out pretty well. I mean, it's truthful and accurate, but it is nearly universally positive.

Just then Mr. Tony LaRosa walked by, and my mind switched to school principals. How have they been portrayed in the popular media culture? A moment's thought will reveal that school administrators are a much-maligned group. It's nearly enough to make you feel some sympathy for them. Miss Brooks had to deal with Osgood Conklin, a bumbling, blustering fool. Mr. Novack had Albert Vane, a kindly but often absent old man who just didn't seem to “get it.” Seymour Kaufman was the principal for Pete Dixon. And who can forget Kotter's Mr. Woodman? He was feared and hated by students and teachers alike. The man's principal joys (pun intended) came from inflicting senseless administrative and disciplinary terrors on Kotter and the Sweathogs. He not only didn't care about education, but he actively disliked both students and teachers.

Even Dr. Samuels in “Head of the Class” was either absent or ineffective, if not outright hostile to the kind of practical education Charlie Moore was trying to give his students. And on it goes. We watched a clip of “Picket Fences” in class where the principal was portrayed as silly and ineffective, concerned more about school department rules and regulations than the welfare or education of students.

Even in the film with Dean Vernon Wormer (the name says it all, doesn't it?) in “Animal House,” the principal in Nick Nolte's “Teachers,” from “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” to “Stand and Deliver,” school principals and administrators are almost universally portrayed as inane and ineffective, unconcerned about any but the most petty concerns, and often as outright evil or comic.

This is necessary for dramatic purposes, we all understand. After all, if the teacher and / or students are the heroes of the show, they need an antagonist, an enemy, someone or something to stand in their way, provide comic relief, and be a buffoon.

Whether the portrayal of school administrators does indeed reflect the cultural values in our society today is a topic that can be debated – I'm not going to delve into the realm of the public's perception of school principals here.

TV stereotypes can be destructive by their very nature by the very fact that certain groups of people are portrayed over and over again in a negative light. We have made a great deal of progress in recent years recognizing and attitudes. They affect us not just racially and globally, but can also touch us personally – in our own lives and in our own town.

As we watch TV, we need to keep asking ourselves if the program is stereotyping people. We need to compare the characters on the screen with the characters we know and ask if what and who we see on the screen is a reflection of real life or a misrepresentation. We need to decide whether fantasy or reality will shape our attitudes. Sometimes the TV world isn't just unrealistic; it's wrong.

 

2. Compare the ways teachers are shown in native films (books / newspaper articles) and foreign ones. Find some common features and the differences. Say how perceptions of teachers vary in different countries.

 

3. Make up a top ten list of stereotypes relating to teachers and teaching.

UNIT 5

WHAT ARE PEDAGOGICAL TABOOS?

 

 

THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES