These guys talked through the entire argument between joe clark and the super intendant. Easily one of the best and most powerful scenes of the movie. Give yourselves an F.
talked through the entire movie. It’s not as simple on your vanilla world. Like Dave Chappelle said about the war against drugs slogan….just say no what’s so hard about that!!! Not that easy when people say just get a job n get out of poverty. Easy to say whatever but not that black and white. You’re not gonna win every school or whatever being non confrontational. It’s not the movie dangerous minds or whatever when a melanin challenged person comes and saves all the brown n poor races. Tough love to a point is what they needed. Other schools etc….won’t need that to a degree.
This reaction got on my nerves🤦🏾♀️talked through most of the movie and misunderstood everything. This school has to be revived in one school year so yeah he couldn’t be soft on them.
Terrible reaction. I feel the same if they spent time listening and talking less they would see why he was the way he was. But if you’re not from this time of area you can’t understand this movie.
I'm from New Jersey and I remember when this happened. Joe Clark was tough and he was put in charge of a very difficult school. He expelled many students, walked around with a baseball bat and chained the doors. His approach angered many but many more people respected what he did to help turn the school around. He was not given the luxury of time to change things so he used extreme measures. I've worked at a similar school with a tough but caring principal. When he was moved and a new principal came in the school went downhill within months. It was very sad to see.
I think you guys totally missed the mark on this movie. Mr. Clark was a hard disciplinarian with a no bs attitude and very much misunderstood. You have to look at how Mr. Clark taught at a all white school with practically no issues to being thrust into chaos,drugs, violence and a deadline to get the school academics up to par. I think you guys were just so put off by his attitude that you all really didn't listen to the dialogue and the actual story telling. Once some of the teachers and administration began to stand up to Mr. Clark he realized how he was coming off. The students began to love him like a father figure and the teachers began to understand the point Mr.Clark was trying to make. He cared about those kids and wanted to give them pride and to think of themselves in a better light, true his speaking to Sams was off pudding but look at how Sams (the one he told to jump off the roof) changed his life around because he could tell Mr.Clark actually cared. A lot of the teachers were indeed failing the students because the teachers weren't trying hard enough. The only way to get this school back on track was discipline, hard work, getting the community and parents involved and teachers. That's how they were able to pass the exam. I think if you re-watch the movie, maybe alone, you would have a better appreciation of this film. It's really a classic with a tale of redemption. Also, just some constructive criticism, when you're doing a reaction video talking through it is understandable but try and keep it limited because you end up missing very important dialogue.
If you guys were paying closer attention instead of talking over most of the movie you would have heard that he expelled 300 out of 3,000 students. Its 10% not 1/3rd. And that scene where he confronted Mrs Powers about the school song you guys totally misunderstood. You're so focused on his tone you don't realize that in fact he was putting up a bit of a front and gave her credit for Rewriting the school song. Told her to take a bow. That is why everyone was happy. Not because of some stupid Stockholm syndrome.
Got excited to hear what Australian teachers thought of this movie. But It's very clear that the Australian school system is so different that you all can't even began to relate. I'm not upset, just a little disappointed at how much you guys missed. I get it. The American school system in urban areas is so neglected, the average non American can't even imagine this movie being based in any kind of reality.
You two have ZERO respect for not only the incredible legacy of the Real Joe Clark, but Morgan Freeman’s powerful and energetic performance. THIS IS ONE OF THD GREATEST PERFORMANCES EVER COMMITTED TO CELLULOID, and you giggle and laugh at it. Sick,
The moral of the story is that desperate times call for desperate measures. Mr. Clarke was a radical authoritarian who had good intentions, but mistreated many people and made errors along the way. I also didn’t like him at first, but I realized he was just trying to help. Glad the movie had a happy heartwarming ending.
I love the way that people from other countries Babble About the way things are done in the USA... As you talk through the most important parts of the movie... You are talking out of your asses About a time in history that was out of control because no one was willing to take hold and lead the teachers... Things in Australia Are different then here... Sorry But You don't Know Shit About it...
"Give an inch--they take a mile". Well, authorities gave an inch and the school leaders took 20 yrs of backsliding. From what I see in American society, the backsliding keeps getting worse every year. Joe had one school year to overcome 20 yrs of backsliding. Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.
You guys literally talked through every key line in this film. You missed most of the movie from talking over it. Reactors like y'all upset me, you don't have to talk through every scene, how do you even enjoy the movie that way?
I agree with you that he did some things wrong, very wrong, but I would like you to have acknowledged the way he learned from his mistakes, like he did after the vice principal confronted him and when he admitted that Mr. Darnell was right in saying he shouldn't have fired him. I would also consider the context. Business as usual wasn't working, and changing it was going to take not just a lot of hard work but also a lot of risk. I'd love to see someone who could come in and make transformative change while also being empathetic and sensitive and meeting everyone's needs all the way, but if we found such a person I'm not sure we could replicate that very much. I am a high school teacher, and we have choices, so if I found a principal like that offensive or abusive, I could leave and probably find a position at another school. (And I would think carefully before I did--plenty of schools have kinder, gentler administrations who can't keep order, and people end up suffering at least as much as the people who suffered at Clark's hands.) The children don't have that choice. Most of what Clark did that was wrong was against the teachers. To the extent that the film is accurate, most of what he did for the students was positive.
I currently work in a public school in the US and sadly there are so many schools failing on both an educational level and the amount of violence students and teachers deal with. I believe RUclips has several videos from actual news channels regarding failing school districts if you guys want to watch those. A really good documentary for you guys to watch is called Waiting for Superman gives a great look into our school system.
This movie is awesome. Did you even really watch the movie? Have you taught at a school that exreme? How can you criticize his method but you liked him in Driving Miss Daisy. I wonder why....
Giving Clark an F is like saying he failed the students, which he didn't. As for that lazy remark, what would not be lazy? Plus, here're these videos about the movie: Do Mr. Clarks exist in schools anymore?| Lean On Me 1989 - 90s classic movie commentary and How to be a "Great" Leader | Lean on Me Movie Analysis
I've always loved this movie, and felt like I'd have enjoyed a principal like Mr. Clark if I were his student . However, yes, he was very harsh on the faculty, which I feel was to illustrate that, for all his good intentions, he was a flawed man. Perhaps the writers or director didn't do a good enough job in illustrating that he does come around to realizing this about himself. It honestly probably came too abruptly and too late in the movie to play out effectively, but I do think they were trying to point out that he was seeing the error of his ways. It's interesting to hear the perspective of educators on this movie. I can absolutely see where you're coming from regarding how long you'd be willing to tolerate working for a principal like this. I don't know if the real Joe Clark was this ruthless and aggressive. Perhaps they went overboard for dramatic purposes. I guess the one takeaway I always had from this film is despite how much of a hard-ass he was, you can't deny that he did care about those kids and he was looking out for them, even if his methods were unorthodox, shall we say?
You two teachers would literally have been the problem ! Your view is self centered …. You need to take a deeper look within self.. you can’t understand his method because you don’t understand thee environment surrounding the circumstances…. …
Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. I think it is fair to say - and I think we make this point - that we really couldn't relate to the situation being portrayed. It is so extreme and so different from anything we have experienced teaching in Australia.
so while this movie actually stands up well on its own this is one of those things that doesn't translate well across cultures: someone from say, Australia would really think: "oh it can't really be this way, Joe couldn't possibly be this hostile" because most cultures don't experience the disconnect of what it can be like for an inner-city school in America in this, or really lots of points in time and fail to even consider the school was in a state of emergency and if it had been state-run, it would have gotten far far worse...as a personal note; I had a cousin who actually went to Eastside in the period of time here and while alot of the outside community wanted to "put Joe in his place" the kids and staff defended most of his actions not from because they were afraid of him but because he talked to them in real terms and they understood that he was their best defense from a very broken neighborhood and school board
“Lean on Me” is advertised as “the true story of a real hero,” but that is only half right. Near-naked dancers notwithstanding, Joe Clark is a real hero to thousands of Eastside High students for bringing pride and order to the once chaotic, inner-city school. “Lean on Me,” however, is not a totally true story. The distortions in “Lean on Me” start to roll even before the opening credits. We are told it is 1967. We watch Clark, dressed in a bright tunic, teach history to an Eastside class of eager white students. It seems Clark has radical views; he is exiled to School No. 6, a white elementary school. Twenty years later--in 1987--Clark is appointed principal of Eastside, now a mostly black school that looks like a bomb exploded on top of it. Surprising as it may seem, none of that is true. Clark said that he didn’t get to Eastside until 1972. The subject was remedial reading, and his students were mostly black. Even if it had been 1967, there would have been many black students. Twenty years ago, Eastside was 46% black. In 1979, Clark became principal of School No. 6, in reality a tough elementary school in one of Paterson’s worst neighborhoods. Ninety percent of the school’s 1,000 students--mostly poor blacks and Latinos--read below grade level when Clark arrived on the scene. By 1982, the school was so much better that Clark was quietly hailed as a miracle man. That year he was dispatched to work his magic at Eastside High. --In the movie, Clark is arrested and jailed for locking the school’s doors in violation of the fire code. Fact: Clark did lock the school’s 27 doors to keep out drug pushers, but he removed the chains after the city went to court to force him to do so. He was never arrested and never jailed. --In the movie, Clark tossed out 300 students during a school assembly on the first day of school for being “drug dealers and drug users.” Fact: In Clark’s first two months at Eastside High, 135 would-be juniors and seniors were told to leave either because of poor attendance or poor grades. That figure swelled to 300 by year’s end, as more students were taken off the school’s rolls for attendance policy infractions. The movie isn’t complete fiction. Actor Morgan Freeman captures Clark’s personality, right down to his trademark smirk and $100 vocabulary. (To Clark, unruly students are “parasites” and “miscreants.” Disloyal teachers are “surreptitious snakes”). When Freeman spoke to a child in the cafeteria, and questioned him about his girlfriend, he demonstrated how the bullhorn-toting Clark got to know his 2,700 students personally. And it was heartening to see Beverly Todd, who played a vice principal, light into Clark for his dictatorial, and sometimes brutal, methods. By late 1984, black teachers had grown so frustrated with Clark that they held a secret after-school meeting at the city’s Masonic Temple to figure out how to deal with him. Clark beat them to the punch, and had the leaders transferred to another school. The improvement in test scores during Clark’s first year was impressive. Again, the official statistics show that 55% of freshmen passed the reading test, and 82% of freshman passed the math. In “Lean on Me,” a whopping 85% of students pass the test. “Lean on Me” presents a picture of a school that undergoes a dramatic academic transformation in just one year. But the picture is exaggerated. Though Clark did manage to achieve improved results at Eastside High during his first year, he did a lot better in the movie.
In real life the test scores didn't improve. One year after Clark resigned and less than two years after the film's release, the state came in and took control of the school. And since they weren't actually threatening to take over bfore the movie came out, I wonder if they got the idea from the movie. lol
If you can't get on board with Joe Clark after seeing this, you have never been in situation similar to this, he had less than a year to turn things around, he didn't have time to waste any time.
There are so many of these types of films. You should try the movie "Teachers" from 1984. Public schools in the cities were dangerous across America as many families fled to the suburbs in the '70s .
If the teachers u two claim are the ones responsible for the turnaround explain to me how those very sane teacher’s absolutely SUCKED at their jobs why did he have to come in if those teachers were so good. I’m giving them 1% cuz none of them thought about doing the stuff he said. Those teachers were HORRIBLE at their jobs.
You guys talk a lot over dialogue. I tried to stick with this reaction, but you're just being so rude. And your commentary doesn't have any validity since you're not really watching the movie. You're looking at a screen and talking about what you think is going on. You're really teachers? That seems a bit incongruous to your overall attitude. If your students listened to less than half of what you said and spent more than half of class time holding conversations with each other, you might find them to be poorly informed, too. I give this reaction a D for disappointing. You get partial credit for picking a great film to react to. Sorry you missed it. Meanwhile, I wound up still listening to this reaction in the background while typing. And I thought you guys were just thoughtless. You're actually aggressively obnoxious, insensitive, callous and pretty ignorant to not understand the accomplishment of these students - - to actually laugh at their efforts. Come on, fess up, what do you really do for work?
Welp, everyone here already said what I was gonna say about this review. Wrong people to react to this movie. Do a little research before you guys tear into a situation you obviously know nothing about.
You two talk way too much through some of the best parts of the movie. I wonder why you like Morgan Freeman more as his character in Driving Miss Daisy versus this movie. Maybe you should examine that a little more.
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know what "lands" and what falls flat - in this case. I remember loving Driving Miss Daisy but haven't seen it since it came to the cinema.
Two very mushy, effeminate men reacting negatively to the behavior of a direct, tough and effective man. It’s hard to see these two guys breaking up a fight or even raising their voice…they wouldn’t last 30 seconds as teachers in a tough school.
I like your reaction but you guys were talking through very crucial conversations to help you better understand the perspective of someone from that community and why his methods needed to be severe
I wanted to comment but it is pointless given the fact they missed every mark that meant something. Not to mention this isn’t Australia. Respectfully rewatch it without talking and pay attention. You didn’t give it a chance before you predetermined what you thought he was doing and who you think he is
I made it 41 minutes and 20 seconds in and I just had to give this a thumbs down. Y’all talk so much through the movie as educators instead of listening that’s very ironic.
Yea that school didnt lift off to glory. it got a little better but it remained a sh-hole for decades after because the leaders barely cared to pump money in there.
You guys are awful! This is a true story. Those teachers worked extra hard with his motivation. Glad I never went to school where either 1 of you teached!
The fact that you are "real Teachers" seemed to have helped you have more empathy for the staff than the children who were being deprived of their education based on their circumstances, no school funding, & adults just accepting that they will fail until Mr. Clark stepped in. There was no way he could come into an environment such as this and sweet talk children who refuse to listen or think they were capable of doing better. He needed to rule with an iron fist while remaining focus on his task to get them to pass the basic minimal standardized test. You two had zero emotion for the positive steps the kids were taking and the goals that were met. One of you even said turn it off, do we have to watch them graduate. Although some of your commentary was quite funny, I would be afraid if problematic kids stepped into one of your classes. I guess you would laugh while failing them as long as your job stayed consistent and comfortable.
I have to say, this was a really frustrating and disappointing reaction, especially from teachers. Yes it's over dramatised, but it just came across like two sarcastic teachers, who've not really had to deal with extremely tough kids/schools sitting and bitching over a beer. Hardly any attempt to empathise or understand what the kids needed. Yes, he wasn't perfect and his methods were far from ideal. But it was it was of its time in the 80's and it took steps one at a time, like having a sense of belonging, etc. The bit after he praised the change in the school song and you called it Stockholm syndrome and said he was like a terrorist really annoyed me. There was a change, the kids didn't believe in themselves, like no one cared for them, expected anything of themselves. He stood up to those others were not, showed them what was acceptable. Tbh, I think this reaction just made teachers come across badly.
Good grief, watching your reaction was unbearable. You quite literally ignored or apoke through the most important parts of the movie. I guess qe now understand why your take at the end was so horrible.
Yeahhhh...you two are WAY too privileged to be able to identify with movies like this. I was curious enough to see your reaction to this one after seeing your reaction to Sister Act 2. Now I see the actual root of the disconnect. You could never imagine anything like this because you're so far removed from the possibility of it being a reality. Your dismissal of what many of us experienced firsthand was gross. I genuinely hope you don't watch another Morgan Freeman movie. Neither of you deserve his catalog. He plays God by the way. I hope you guys think of Crazy Joe if you ever get around to watching that one lmao.
This by far is one of the worst, most disappointing reactions ever. The one said he prefers Morgan in Driving Miss Daisy. That gave me a pretty good insight into his character.
I agree I think that is the saddest part to see them watch something that's based on a true story and don't believe it I've went to school in jersey and it do get down like that and wat he did was help these kids learn and want to learn he had to be hard on the teachers so they could understand how important it was to get these kids to graduate to fall In love with there job again bc the teachers and the students have been around alot of bad apples they don't think good things will last or happen they needed that push it also to him things as well trust me the biggest thing they didn't take from this is you as a teacher are there to teach not just get a salary what are u there for if they don't even know how to read its called tough love
These guys talked through the entire argument between joe clark and the super intendant. Easily one of the best and most powerful scenes of the movie. Give yourselves an F.
talked through the entire movie. It’s not as simple on your vanilla world. Like Dave Chappelle said about the war against drugs slogan….just say no what’s so hard about that!!! Not that easy when people say just get a job n get out of poverty. Easy to say whatever but not that black and white. You’re not gonna win every school or whatever being non confrontational. It’s not the movie dangerous minds or whatever when a melanin challenged person comes and saves all the brown n poor races. Tough love to a point is what they needed. Other schools etc….won’t need that to a degree.
This reaction got on my nerves🤦🏾♀️talked through most of the movie and misunderstood everything. This school has to be revived in one school year so yeah he couldn’t be soft on them.
Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. Feedback is appreciated, and it is always good to know what people are enjoying or not (in this case).
@@the_teachers_lounge don’t get me misunderstood but I just want you guys to pause if your going to talk. Thanks for your feedback as well.
Exactly! To much talking the more they drink
I thought I was the only notice that, they talked through the whole movie, unnecessary..
Terrible reaction. I feel the same if they spent time listening and talking less they would see why he was the way he was. But if you’re not from this time of area you can’t understand this movie.
I'm from New Jersey and I remember when this happened. Joe Clark was tough and he was put in charge of a very difficult school. He expelled many students, walked around with a baseball bat and chained the doors. His approach angered many but many more people respected what he did to help turn the school around. He was not given the luxury of time to change things so he used extreme measures. I've worked at a similar school with a tough but caring principal. When he was moved and a new principal came in the school went downhill within months. It was very sad to see.
That’s exactly what happened with this school, Joe Clark retired a year after this movie came out and Eastside high went right back downhill.
I think you guys totally missed the mark on this movie. Mr. Clark was a hard disciplinarian with a no bs attitude and very much misunderstood. You have to look at how Mr. Clark taught at a all white school with practically no issues to being thrust into chaos,drugs, violence and a deadline to get the school academics up to par. I think you guys were just so put off by his attitude that you all really didn't listen to the dialogue and the actual story telling. Once some of the teachers and administration began to stand up to Mr. Clark he realized how he was coming off. The students began to love him like a father figure and the teachers began to understand the point Mr.Clark was trying to make. He cared about those kids and wanted to give them pride and to think of themselves in a better light, true his speaking to Sams was off pudding but look at how Sams (the one he told to jump off the roof) changed his life around because he could tell Mr.Clark actually cared. A lot of the teachers were indeed failing the students because the teachers weren't trying hard enough. The only way to get this school back on track was discipline, hard work, getting the community and parents involved and teachers. That's how they were able to pass the exam. I think if you re-watch the movie, maybe alone, you would have a better appreciation of this film. It's really a classic with a tale of redemption. Also, just some constructive criticism, when you're doing a reaction video talking through it is understandable but try and keep it limited because you end up missing very important dialogue.
Very well said. This is a great movie
FACTS
Literally talked through all of the best parts…😞
If you guys were paying closer attention instead of talking over most of the movie you would have heard that he expelled 300 out of 3,000 students. Its 10% not 1/3rd. And that scene where he confronted Mrs Powers about the school song you guys totally misunderstood. You're so focused on his tone you don't realize that in fact he was putting up a bit of a front and gave her credit for Rewriting the school song. Told her to take a bow. That is why everyone was happy. Not because of some stupid Stockholm syndrome.
Joe is one of the greatest principals and educators to ever live in America
Got excited to hear what Australian teachers thought of this movie. But It's very clear that the Australian school system is so different that you all can't even began to relate. I'm not upset, just a little disappointed at how much you guys missed. I get it. The American school system in urban areas is so neglected, the average non American can't even imagine this movie being based in any kind of reality.
You two have ZERO respect for not only the incredible legacy of the Real Joe Clark, but Morgan Freeman’s powerful and energetic performance. THIS IS ONE OF THD GREATEST PERFORMANCES EVER COMMITTED TO CELLULOID, and you giggle and laugh at it. Sick,
what incrdible legacy? The scores never improved and the state took over the school. lol
@loner1878 Actually they did they passes at the end😅
@@codyclaeys2008 Movie wasn't real lol it lied to you
You guys talked over crucial points in the movie....
Which would make one feel like demanding a redo.
The moral of the story is that desperate times call for desperate measures. Mr. Clarke was a radical authoritarian who had good intentions, but mistreated many people and made errors along the way. I also didn’t like him at first, but I realized he was just trying to help. Glad the movie had a happy heartwarming ending.
Robert Guillaume played Benson. He passed away sadly not that long ago.
I love the way that people from other countries Babble About the way things are done in the USA... As you talk through the most important parts of the movie... You are talking out of your asses About a time in history that was out of control because no one was willing to take hold and lead the teachers... Things in Australia Are different then here... Sorry But You don't Know Shit About it...
"Give an inch--they take a mile". Well, authorities gave an inch and the school leaders took 20 yrs of backsliding. From what I see in American society, the backsliding keeps getting worse every year. Joe had one school year to overcome 20 yrs of backsliding. Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.
You guys literally talked through every key line in this film. You missed most of the movie from talking over it. Reactors like y'all upset me, you don't have to talk through every scene, how do you even enjoy the movie that way?
Try watching a movie without running your mouth and being liquor up. It will do you justice next time
I agree with you that he did some things wrong, very wrong, but I would like you to have acknowledged the way he learned from his mistakes, like he did after the vice principal confronted him and when he admitted that Mr. Darnell was right in saying he shouldn't have fired him. I would also consider the context. Business as usual wasn't working, and changing it was going to take not just a lot of hard work but also a lot of risk. I'd love to see someone who could come in and make transformative change while also being empathetic and sensitive and meeting everyone's needs all the way, but if we found such a person I'm not sure we could replicate that very much. I am a high school teacher, and we have choices, so if I found a principal like that offensive or abusive, I could leave and probably find a position at another school. (And I would think carefully before I did--plenty of schools have kinder, gentler administrations who can't keep order, and people end up suffering at least as much as the people who suffered at Clark's hands.) The children don't have that choice. Most of what Clark did that was wrong was against the teachers. To the extent that the film is accurate, most of what he did for the students was positive.
maybe dramatized, but based on a true story. He turned it around in a year, which was a miracle in itself.
Not really, the scores never really improved. And the state took over the school a year after Clark resigned.
@loner1878 wow I am misinformed
How dare yall talk down on this movie. Yall talked through most of the movie,
Thanks for leaving a comment. Your feedback is appreciated and it is good to know what works for people or what (in this case) didn't.
I currently work in a public school in the US and sadly there are so many schools failing on both an educational level and the amount of violence students and teachers deal with. I believe RUclips has several videos from actual news channels regarding failing school districts if you guys want to watch those.
A really good documentary for you guys to watch is called Waiting for Superman gives a great look into our school system.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I saw that a long time ago, and it would be great to revisit!
This movie is awesome. Did you even really watch the movie? Have you taught at a school that exreme? How can you criticize his method but you liked him in Driving Miss Daisy. I wonder why....
You guys miss majority of the movie from talking to much. You’re supposed to give a Reaction based on the movie. Blame it on the whiskey I guess…
Yes, sadly it is solution to and cause of most of life's problems. To quote Homer Simpson. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Giving Clark an F is like saying he failed the students, which he didn't. As for that lazy remark, what would not be lazy? Plus, here're these videos about the movie: Do Mr. Clarks exist in schools anymore?| Lean On Me 1989 - 90s classic movie commentary and How to be a "Great" Leader | Lean on Me Movie Analysis
One of my favourite movies of all time. With twelve angry men, to sir, with love and the ron Clark story.
Is this how you guys watch movies all the time??? Talking over most of the dialogue??
One of my fav movies 🍿
Those schools were not joke in the eighties. School to prison pipeline.
Greatest Movie of All Time
lol
I've always loved this movie, and felt like I'd have enjoyed a principal like Mr. Clark if I were his student . However, yes, he was very harsh on the faculty, which I feel was to illustrate that, for all his good intentions, he was a flawed man. Perhaps the writers or director didn't do a good enough job in illustrating that he does come around to realizing this about himself. It honestly probably came too abruptly and too late in the movie to play out effectively, but I do think they were trying to point out that he was seeing the error of his ways. It's interesting to hear the perspective of educators on this movie. I can absolutely see where you're coming from regarding how long you'd be willing to tolerate working for a principal like this. I don't know if the real Joe Clark was this ruthless and aggressive. Perhaps they went overboard for dramatic purposes. I guess the one takeaway I always had from this film is despite how much of a hard-ass he was, you can't deny that he did care about those kids and he was looking out for them, even if his methods were unorthodox, shall we say?
You two teachers would literally have been the problem ! Your view is self centered …. You need to take a deeper look within self.. you can’t understand his method because you don’t understand thee environment surrounding the circumstances….
…
Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. I think it is fair to say - and I think we make this point - that we really couldn't relate to the situation being portrayed. It is so extreme and so different from anything we have experienced teaching in Australia.
I read the comments then decided not to watch 💭🤣
so while this movie actually stands up well on its own this is one of those things that doesn't translate well across cultures: someone from say, Australia would really think: "oh it can't really be this way, Joe couldn't possibly be this hostile" because most cultures don't experience the disconnect of what it can be like for an inner-city school in America in this, or really lots of points in time and fail to even consider the school was in a state of emergency and if it had been state-run, it would have gotten far far worse...as a personal note; I had a cousin who actually went to Eastside in the period of time here and while alot of the outside community wanted to "put Joe in his place" the kids and staff defended most of his actions not from because they were afraid of him but because he talked to them in real terms and they understood that he was their best defense from a very broken neighborhood and school board
“Lean on Me” is advertised as “the true story of a real hero,” but that is only half right. Near-naked dancers notwithstanding, Joe Clark is a real hero to thousands of Eastside High students for bringing pride and order to the once chaotic, inner-city school. “Lean on Me,” however, is not a totally true story. The distortions in “Lean on Me” start to roll even before the opening credits. We are told it is 1967. We watch Clark, dressed in a bright tunic, teach history to an Eastside class of eager white students. It seems Clark has radical views; he is exiled to School No. 6, a white elementary school. Twenty years later--in 1987--Clark is appointed principal of Eastside, now a mostly black school that looks like a bomb exploded on top of it.
Surprising as it may seem, none of that is true. Clark said that he didn’t get to Eastside until 1972. The subject was remedial reading, and his students were mostly black. Even if it had been 1967, there would have been many black students. Twenty years ago, Eastside was 46% black. In 1979, Clark became principal of School No. 6, in reality a tough elementary school in one of Paterson’s worst neighborhoods. Ninety percent of the school’s 1,000 students--mostly poor blacks and Latinos--read below grade level when Clark arrived on the scene. By 1982, the school was so much better that Clark was quietly hailed as a miracle man. That year he was dispatched to work his magic at Eastside High.
--In the movie, Clark is arrested and jailed for locking the school’s doors in violation of the fire code. Fact: Clark did lock the school’s 27 doors to keep out drug pushers, but he removed the chains after the city went to court to force him to do so. He was never arrested and never jailed.
--In the movie, Clark tossed out 300 students during a school assembly on the first day of school for being “drug dealers and drug users.” Fact: In Clark’s first two months at Eastside High, 135 would-be juniors and seniors were told to leave either because of poor attendance or poor grades. That figure swelled to 300 by year’s end, as more students were taken off the school’s rolls for attendance policy infractions.
The movie isn’t complete fiction. Actor Morgan Freeman captures Clark’s personality, right down to his trademark smirk and $100 vocabulary. (To Clark, unruly students are “parasites” and “miscreants.” Disloyal teachers are “surreptitious snakes”). When Freeman spoke to a child in the cafeteria, and questioned him about his girlfriend, he demonstrated how the bullhorn-toting Clark got to know his 2,700 students personally.
And it was heartening to see Beverly Todd, who played a vice principal, light into Clark for his dictatorial, and sometimes brutal, methods. By late 1984, black teachers had grown so frustrated with Clark that they held a secret after-school meeting at the city’s Masonic Temple to figure out how to deal with him. Clark beat them to the punch, and had the leaders transferred to another school.
The improvement in test scores during Clark’s first year was impressive. Again, the official statistics show that 55% of freshmen passed the reading test, and 82% of freshman passed the math. In “Lean on Me,” a whopping 85% of students pass the test.
“Lean on Me” presents a picture of a school that undergoes a dramatic academic transformation in just one year. But the picture is exaggerated. Though Clark did manage to achieve improved results at Eastside High during his first year, he did a lot better in the movie.
Thanks for the info.
If y'all are teachers no wonder kids these days are soft.
I think if y'all would shut up and watch the whole movie you will catch a whole different meaning of the movie
In real life the test scores didn't improve. One year after Clark resigned and less than two years after the film's release, the state came in and took control of the school. And since they weren't actually threatening to take over bfore the movie came out, I wonder if they got the idea from the movie. lol
wow... probably the most annoying reaction I've ever watched lol Just flapped their gums through the whole thing lmao
Joe Clark is mad that they transferred him 20 years ago, so that’s why he’s taking it out on the teachers as well as the students
If you can't get on board with Joe Clark after seeing this, you have never been in situation similar to this, he had less than a year to turn things around, he didn't have time to waste any time.
There are so many of these types of films. You should try the movie "Teachers" from 1984. Public schools in the cities were dangerous across America as many families fled to the suburbs in the '70s .
Mr. Clark is basically Daenerys.
😁 great take!
If the teachers u two claim are the ones responsible for the turnaround explain to me how those very sane teacher’s absolutely SUCKED at their jobs why did he have to come in if those teachers were so good. I’m giving them 1% cuz none of them thought about doing the stuff he said. Those teachers were HORRIBLE at their jobs.
You guys talk a lot over dialogue. I tried to stick with this reaction, but you're just being so rude. And your commentary doesn't have any validity since you're not really watching the movie. You're looking at a screen and talking about what you think is going on. You're really teachers? That seems a bit incongruous to your overall attitude. If your students listened to less than half of what you said and spent more than half of class time holding conversations with each other, you might find them to be poorly informed, too. I give this reaction a D for disappointing. You get partial credit for picking a great film to react to. Sorry you missed it. Meanwhile, I wound up still listening to this reaction in the background while typing. And I thought you guys were just thoughtless. You're actually aggressively obnoxious, insensitive, callous and pretty ignorant to not understand the accomplishment of these students - - to actually laugh at their efforts. Come on, fess up, what do you really do for work?
Welp, everyone here already said what I was gonna say about this review. Wrong people to react to this movie. Do a little research before you guys tear into a situation you obviously know nothing about.
You two talk way too much through some of the best parts of the movie. I wonder why you like Morgan Freeman more as his character in Driving Miss Daisy versus this movie. Maybe you should examine that a little more.
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know what "lands" and what falls flat - in this case. I remember loving Driving Miss Daisy but haven't seen it since it came to the cinema.
That does sound very bad now that I think about it.
Stop talking thru the movie!
Well. I hope you guys have gotten better since this movie. But it was based on a true story
Will y'all react to Remember The Titans?
Two very mushy, effeminate men reacting negatively to the behavior of a direct, tough and effective man. It’s hard to see these two guys breaking up a fight or even raising their voice…they wouldn’t last 30 seconds as teachers in a tough school.
I like your reaction but you guys were talking through very crucial conversations to help you better understand the perspective of someone from that community and why his methods needed to be severe
east la dont look so bad now brandy boys
You two would have been eaten alive at Compton high schools in the 80s and 90s. LMAO.
Probably true! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
What a 🤡
@@samlogan-warshaw300 your momma
I wanted to comment but it is pointless given the fact they missed every mark that meant something. Not to mention this isn’t Australia. Respectfully rewatch it without talking and pay attention. You didn’t give it a chance before you predetermined what you thought he was doing and who you think he is
I made it 41 minutes and 20 seconds in and I just had to give this a thumbs down. Y’all talk so much through the movie as educators instead of listening that’s very ironic.
You also favor Benny HIll
Just reading the name starts the famous music going in my head.
Yea that school didnt lift off to glory. it got a little better but it remained a sh-hole for decades after because the leaders barely cared to pump money in there.
Totally missed the mark, missed a lot of important parts due to talking.
Too much talking through this movie…. Not the best review
Wow you two are soft
You guys completely missed the point.
I promise the chatty Cathy of it all. Well guys……it’s a good movie. Sometimes reactors are…….just too much 🥴
Stop talking! Geez!
You guys are awful! This is a true story. Those teachers worked extra hard with his motivation. Glad I never went to school where either 1 of you teached!
Worst reaction ever your missing the whole point of the movie
The fact that you are "real Teachers" seemed to have helped you have more empathy for the staff than the children who were being deprived of their education based on their circumstances, no school funding, & adults just accepting that they will fail until Mr. Clark stepped in. There was no way he could come into an environment such as this and sweet talk children who refuse to listen or think they were capable of doing better. He needed to rule with an iron fist while remaining focus on his task to get them to pass the basic minimal standardized test. You two had zero emotion for the positive steps the kids were taking and the goals that were met. One of you even said turn it off, do we have to watch them graduate. Although some of your commentary was quite funny, I would be afraid if problematic kids stepped into one of your classes. I guess you would laugh while failing them as long as your job stayed consistent and comfortable.
I have to say, this was a really frustrating and disappointing reaction, especially from teachers. Yes it's over dramatised, but it just came across like two sarcastic teachers, who've not really had to deal with extremely tough kids/schools sitting and bitching over a beer. Hardly any attempt to empathise or understand what the kids needed. Yes, he wasn't perfect and his methods were far from ideal. But it was it was of its time in the 80's and it took steps one at a time, like having a sense of belonging, etc. The bit after he praised the change in the school song and you called it Stockholm syndrome and said he was like a terrorist really annoyed me. There was a change, the kids didn't believe in themselves, like no one cared for them, expected anything of themselves. He stood up to those others were not, showed them what was acceptable. Tbh, I think this reaction just made teachers come across badly.
You guys need to stop reacting to films. Simply put, you’re not good at it.
Good grief, watching your reaction was unbearable. You quite literally ignored or apoke through the most important parts of the movie. I guess qe now understand why your take at the end was so horrible.
Nobody cares of Mozart's
Yeahhhh...you two are WAY too privileged to be able to identify with movies like this. I was curious enough to see your reaction to this one after seeing your reaction to Sister Act 2. Now I see the actual root of the disconnect. You could never imagine anything like this because you're so far removed from the possibility of it being a reality. Your dismissal of what many of us experienced firsthand was gross. I genuinely hope you don't watch another Morgan Freeman movie. Neither of you deserve his catalog.
He plays God by the way. I hope you guys think of Crazy Joe if you ever get around to watching that one lmao.
This by far is one of the worst, most disappointing reactions ever. The one said he prefers Morgan in Driving Miss Daisy. That gave me a pretty good insight into his character.
I agree I think that is the saddest part to see them watch something that's based on a true story and don't believe it I've went to school in jersey and it do get down like that and wat he did was help these kids learn and want to learn he had to be hard on the teachers so they could understand how important it was to get these kids to graduate to fall In love with there job again bc the teachers and the students have been around alot of bad apples they don't think good things will last or happen they needed that push it also to him things as well trust me the biggest thing they didn't take from this is you as a teacher are there to teach not just get a salary what are u there for if they don't even know how to read its called tough love
Thanks for taking the time to write feedback. You have raised some interesting points and given us a lot to think about.