Chalk

I regularly look forward to someday being a teacher.
I also regularly look forward to Thursday nights, as they generally come with a new episode of NBC's mockumentary comedy, "The Office."

Our Ed-Psych class was fortunate to recently get the opportunity to watch a comedic yet very informative movie entitled, "Chalk." "Chalk" essentially takes on the same documentary-type format as that of "The Office," but in this feature-length film, the camera crew follows around a group of teachers (and an administrator) in a public school setting. Funny moments and irony abound as the year unfolds for this ragtag bunch.

Character list includes:
the female PE teacher, who has to learn to stop being so pushy
the music-teacher-turned administrator, who never has a minute of spare time in her life
the likable yet overly ambitious 3rd year history teacher, hell-bent on winning teacher of the year
and the first-year history teacher who can't quite find his footing (or his confidence)

This isn't the overly-inspirational success story that is typical of movies about teachers. I feel that "Chalk" is a more realistic (if not simply comically exaggerated) portrayal of the average teacher. Each individual working at the school has their own issues and their own obstacles to overcome, and it's not an easy thing to do, especially when feelings of being alone in thankless job set in.

Simply put, "Chalk" is a very reasonable (and entertaining) insight into the world of real-life teachers. I recommend for all teachers, future teachers, parents, and anyone else who is looking for a good laugh.