RUNNING HEAD: HARD LESSONS MOVIE REVIEW

HARD LESSONS MOVIE REVIEW

Nordiea Miller-Younge
ID#: 20141497

INTRODUCTION TO FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION

The Mico University College
Mr A Lawson
April 11, 2016

RUNNING HEAD: HARD LESSONS MOVIE REVIEW

The movie Hard Lessons 1986, tells the story of George McKenna, who took the position of Principal at
George Washington High School, in a socially neglected borough of Los Angeles, California, ravaged by gangs,
guns, drugs and violence. He went in with high ideals and was met with resistance from teachers who had
capitulated to the indifferent attitude that the students displayed towards learning and many parents who were
either unconcerned or oblivious to what was going on in their children lives.
When he got to the school the teaching staff had given to the philosophy of Empiricism; they opined that
regardless of what Mr McKenna tried, he would not be successful because based on their experiences the students
were unreachable.
Mr McKenna instituted a policy of accountability wherein teachers were responsible for their classes and
students, as well as to keep in contact with the parents; the students were responsible for getting to school on time
and ready to learn. There were times when he appeared to be overwhelmed and was ready to give up; however he
pressed on even at personal loss because of his strong belief that the students had the potential to succeed.
Mr McKenna seemed to subscribe to a mixture of philosophies which includes Idealism, Essentialism and
Progressivism. Idealism because he was dead set on ensuring that each individual student gets the chance to
developed and realise their potential, this is depicted in the scene where he confronted the boys father about taking
him out of school to work with him despite what his son wanted. Progressivism was depicted where he asked the
young man to join the panel to interview the literature teacher and also where the teacher encouraged the young
man to participate in the competition.
The philosophy which stands out the most however was Essentialism; Mr McKenna believed that there was
a right and a wrong way to interact with the students, this was depicted on his first day at the school where he
confronted the teacher about how he was handling the student and also where he instituted the homeroom pilot
program with the teachers to curtail the timewasting and other asinine activities that were taking place at the
school.

RUNNING HEAD: HARD LESSONS MOVIE REVIEW

Essentialism was shown throughout the movie, Mr McKenna was not deterred by what he saw at the
school, and he believed that every student at that school had the potential to become useful members of society; if
the teachers, parents and students collaborated to make it possible. He clearly showed that strong leadership is
important in education; it is not just about teaching in the classroom that matters, it is caring about the learners and
their environment; inspiring in them a sense of pride and a reason for wanting to achieve.
He clearly showed that children will follow strong, consistent leadership. He made the concerted effort to
turn failures into success; he showed the students that education could be used as a vehicle to make a better life.