The film The Class was definitely different from most Super - teacher movies because for once the teacher as what happens in real - life can't get through to every single student of his/her class. For example Souleymane, I do not hold teacher responsible for what happened to Soulymane because in the end it wasn't teacher's decision to expel him but the other staff and principle's decision to go ahead with it. The teacher did try to get through to Souleymane by meeting his parent's or praising him for his Self - portrait and for a brief second it seemed to work. But his violent behavior and arguments with teacher's didn't seem to stop until one day he exploded and hurt a student (by accident), leading to his hearing to decide whether or not he will be expelled. Teacher tried to change the other staff's mind telling them how he'd be sent back to Mali if he was expelled, but they didn't care. I did think this was a little too harsh for Souleymane's actions, i don't ever recall them suspending him or trying to find out what was making him so angry and upset in class first, they just immediately held a hearing for his expulsion, he was just going to become part of the many that had been expelled. ( 12)
14 - 15 years old are morally responsible for their actions because they are the one's who decide in the end whether or not what they do is right or not, even if they are being influenced by classmates. For example Carl did change, he changed his "attitude" while Souleymane did not. But at the same time teachers and principal during a meeting about students and their grades kept repeating the word attitude and behavior of a student which determined their grade not their actual work, " if only he changed his attitude in class.." they might say. Why must that determine their grade? and why did they want all their students to always be silent and silent and perfect? The way they talked about students though reminded me of Blackboard jungle because they talked about how students were in the yard, like if animals not people.
I believe a teacher is morally responsible for finding a solution to the institutional car wreck that they're steering their class through like Mr. Marlin tried to and did succeed with some like Khoumba and Carl. They can't just turn a blind eye like most of the other teachers wanted to do, then why be a teacher? All the other teachers would complain about students calling them names and saying they didn't care anymore if they learned or not. Which might explain why the girl in the end told Mr.Marlin she hadn't learned a thing the entire year and she didn't seem to be a rebel or troublemaker, she just simply was not taught or given the extra help to understand classwork. Making this girl tell him she did not want to go to vocational school because she didn't want to be the only one who knew nothing, which seems to be the reason many give up going to college. They also turned a blind eye on the fact Souleymane would be sent back to Mali where he would have no future and be working for the rest of his life, nut when they were told of this one teacher put it as many get threatened by parents so why should it be true? Or it shouldn't affect the decision with student's personal life but his actions. But how can you possibly sent a child to a life of work and misfortune because of a decision one makes? This is why I think it should be seen as both systematic issue and an individual moral issue, because they just see it as a systematic they can hurt children's future and if they also see it as a individual moral issue they can see why the child is acting the way they are.
The Class and SOF compare in the grading system because in my history class and in the French school it is 1 - 10 grade instead of percentage. Another similarity between Mr.Marlin's class and my history class is both have class representatives that let teacher know classes thoughts, views or questions. The way they have parent's come in to meet teacher's and the way parent's talk about their child as the best. Maybe not necessarily just SOF but how teachers are quick to judge student's behavior as the "bad" students versus the good ones, letting that affect their judgement of them, their grades and disciplinary action.
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