Ask a Teacher: Do You Show Movies in Class When You're Feeling Lazy?

Q: Do you show us movies in class when you’re lazy and don’t feel like working? Admit it!

A: Fact: I often feel guilty when showing my class a movie. Whenever I think about showing a movie in class, there’s always a small voice in my head asking, “Is this truly the most effective means to teach your objective?” I’ll admit, sometimes that voice tends to quiet itself, especially the week before major vacations. But showing a movie just to get out of work never helps me in the long run.

Sometimes it seems like your teacher is just using a video to kill time, but he or she is probably trying to teach creatively. Example: I really like the movie The Great Debaters. The day before my school’s winter break, I showed my class clips from the movie and talked to them about what values helped the protagonists find success. I knew that if I prattled on about hard work and determination, my students would go brain dead. But Denzel Washington has a way of making everything sound important, and it worked on my kids. They ate it up, and I tricked them into learning.

It’s true that I get to sit down while a movie is on, but that doesn’t mean I get out of work. There will always be a post-movie assignment, and that just means I’ll have more to do later. It’s kind of like you choosing to play Call of Duty instead of studying for your English test. You may feel good while playing, but the heat will come when you have to read Fahrenheit 451 on the bus to school.

You probably think that all teachers love to hear the sounds of their own voices. You’re right. We do. And this should just further prove that movies aren’t our go-to method to avoid work. If avoiding work were our number one job priority, becoming a teacher would have been the worst career move since Stephenie Meyer decided to become a novelist. Believe it or not, we care about you, and we want to make class as interesting as possible. Which, in my case, means some serious Denzel Washington.

Mr. Navidar is a high school teacher in Florida.  He still drives the same car he had in high school. He has a hard time with goodbyes.

Got a question for an English, science, math, writing, special ed, sociology, or PE teacher, or a specific question for Mr. Navidar? Send it to contribute@sparknotes.com!

What's the weirdest movie you've ever watched in class?