Introduction
Lean on me is a captivating story based on a real life experiences. Basically, the movie revolves around the lives of local students in a high school. The major character in the story is Joe Louis Clark, being the starring; his life typically involves issues of change. The primary theme of the story is to effect certain radical changes in the society; however, these changes prove quite difficult to effect. Due to the complexity of effecting radical changes in a given community, clerk has to be quite decisive, quick and ready to understand issues that require urgent change.
Joe Louis Clark is reported to be a real life high school principal; however, the school is situated in an inner city surrounding, therefore, the school being in a city, there are several upcoming issues that need radical changes. These are the challenges the school’s location presents to the principal. The principal faces numerous challenges in his daily activities since the high school is located in Paterson, in the State of New Jersey.
Consequently, the high school faces a threat of government takeover. The government of New Jersey had initially given a notice of a possible takeover if the students did not improve their test scores. Previously, the high school had not been performing very well in the New Jersey Minimum Basics Tests. Furthermore, the film title, Lean on Me, refers to the 1972 Bill Withers song; both the film and the song share the same name. Also, certain parts of the film, which includes the elementary school scenes, were also filmed at the Franklin Lakes, in the State of New Jersey. The story basically revolves around radical changes in a community.
Discussion
One of the major challenges faced by several high schools in the State of California is drugs abuse menace. Over the years, students have been involved in drug trafficking and drug use. Furthermore, the issue of drug trafficking has consequently led to gang formation in California. Gangs, gang activity, and gang violence are just but a few factors that can be attributed to drugs. In the most recent survey, it has been revealed that several students in most high schools in California are closely linked to drug trafficking; therefore, they are also associated with violence in the State.
Since time immemorial, drug traffickers have formed gangs to suppress resistance from the locals and security organs. They believe that being members of a gang makes them immune to the law and law enforcement agencies across the United States of America. Drugs abuse is a crucial issue that calls for radical change, however, it has proved much difficult for school principals in the State of California to get students out of drug use and drug related issues. The problem comes on how to effectively implement radical changes that would eliminate drug use among students.
However, there are several measures that these principals can take to effect radical changes in the surrounding schools. A good way to implement these changes is to expel students who are linked to drug use from school. Expelling students linked to drugs will give them time to change. Furthermore, when these students are expelled from school, they would not be able to influence others. Students like to ape what their peers do, in that case, several students would become drug users and dealers, just because they see other doing it. In the Film Lean on Me, the principal expelled three hundred students from school as a means of effecting radical change in that school.
Furthermore, these principals need to come up with strategies to end any previous activity, or landmark that was possibly relating to drug use. Everything else that was used as a symbol for drug use or an identification mark to the drug users had to be done away with. In so doing, the spirit of drug use would be killed. A particular case is where Clark institutes several programs to improve the school spirit. From his programs, he repaints all the graffiti that related to drug use. Moreover, he constitutes a school, students were expected to learn it and sing it on demand. Failure of which would earn such a student punishment.
All these programs were quite effective in the movie Lean on Me; therefore, they would as well work for the California schools. From the movie, the expelled students come back to school begging the principal to allow them continue with their studies. One particular student is allowed and transforms in the course of the movie. From the transformation, it’s quite clear that the programs instituted by Clark to implement radical change were effective; in that case they would be effective for the case of California students as well.
Conclusion
Radical change is all about good strategies. When these strategies are properly instituted, it would be much easier to implement them and realize good results within a community. If Clark, the principal of a high school in New Jersey was successful, it means the principals from the State of California would also succeed. Furthermore, the cases are almost similar.
