SPOILERS (I guess, if you care for such a video) 10 - 1:03 Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss, Mr. Holland's Opus, 1995) 9 - 2:15 Sharon Norbury (Tina Fey, Mean Girls, 2004) 8 - 3:32 Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith, Harry Potter franchise, 2001-11) 7 - 4:36 LouAnne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Minds, 1995) 6 - 5:43 Erin Gruwell (Hillary Swank, Freedom Writers, 2007) 5 - 6:56 Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver, 1988) 4 - 8:00 Dewey Finn (Jack Black, School of Rock, 2003) 3 - 9:19 Jennifer Honey (Embeth Davidtz, Matilda, 1996) 2 - 10:36 Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier, To Sir, with Love, 1967) 1 - 12:33 John Keating (Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society, 1989) Honorable mentions: 11:50 Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington, The Great Debators, 2007) 12:10 Roberta Guaspari (Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart, 1999) 12:16 Mr. Chips (Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, 1939)
Damn, can't find the teacher I'm looking for but he has a student named Keyshawn who tries to set him up in the bathroom and Mase who gets his radio he stole thrown out of the window...
My favorite movie teachers: Melvin B. Tolson: Great Debators Erin Gruwell: Freedom Writers John Keating: Dead Poets Society Luanne Johnson: Dangerous Minds Jennifer Honey: Matilda Dewey Finn: School of Rock
As a huge Jack Black fan,I am forever in love with the role of Dewey Finn. I think it was one of his best roles ever. Along with Bernie from Bernie. I think he's just one of those GREAT actors that really pick terrible movies. It's really sad because I do believe he's incredibly talented. And after seeing Bernie,I think he showed his true ability & how he is able to adapt to almost any character. I mean. Jack Black as a very spiritual,possibly gay,accidentally murderous,funeral director. Think about that. I had no idea he had a performance like that in him.
I dont think he made the list because while he did inspire the events of the movie he didnt really do anything teacher like after that part at the beginning. He was only really a teacher for the plot. All the same, its Kevin Spacey. He totally should have gotten at least an honourable mention.
My teacher became a teacher because of dead poets society. He showed us the movie on the last day of school. The crazy thing is on the first day of class he made us rip out the first page of our science text books I didnt understand why until I watched the movie. He was truly the greatest teacher I ever had.
Educations for teachers should not focus on models but rather on how to become like their most treasured teacher or how to become a teachers students will remember as a positively influential to their lives. These movies show (and the real life stories several were taken from) that it's possible.
Didn't you understand Watchmojo's logic? If it isn't american, is foreign (Even if they are canadian). And foreign movies, does never fucking count unless they were classics old as fuck that they should NEVER pass over.
Bruno56 literally nobody asked. If you don’t like something just move on, bro. Ain’t no reason to get up in arms with someone who ain’t even ask for you to 😂
As someone who formerly aspired to become a teacher, it's amazing how Hollywood gives us all of these amazing examples of great teachers (majority of which did not teach in a traditional way) yet the US government seems to have it completely backwards and discourages unorthodox teaching methods unless the teacher wants to risk losing pay or even their job. Before any of you hop onto the idea that "teachers don't do it for the money" yes they don't BUT they still need to support themselves and wouldn't it be nice to not have to work a 2nd job so that way you have more time and energy to dedicate towards teaching (which already demands up to 80 hours a week)?
They have a 1 pick per movie/franchise rule with these sorts of things, and they already had McGonagall. I totally agree that Lupin was super awesome kickass, but still not quite as super awesome kickass as McGonagall.
They said at the beginning of the video that it applies to all school faculty and that principals could be included. Morgan Freeman as Joe Clark is a GLARING omission! I mean seriously! The lady from Harry Potter made the list and not Morgan Freeman in Lean On Me didn't? Who made this list?? They should be reassigned to cleaning toilets!
You mean, Mr. Weeny, lol? Sorry, just kidding about that part. I got it from one of the episodes from Boy Meets World, Notorious. It was real funny. But anyway, Mr. Feeny was a well-known fictional teacher, even though he might not be a movie teacher. He calls everyone 'Mr. Matthews', 'Mr. Hunter', 'Miss Lawrence' etc. What a great guy.
Well McGonnagall made this list though far too low, but Dumbledore didn't even receive a mention. They're are a few other teachers I can think of that didn't get mentioned either. Hmmm ah well, they're learning, slowly, but they are learning. In a few more years maybe they'll be able to get a list like this right.
David Satya I don't think many would agree with us there. In a list of most competent teachers I would rank him highly, but this was a list of good teachers. Ones the yanks would like as their teacher. Snape, well, no one wants him as a teacher for his people skills but for his teaching ability certainly. You know his students wouldn't dare play up.
Kieran O'Connor Really? All the teachers in Harry Potter are horrible and don't deserve to be on this list. Dumbledore condones bullying and child abuse, as does literally every other teacher in the school. Snape is one of the worst bullies in the entire series. I would consider any teacher who slapped Draco Malfoy down at least once in the entire series. Snape's only redeeming act in the entire book/movie series was killing Dumbledore, who happens to be a larger villain than Voldemort could ever be.
I think Katherine Watson from Mona Lisa smile should be on the list, she was a big and a good influence on the students as a teacher as well as a character, she open a lot of minds specially in a conservative time
Denzel Washington, Remember the Titans. Don't remember exactly how he is related to the actual school system (except that he is helping the kids with their homework and get them into college), but he is definitely a great teacher in the true sense of the word. He saves those young boys, teaches them respect and love - and turns them into men they can be proud of. That movie has been a true inspiration for me my entire life
Jaime Escalante should have been number 1. He's a real person! He did amazing things, in real life! Keating is great, no doubt, but Escalante's inspiring story of real teacher heroism should have put him at number 1. Also, no mention of Morgan Freeman's Principal Joe Clark from Lean On Me, not even an honorable mention?
I hoped against hope that Mark Thackery ("To Sir, With Love") would at least make Honorable Mention...yet, he was #2!!! Thank you! I've always loved that movie, and the song was my very first favorite song, when I was about 3.
In case you were wondering how the Mojoholics voted in our poll, see the votes and entries here: watchmojo.com/suggest/Top+10+Good+Movie+Teachers Note, of course, that viewer votes are just one of the hundreds of data points and variables that we consider and look at when we create our lists. Make sure to sign up and participate on future lists at www.WatchMojo.com/suggest
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I wasn't surprised John Keating from Dead Poets Society made it to first place, the movie was great and Robin Williams played the role amazingly. may he rest in peace.
Bayougirl78 I agree with you. Why the heck is one of the best movies about teaching music number 10. One of the best portaits of the life of a musicteacher I ever seen. I know. I recognized so much from my own life as a musicteacher. Always having to defend it from downcuts from people who dont understand its importance.
toadmfan2013 If you couldn't handle his teaching style. People who strive for perfection (being the best) cannot have a teacher like him since he will always find a problem. Sometimes the meanest most aggressive teachers tend to be the best spoken of by students after a certain point in their life.
First, thats a great list especially your number one pick. BUT, there are a lot of great teachers out there that are not on this list like: Ron Clark - The Ron Clark Story Eugene Simonet - Pay It Forward Mr. Simon - That's What I Am Stacey Bess - Beyond the black board
Nothing feels better than snap calling what's gonna be #1 before you click on the video. I watch these with my fiancee all the time and it always makes me smile to her reaction when I'm correct. That being said dead poets is and will always be in a league of its own. RIP Robin Williams
You missed Denzel Washington's Coach Herman Boone from Remember the Titans. Actually for that matter Will Patton's Coach Bill Yoast was pretty epic too.
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my seventh grade teacher was mr keating in every aspect. he didn't teach by the books, one of his quotes were" as people and students, we have to be free thinkers and writers in order to be independent" i still use that quote in my everyday life.
I love this list, brings back memories. I loved Matilda and School of Rock, and now I'm going to watch some of the other movies on this list to relive the past.
That is super funny because the first teacher that I thought about was Glenn Holland. I love that movie :) Never seen Stand and Delivery so wasn't prepared to see Lou Diamond Phillips in the background lol
What always aggravated me was the majority of these type of films involve a white teacher going into a black or Hispanic school and teaching them chess, the violin, ballroom dancing and this somehow gets to the kids. It's almost a stereotype of the white man's burden. Love to see a black female teacher go into a classroom with some tough white kids and show them about Shakespeare.
alg11297 I would really like to see a modern movie about that. sure (the ones on this list are so old, those clothes ugh). For me though the kids (or the teachers) race has no meaning for me, it's just a good hearted teacher getting through to some rough kids. I haven't seen many movies like this, but at least a few teachers on this list were black too, and some of those rough kids were clearly white. It's not a white man's burden, it's a good person's burden. =)
alg11297 that's why stand and deliver (latino teacher teaches latino kids) and to sir with love (black teacher teaches poor white kids) are such a breath of fresh air
I'm not gonna lie. Terence Fletcher was a great teacher with high expectations who pushed his students. But Fletcher made his students lives a living hell up to the point where they felt depressed, anxious, and suicidal.
Daenerys Targaryen Or what about Storm Troopers? They taught us the *completely logical* lesson that just because you wear Body Armour from head to toe, doesn't mean you can avoid getting the snot beaten out of you by little teddy bears with stones and bits of wood!
SuperGamingUltima Yeah she was totally one of my first celebrity crushes when I was a teenager and Mean Girls/Freaky Friday came out. What a train wreck that turned out to be in the years to come >.
Edward James Olmos is a Legend, i'm glad he was included in this list! BSG Admiral Adama :) was another of his legendary roles. We'll just have to wait and see how far he can take his character in Marvel Agents of Shield.
OMG, you actually put Philosophers instead of Sorcerers :D But any of the teachers of Hogwarts could be counted, except for Quirrel, Lockhart, Umbridge and the Carrows Can you do a list of father-like figures? And if Geoff from Byker Grove isn't on, i'm going to be pissed!
Indiana Jones should've made the list, or at least an honorable mention. He taught a class on Raiders of the Lost Ark, having one of his female students blink "Love You" eyelids at him.
Lean On Me!!! Morgan Freeman is fantastic as Principal Joe, and it was based on a true story! Such a good film, I would recommend it to anyone who has not seen it!
