A bunch of things combined

Garfield High School vs Welsey

These two schools are very different in a large number of ways but there are also some similarities. The differences are stark but with an unfortunately similar final outcome. Garfield is portrayed as an under funded school for underprivileged minorities in the eighties in inner city LA. It has a reputation for drugs and dangerous activity where most of the students are not thought to well of and the school is mostly seen as something they have to attend without any real attachment to the location or the people that teach there. Welsey on the other hand is a womens college for the children of the wealthy and affluent. Here the women are allowed to pursue many topics of education from art to law. The school is heavily regulated and very conservative as is shown in the termination of the school nurse for giving contraceptives to students. Where they both seem to share a similarity is they both act as an educational facility who’s true purpose is mostly just to house and maintain the students until they are released to their real lives that often times will have nothing to do with what was taught at the institution. With High School being mandatory for children under the age of 18 the students were required to go but the subjects taught would hold little to no useful information for the jobs they were heading towards. Welsey on the other hand served as a place for the well to do women to stay while the informally stated goal was to get them ready for marriage, again with many of the talents learned stagnating and going to waste.



Ms. Watson vs Mr. Escalante

Both of the teachers are able to cause an otherwise rambunctious class to settle down and show some form of deference for the teacher. While the student body were very different groups; Mr. Escalante teaching poor hispanic kids and Ms Watson teaching the girls of mostly wealthy upper class families, both groups had an initial disdain for the teacher. In the case of Mr. Escalante he put down the rebellion in the first class and continued to rule the class with a firm hand through the rest of the movie. On the other hand, Ms. Watson held a more tenuous control over her students with momentary lapses where a student would cause her to lose control briefly, as with the editorial written by Betty Warren.

I feel that Mr. Escalante’s control of the situation came in part from his no nonsense policies and the station that he did hold over the students. Whereas Ms Watson was more obviously outside the social circles that most of the girls were privy to and as such they felt freer to challenge Ms Watson as her social superior. I also think that Ms Watson would let her position as a mentor slip on occasion and would interact more as a friend than as a constant mentor as was shown by Mr. Escalante.


Sparse Notes

Julia Roberts teaches at an all girls school where the girls are educated but at the same time being prepared to get married and be a “good wife”

First class goes poorly with students knowing everything as she presents it. Giving her no room to teach. Class bowls over anything she tries to give. Wasn’t respected in day one

Took second day to throw class a curve ball. Made students question “art”

Confrontation to the ideals of what a woman was supposed to be. in the 1950’s
Used the slideshow to demonstrate for the students what was in store for them and what was expected of them.

Tries to help the Julia Stiles (Joan) get into law school in spite of tommy’s interference.

Does try to project onto the students what SHE thinks is way for women to behave. Similar to how the school does but in the opposite faction.