What do you think the environment was like, under Joe Clarke, in the Elementary School he was at?
With that conversation with that Elementary teacher, how do you think Joe treated his staff?
Obviously with that conversation with that little kid, the students respected him.
Thoughts?
Well, it was a nice school in a nice neighborhood, with kids who really did want to learn and weren't brats, so he probably didn't have to go to crazy with them as he did with Eastside High, which had animals.
shareWell, when he was a teacher 44 years ago at Eastside High (remember it said 1967 at the beginning when Morgan Freeman was sporting an Afro and African clothing in the classroom), the students were mostly white at Eastside High and they respected him, and the school wasn't in chaos like 20 years later when he returned to become the principal.
"I'd be very happy to be myself if I could remember who I am. Who am I?"
Yeah, at the beginning he is teaching at Eastside HS with good kids who are well dressed and willing to learn. I'll tell you this. When he said to define "imbrue" it is too bad that no student had read Midsummer Night's Dream, because he or she could have used that to answer his question. He then might ask how that student knew that and said, "Read it in Shakespeare, sir."
shareBut the thing that was never made clear was whether Clark was a teacher or a principal at the elementary school.
shareyes he was the principal, it was obvious.
the conversation with the white lady gave it away.
also, they wouldn't take an elem teacher with no admin background and suddenly promote him to eastside like that, as his first admin gig.
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behold, sublime genius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLPe0fHuZsc
That school he was at was probably located in Haledon or Totowa in the surrounding areas. Patterson is located by nice suburban towns.
For a principal to just go from elementary school to high school is not that easy. It was October when he Joe went to Eastside, school was already in session. He would of had to start at the beginning of the year, September.
My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather
Joe looked like he was at ease at the elementry school also the school looked like it was mostly white so not much problem (not to sound racist).
shareIn real life the school wasn't white like portrayed in the film it was 90% black and latino kids and most of them couldn't read at their grade level. Also inaccurate was the fact that Joe Clarke had mostly white students when he was a teacher at East Side High, he taught remedial reading and most of his students were black.
Anyone interested in the real story please read this article that was written around the time the film came out. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-03-03/entertainment/ca-285_1_joe-clar k
Also as a white high school junior who goes to a mostly white school, trust me everyone isn't all well disciplined and eager to learn like this movie and other films and tv shows portray.
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