Synopsis
Bad Teacher is an American comedy released in 2011 under the directorship of Jake Kasdan. The 90 minute film features a seventh grade teacher, Elizabeth Halsey committing offences that require being fired. They include drinking heavily, smoking marijuana, cursing her students and watching movies with them while she sleeps. The movie is cynical to the current public education system. Known to be gold digging about one of the wealthy businessman in the area, she becomes dumped. This leads her to start chasing Scott Delacorte as a replacement. Realising that Scott’s former girlfriend had large breasts, she starts collecting money by persuading her fellow teacher, students, and even helping students to steal examinations to obtain a bonus. When she become aware that Amy, an enthusiastic teacher, and Scott have started dating, she induces her to eat a poisoned apple so that she can go out with Scott. After she stole examinations, Amy invites policemen to conduct a search, a case which Elizabeth reverses for the former to be transferred to a worst school in the county, while she is promoted as the school’s guidance counsellor.
Educational Themes in the Movie
First, the movie depicts the rot in the whole education system. The whole school system does not appreciate those teachers like Amy who strives to ensure that their students score well in the final examinations. Since the officers of the educational system seem not focused on their work they would rather do with an immoral teacher like Elizabeth. Despite being known to everybody as gold-digger and immoral teacher, the school authority and hence the whole education system as represented by the office of the superintendent keeps on ignoring her offences or taking them lightly. Elizabeth smokes marijuana, drinks heavily, curses students and shows movies while she sleeps. Moreover, she manages to solicit funds from students in a bid to enlarge her breasts. The students also want her to continue using unconventional method of teaching, as it can be seen when she instructs her students to rap literature that she taught. Eventually despite doing the illegal and fireable offences the system rewards her as the new guidance counsellor of the school.
On the other hand, Amy plays the notion that school system does not appreciate achievements of highly working teachers. Despite being enthusiastic about students’ performance and striving to make sure that the school is not contaminated with drugs, immorality and academic theft, the school does not take any notice about it but instead, she becomes moved by county superintendent to a worst school.
As already noted, the current competition in academic system cannot be won by conventional methods that are known to everybody. This is clearly shown in the movie when Elizabeth wins over some students by allowing them to rap literature in class. However, it is ironical to realise that although teachers were employed to teach students, they are planning to be “good teachers”, not for students but for their beauty; Elizabeth saves money to afford breast transplants. As such lazy teachers are depicted, they either resort to coping exams or last minute intense studies for their students to pass. Elizabeth attempted last minute intense studies but she failed. Consequently, she makes up her mind to seduce the county superintendent of education so that she can steal exam papers from him for her students. Surprisingly she manages to steal and her students pass exams to lead her to be rewarded a bonus. Although the movie has majorly revolved around a single person, it depicts the rot in the education system right from the class, school to the county superintendent’s office.
