Rural, Suburban, and Urban Media

 

Movies:

Rural: In & Out

Taking place in a small Indiana town this film brings you through the identity crisis of Howard Brackett.  When it is made public that Howard is gay we get to see what it’s like for a rural community to react to an issue that has been very popular in America.  During the movie we see his students act differently around him, mock him behind his back, and ultimately losing his job (briefly) in the end of the film.  Even though Howard is a dedicated and loving teacher he is at times ostracized by members in his own community.  I feel this helps to show us how some rural communities aren’t used to dealing with issues as sensitive as this, and in this case their lack of preparation only lead to wrong decisions.

 

Suburban: 10 Things I hate About You

This movie, which takes place in a suburban town in California, follows the lives of two sisters and their classmates at Padua High School.  This film not only shows the everyday problems that students have (relationships, friendship, college, and parental disputes) but also does a great job early on in the movie mentioning the variety of cliques that the school has.  The faculty does not seem fully invested in their students, the students are more concerned with their social lives than anything else, and the father of the two daughters is constantly trying to use his high school lingo (“I’m down, I got the 411, and you are not going out and getting jiggy with some boy, I don’t care how dope his ride is”) to communicate with his children.

 

Urban: Lean on Me

Based on true events this film tells the story of Joe Clark, the new principal at Eastside High School, and his struggles to prevent the school from being taken over by the state.  This film does a great job showing the struggles that urban students have.  There are drug dealers in and around the school, issues with teenage pregnancy, students being expelled/dropping out, and the biggest issue of all…a lack of literacy and proper education.  Mr. Clark’s persistent efforts to connect with the students and encourage the school’s faculty result in the passing of the minimum basic skills test; a feat that the community felt was impossible.

 

 

T.V.

Rural: Roseanne

Although taking place in a rural town in Illinois this show’s family suffered from many problems that are commonly associated with urban living.  Throughout the years the Barr family had to deal with issues such as poverty, teenage pregnancy, adolescent maturation, drugs/alcohol, and obesity.  I feel that this show did a great job making it public that those types of issues are not just for immigrants or urban citizens, but that even the common American family has to deal with an assortment of issues as well.

 

 Suburban: Saved by the Bell

This television program follows the lives of their main characters from middle school all the way into college.  This suburban school has had episodes that deal with many problems.  Episodes focused on everything from the shock of drugs being found in the school to a student trying to hide his grades from his parents so that he could go skiing during spring break.  Some of the teachers throughout the years were systematic and going through the motions, while others (such as Miss Bliss and Mr. Belding) displayed true affection for their students and their success.  This show did a great job showing the importance of education and how sometimes students who don’t put school first must deal with the consequences that come with it.

 

Urban: Married With Children

This family sitcom takes place in Chicago, Illinois.  Although this show is a comedy it does touch base on some of the problems that low socioeconomic families face in urban communities.  The Bundy family lives a life of poverty and misfortune, they have an illiterate daughter, and their son who strives for success through a good education sees every opportunity taken away through the actions of his family.  The community looks down on this family, the schooling system is nothing to be proud of, and even the illiterate daughter must work just to help get by. 

 

Books

 Rural: To Kill a Mockingbird

Although this book takes place in the late 1930’s it helps to show how the educational systems in some rural towns were.  The members of this community were born and raised there.  Families know each other’s past, and when Miss Caroline (the schools new 1^st grade teacher) comes town how out of place she is.  We see her look down upon students who learned to read at home, she hits Scout’s hand with a ruler and sends her off into a corner, and she doesn’t understand what it means to be a “Cunningham” (raised in poverty).  This may only be a footnote in this great novel, but it is great to see how different rural schooling systems were back then, and how some teachers try to do to much when they first arrive. 

 

Suburban: Queen Bees and Wannabes

Before it was turned into the movie Mean Girls, this book did an excellent job portraying some of the problems high school students go through.  The author, Rosalind Wisemen, was a schoolteacher in an upper-middle class community.  She used per personal experience to illustrate issues such as teasing, relationships, drugs/alcohol, and high school cliques that ultimately helped shape this novel to becoming almost a survival guide for teenage girls.    

 

Urban: Freedom Writers Diary

After discovering a racist drawing in one of her classes Erin Gruwell, the English teacher whom this novel is about, decided to have her students read two very moving novels (Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo, and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl).  These novels inspired the students of her class to keep their own diaries, which helped them to learn new ways to fight the issues in their lives.  By using writing and creativity as self-expression they were fighting some of the stereotypes that their society is labeled with.  Throughout their journey these students also learn that thing like race, poverty, religion, or dissimilar family situations are problems that they have no control over, and that they should not let uncontrollable issues lead them to becoming a victim.  This story shows how a teacher’s dedication can go a long with in the lives of those who need it the most.