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Chalk
Fifty percent of America’s teachers quit within their first three years.
This is a mockumentary displaying the challenges and personnel struggles 3 high school teachers and 1 AP endure during a typical year in the trenches of the public school system.
Teacher # 1 – is my personal favorite Mr. Stroope (Chris Mass) who teaches Social Studies. In his 3rd year, he is attempting to become teacher of the year and will go to no end to make his dream come true. My favorite moment is when after class he confronts one of his quieter female students about the fact that he realizes that she knows more then him but he simply can’t tolerate her continuous mocking of him in front of the rest of the class. He accuses her of rolling her eyes and sighing aloud every time he makes a mistake. This guy is funny especially when giving a survey to fellow teachers.
Teacher # 2 – Coach Webb/ P.E (Janelle Schremmer) - Often accused of being a lesbian at least this is what she perceives. The majority of her fellow teachers consider her pushy and aggressive. She is in search of a love relationship, which seems to elude her. Coach is best friends with the AP and gets pissed when other teachers don’t due what she believes is correct.
Teacher # 3 Mr. Lowrey (Troy Schremmer) History – He is a first year teacher straight out of leaving a computer science position, which he held for many years. He is not well equipped for what lies ahead. He struggles to control his students and is barely able to communicate on the most basic levels. This guy really has it tough but it sure is entertaining.
AP – Mrs. Reddell (Shannon Haragan) – Recently appointed Assistant Principal due to the former AP’s inability to maintain his position. Things aren’t as rosy as she hoped and dealing with all the teacher conflicts becomes more of a nuisance then dealing with hostile kids. Her sex life isn’t going well either.
This was a fun film to watch with many moments that were memorable. I didn’t read much about this before seeing it and actually thought it was going to be another straightforward documentary.
I was a bit put off at first by the obvious acting going on throughout only to realize that this was its intended method of delivery. The theater I saw this in had plenty of real life teachers all of whom seemed to find something to identify with and enjoy.
B
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