Chalk (2007)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Why do we assume that people can walk in off of the street and take charge of a group of young people? Part of the answer is a public perception that teaching is easy and doesn't require much special training; part of it may be that teachers spend years actually believing those things. The best learning environments in schools evolve to a meeting place for ideas and strategies to enhance interests in those ideas. If teachers lack ideas (concepts, facts, interpretations, etc.) and, additionally, a panoply of methods or strategies to encourage students and their various learning styles it should not come as a surprise that the Mr. Lowreys of the teaching profession as in deep water. Imagine yourself or your children in his classroom. Solutions: Begin with what you don't know and work hard to expand; visit other classroom and look for things that may work; and begin each new grading period with new ideas, filling in at the end with lessons that had worked well in the past. One can always tell if a teacher is stuck in the concrete of old lessons and ideas when an unannounced assembly or program breaks up the usual routine: "We can't do that; my third period students will be one day behind the other students." Did CHALK do a good job of communicating education's shortfalls? No. Why? Because there were too few students in the classes. Think in terms of more than thirty students to get an accurate picture, not twelve to fifteen. Yes. Why? Because the film captured the petty interruptions and bickering disagreements outside of the classroom that detract from the basic mission.

While this is, I think, an excellent film, the way the teachers are portrayed, and the culture within the school is hard to believe.If this is accurate in terms of the skills the teachers have and the hostile culture within the administration, it is overwhelmingly disturbing. It makes me sad for our future.Perhaps it is a tribute to how good a movie this is that is stirred up this strong of a response... nothing about it makes me excited or hopeful for the institution or the process. Many teachers I know do evoke these feelings in me, and I hope, in the classroom. So this creates a sort of cloud of conflicted emotions for me.More than worth watching, just curious if anyone has the same sense.

This is an amazingly dreary and uninteresting mockumentary about a fictitious school. In this school, all the teachers seem to be idiots and the administration isn't any better. The students are uninterested in learning and based on the school environment, I wouldn't be either.The problem with this film is that the acting and the characters are too broad and stereotypical. There just isn't a lot of depth to the thing and the acting is rather amateurish. Heck, if I said "teachers are stupid" then that is about as deep as this film.Because it's so dull and doesn't offer a lot of insights, I don't really know who this is written for or who would want to see it. I am a school teacher, and I found it unfunny since the teachers were so bad and so incompetent that it really wasn't something I could connect with or appreciate. There is no subtlety or insight for me--perhaps you might enjoy it more.Not without some minor laughs, but that's about all. It's easy to say teachers are stupid (and I'll admit, some really are), but there isn't any message beyond that in this film.

Attention Bruce Burns, I am so very glad you are not a teacher because you seem far too smug and self-important with apparently no sense of humor. You would be a terrible instructor.Moving on...I am a middle school English teacher who absolutely *adored* Chalk. It nailed the nuances, struggles, and joys of teaching, and it made me even more convinced I've got one of the best jobs on earth.As someone who entered teaching as a second career after working as a reporter, I can honestly say teaching is not for everyone. But if you're bright, caring, and can think fast on your feet, you might be cut out for it. The rewards are everything you would imagine them to be, and the challenges are far bigger than you could envision. "Chalk" celebrated it all without being overly sentimental like so many of those cheesy teacher as lifesaver films that are out there.For me, the best moment of the film came at the very end when Mr. Lowery is trying to rap with his students. It was so human, and the hard-won affection from his students was so real...I could totally relate.Schools are like little small towns full of gossips, crazies, heroes, and everything in between..."Chalk" nailed that as well...complete with the Happy Hours every teacher knows and loves (and depends on!).Overall a great little film that will ring true for anyone with a sense of humor...and especially with anyone who has ever uttered the words, "All right everyone, get out a piece of paper and put your name on the corner." :-)