As a moviegoer for more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being afraid of The Thing and delighting in An American in Paris.

Many times I disagree with the critics. I don’t call them and tell him what I think of their reviews, so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. Some of you will agree. I hope to hear from all of you.

Movies that relate to school experiences resonate with us all. We all were there in that chalk-smelling room—although some later generations may have missed that particular aspect of the school room. I remember my school days with affection. I loved going to school, even high school.

The movies below range from the sweet to the horrific. Sounds like real life to me.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969): Dame Maggie Smith won an Oscar for portraying a teacher in 1930’s Scotland. This is a bittersweet story of a teacher whose nontraditional methods lead to tragedy. Beyond that, this is a movie with humor, pathos, humiliation, and several other human emotions. It is a wonderful film well worth seeing for the first or second time.

To Sir With Love (1966): An unruly bunch of high school students confront Sidney Poitier. He is an engineer who is pulled into teaching at a working class school in England. Even though you know he will prevail, the trip is an interesting one.

Blackboard Jungle (1955): Take unruly to the next level and you have another high school. This one is in New York and the teacher is Glenn Ford. This time Sidney Poitier is a student who engages in a vicious fight with Vic Morrow. This movie was the first to use rock-and-roll music for the soundtrack. Remember “Rock Around the Clock?”

Good Will Hunting (1997): Math genius Matt Damon works as a janitor at MIT. When his talents are discovered, a therapist, Robin Williams, begins working with him. It seems Damon has issues. Damon and Ben Affleck won an Oscar for original screenplay. This is an engaging film that introduces us to the very talented Damon and a yet-to-be-proved Affleck.

Good Bye, Mr. Chips (1939): This is a sentimental, somewhat maudlin film of a professor’s life. Robert Donat stars as the beloved professor. A later version (1969) starring Peter O’Toole is a bit more watchable.

Lean on Me (1989): Morgan Freeman is the tough principal of—guess what—an inner city high school. He vows to turn things around. Been there, saw that.

Stand and Deliver (1988): Edward James Olmos stars as an East Los Angeles math teacher who vows to turn things around. Sound familiar? He teaches his mostly Latino students calculus. They show their gratitude by acing the big test.

Splendor in the Grass (1961): Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty (in his screen debut) shine as high school students in 1920s rural Kansas. Elia Kazan directs this look at teenagers trying to curb their hormones. This way lies madness. The film won an Oscar for best screenplay.

The Paper Chase (1973): I loved this film. It is smart and funny. John Houseman stars as a crusty, demanding law professor at Harvard. Timothy Bottoms, as a first-year law student, tries to win Houseman’s respect and Lindsay Wagner, his daughter.

Dead Poets Society (1989): Robin Williams, in an Oscar-nominated role, stars as a teacher who inspires by quoting poetry. He is the male version of Miss Jean Brodie. You can guess what happens.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Now this film is more like a real high school. It is indeed fast and sometimes funny. Sean Penn stars—before he became anguished.

Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995): A sweet and predictable film about a musician who is so obsessed with writing a grand opus he fails to realize that the students he inspires are his real work of art. Richard Dreyfuss won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal.

Breakfast Club (1985): John Hughes wrote and directed this first brat-pack film. A group of high schoolers (e.g., athlete, brain, princess, bad boy, nervous wreck) bonds while serving detention. Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy star.

Carrie (1976): Sissy Spacek and John Travolta star in Stephen King’s version of high school. The in-crowd plays a dirty trick on mousy Spacek at the prom. But, in true King style, Carrie has a mobile mind and returns the joke ten-fold.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955): James Dean plays the role that was made for Sean Penn. Oh, the anguish of the new kid in town. He quickly falls for Natalie Wood and befriends Sal Mineo. Dennis Hopper costars.


There many other school-related films, some good and some bad: American Graffiti (1973), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986 ), Election (1999), Grease (1978 ), Bye, Bye Birdie (1963), Bad Teacher (2011), How to Eat Fried Worms (2006), My Bodyguard (1980), and the Harry Potter films.