Movies and Perceptions

Urban:

Dangerous Minds

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9G6ey1Vdj_Q

This movie is about a white female from suburban america played by Michelle Pfiefer who is hired as an english teacher in an inner city school mid year.  The school is dirty and all the students march to the beat of there own drum.  She gets taken advantage of and contemplates quitting but doesn't because she begins to see progress in some students.  It shows inner city schools as dangerous but with a internal reward for teachers who can be a positive influence.  Here is a clip

Suburban:

American Pie

This movie is set in a suburban town where most families are white and middle to upper class.  The main characters deal with classic comedic examples of teenage drinking and pre marital sex.  Things like sports and after prom parties are what the students are thinking about which is similar to my experience in high school.  American Pie in my opinion is very similar to the present day middle class high school experience.

Rural:

Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite is set in a rural setting where the students are uncultured and unexposed to different types of people.  The lone latino student seems to stand out.  The uncle of the main character (Uncle Rico) is a door to door salesman who is holding on to his football days at the local high school in the town that he hasn't left.  Napoleon the main character lives on a small farm and all the homes sit on big areas of land.  The teachers seem uneducated and all from a similar place.