MovieChat Forums > Tomorrowland (2015) Discussion > Classrooms are NOT the problem

Classrooms are NOT the problem

posted 9 years ago by schnapster31
14 replies | jump to latest

Classrooms are where minds are expanded, critical thinking encouraged, and the solutions to many of the problems this film posits are created.

To lay the blame for the main character's (who is portrayed as being rather brilliant herself) apathy on education and classrooms is not just ridiculous, but downright irresponsible.

And to be specific here, the classrooms are not portrayed in the film as being inferior or "bad" by any other standard than that they are "uninspiring" to Britt Robertson.

A person, young or old, who craves knowledge and mind-opening experiences should seek out more education, not less. Frankly, it is our American "news" media that creates the sort of nationwide apathy that the film is analyzing, through consistent demonstrations of problems without offering any solutions.

The televised "news" media is essentially the one giant classroom of the United States, and THEY are the ones failing society every day. Not the millions of hardworking teachers who, everyday, inspire countless students to learn more and achieve the truly remarkable.

But I suppose it would be more surprising to expect the owners of a "Tomorrowland" theme park and ABC News to take any different tactic (and certainly not blame themselves).

I actually like this movie for it's dedication to reigniting optimism of a bygone era. But it blames the wrong people, points the loaded gun at the hostage, not the hostage-taker.

[–] justanicknamed 9 years ago

My best friend's wife and I went to the same school a few years apart. We talk about how it was one of the best in the state and all of the great things they did and still do.

She teaches now and is extremely frustrated. She's flat out said that if she lived closer to town, she'd quit working at the public school close to her and work at a private school.

Whereas our school used to separate kids by their skills and needs, to the point of the one brainiac having to pull his desk out into the hall so the teacher could give him more work/specialized teaching, she has to keep all of her class together.

That means kids who are beyond the rest of the class are sitting there bored while the "drop out when they turn 16 and end up in jail at 17" kids are bothering everyone else.

[–] bringonthelucie 9 years ago

I've known schools that do right by their job, and others that don't. I think the point of that little sequence was show how even in schools, teachers spread gloom and doom but there isn't much discussion of solutions. That does happen, but I thought it was silly to have it be interrupted by the bell ringing. What, does Casey always get interrupted by the bell? I like this movie, but the opening of "Pleasantville" did more or less the same thing and was much smarter about it.

[–] JdgMoonbox 9 years ago

I think it should be obvious that the classrooms in Tomorrowland's depiction are caricatures. If any reader has classes that are that uniformly negative, you have my deepest sympathy.

This picture contains no physical depiction of the Godhead.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Blueghost 9 years ago

This inane OP reminds me of the sexual harrasment episode of the Simpsons, where Gentle Ben the bear during his talk show brings the mic to that idiot house wife who says "All I can say is less Homer Simpsons and more money for public schools!"

https://youtu.be/O1vLzCLt0ok

How do you create this kind of logic that brings you from some innocuous flashy film to commenting on the US educational system?

How do you do that?

How do you make that leap in illogic?

The mind boggles.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (6571724) 9 years ago

lol give me a break you naive little sheep. Every other college class I took looking to expand my knowledge of the arts in particular was the OPPOSITE. I had multiple double classes that were 3 hours, and most of them were about 20 minutes of actual course material and the entire rest was the instructor's personal political views shoved down your throat.

There are lots of crappy teachers out there. And if you're crappy long enough, you get tenure and can be a crappy teacher forever! Boy does THAT sound like a good system!

[–] Simon-140 8 years ago

I had multiple double classes that were 3 hours, and most of them were about 20 minutes of actual course material and the entire rest was the instructor's personal political views shoved down your throat... There are lots of crappy teachers out there. And if you're crappy long enough, you get tenure and can be a crappy teacher forever!

You must know that this is a complete distortion of the way the tenure system actually works. (Perhaps it works this way in the US, where universities seem to be treated as "schools" selling the "education product," but that's just madness, albeit madness that's spreading beyond the US and distorting the educational systems of other nations.)

In most countries, tenure is decided by a candidate's research record. In the sciences, the 'quality' of someone's research is often measured by the number of papers they've published, weighted by each paper's citation index rating. I imagine some similar method is used in the humanities.

The quality of a candidate's teaching has very little to do with whether they get tenure.

If you are applying for a tenured academic position, such as a lecturer, then you're applying for a research position, not a teaching job! Of course, lecturers are often required to give a certain number of lectures per term, but that's not their primary job. (If you're good enough to become a Reader or a Professor then you may not have to teach at all.)

____
"If you ain't a marine then you ain't *beep*

[–] Bullish_Captain 8 years ago

lol give me a break you naive little sheep. Every other college class I took looking to expand my knowledge of the arts in particular was the OPPOSITE. I had multiple double classes that were 3 hours, and most of them were about 20 minutes of actual course material and the entire rest was the instructor's personal political views shoved down your throat.

No one believes you.

________________________
43 days until the Dead rise

[–] phantomF-12 9 years ago

Classrooms are where minds SHOULD BE expanded, critical thinking encouraged, and the solutions to many of the problems this film posits are created.

Unfortunately the current system is set up exactly to the contrary.

Minds should be alligned.
Critical thinking is discouraged.
And there can't be solutions as long as we don't actually acknowledge the problems.

We have School Districts in the US where Parent Associations are against the teaching of the Evolution Theory, and want Creationism and/or Intelligent Design taught as FACT to Students.
If People really wanted to encourage critical thinking, then teach all three theories, have Students compare them and make up their own minds. But, Fundamental Christian Parents just don't trust their own Children to make decisions that are in line with their beliefs by themselves.

We also have Parents making a fuss about Comprehensive Sex Ed being taught in Schools. Strangely the percentage of (unwanted) Teenage pregnancies are higher in Districts where Comprehensive Sex Ed is not being taught and Abstinence is being encouraged as compared to Districts where Comprehensive Sex Ed is being taught.

The Film actually did show that the Media were a part of the problem.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (68026369) 9 years ago

All cell phones and I pads should be banned from classrooms ... Good old reading from books and writing and math should be encouraged .... People should learn to pay attention for more than 10 seconds again .
This *beep* is going to have nuts in it !!

[–] shatteredbluedreams 8 years ago

Classrooms are where minds are expanded, critical thinking encouraged, and the solutions to many of the problems this film posits are created.

Humans are autodidactic.

Schools are not necessary for learning. Children cannot attend school until they have taught themselves to speak.

Schools are places for conditioning, places to prevent learning certain ideas and cripple intellectual self reliance.

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A couple I know are getting married...
...the fools