An inspirational teacher can make a world of difference to a student. We’ve all seen this in our own lives. Sometimes it’s in smaller ways. An encouraging word, a nudge in the right direction. Sometimes, though, teachers go so far above and beyond, they make movies about them! Not all the movies below are true stories (Dead Poets Society isn’t, as far as I know), but they’re still incredibly inspiring! Here are some of the most inspirational movie about teachers.
Inspirational Movies About Teachers
Stand and Deliver– 1982- stars Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosanna DeSoto and Andy Garcia. This movie is the story of a new teacher at a high school. He takes the position with the intent of changing the academic structure as well as teaching the students by taking personal issues and relating them to the academic lessons. He shows the meaning of what a resolute and inspirational educator really is.
Dead Poet Society– 1989- stars Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke. This is probably one of the greatest teacher movies ever. It showcases an English teacher who had literary allusions and inspiring quotes and metaphors. Robin Williams plays the role of a professor who is a bit on the rebellious side. When he returns to stir things up at his Alma Mater, he is set on doing things his way. He gains the ultimate respect from each and every one of his students.
Freedom Writers– 2007- stars Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Stauton and Patrick Dempsey. This movie is derived from the book, The Freedom Writer Diary by Erin Gruwell, a teacher that goes outside her comfort zone to teach at a high school that is self-segregating. The story combines various backgrounds and classes to form one community of family members through the world of writing. Hilary Swank does an outstanding job as the teacher who gives each of her students a journal so they can express their deepest thoughts. What she gets back is something she will never forget.
Lean On Me– 1989- stars Morgan Freeman, Beverly Todd and Robert Guillaume. This is a movie about a teacher who taught at a prestigious high school. He leaves his position only to come back to find that the school is now filled with teens who engage in drug use and gang violence. When he is hired as the school’s principle, he is determined to turn the school around back to the way it used to be.
These four inspirational movies about teachers all moved us all in some way when we saw them. If we were kids, we wished they could be our teachers. Maybe they taught us to look at our own teachers in a new light. If we were already grown, we were inspired to become better role models for the younger generation that we were responsible for. Some of them are older. Freedom Writers is a bit newer. The messages in each of these inspirational movies about teachers remains, though.
For more back to school related posts, please visit a few of my favorite blogs:
- Bullying Movies for High School from In Our Spare Time
- Movies to Watch Before You Graduate High School from My Kids Guide
- Required Reading: 7 Novels You Actually WANT to Read Before College from Pretty Opinionated
- 5 Fun Back-to-School Movies from Mom Does it All
- 20 Back to School Movie Suggestions from Day by Day in Our World
- Movies about More than School by How Was Your Day?
- Picture Books to Get Ready for School by SMS Non Fiction Book Reviews
Do you have any favorite inspirational movies about teachers? Tell us about it in the comments!
