UNIVERSITY OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL-RECOLETOS

Recoletos de Bacolod Graduate School

FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION

Name: Roldan J. Manguiran

Date: September 20, 2020

Prepared by: Joel M. Bual, MAEd

MOVIE TITLE: THE RON CLARK STORY

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVsld1Wls10

General Instruction: Watch the movie, analyze, and discuss the following:
1. The philosophical perspectives present in the movie.
2. The sociological aspects of the movie.
3. The invitation of the movie to you as a teacher.

Guideline:
1. Discuss each problem in 4 paragraphs.
2. Use Times New Roman font, 12 font size, normal margin, single spacing, and justified alignment.
3. Provide facts and personal concrete experiences for your discussions. Indicate your used
references at the very end of all your discussions following the proper APA citation and
referencing.
4. Submit via Edmodo.

Rating in each of the problems:

Content and quality of ideas and facts: 50%
Organization (Introduction-Body-Conclusion) 30 %
Conventions (Grammar, usage, and mechanics, sentence construction): 20%
Total: 100%
 MOVIE TITLE: THE RON CLARK STORY
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVsld1Wls10

1. The philosophical perspectives present in the movie.

There are two main philosophies of education that we practiced and will be practicing
even years to come. These philosophies are student-centered, and teacher centered philosophies.
The educational system in the early days made use of teacher centered philosophies like
essentialism and perennialism philosophies. Essentialism is the teaching of basic skills that have
been proven over time to be needed in society. Perennialism focuses on the teaching of great
works. Based on general assumptions, these philosophies of education were widely adopted by
our teachers before wherein most of the talking and discussion were done by teachers and
students then are evaluated through memorizations and pencil-paper activities.

The movie “The Ron Clark Story” really emphasized the student-centered philosophies
of education namely, progressivism, humanism, and constructivism. Progressivism focuses on
developing the student’s moral compass. Humanism is about fostering each student to his or her
fullest potential. Constructivism focuses on using education to shape a student’s world view.

The main character of the story, who was Mr. Clark, the teacher, was a progressivist in a
way that he imposed class rules for the students to behave accordingly inside the classroom. He
told his students to do the right thing and taught them not only ideas coming from books but also
valuable lessons applicable in life. Mr. Clark also followed the humanism philosophy of
education. When he encouraged his students to do and study well for their exam, the students of
his got unexpected high scores. He motivated his students so well and by that he was able to
unleash the student’s fullest potentials. Mr. Clark also practiced the constructivism philosophy of
education as he kept on reminding his students to dream big and take risks.

After watching the movie, I realize that whatever philosophical perspective every teacher
has, it must be highlighted that the teacher’s attitude would determine the student’s enthusiasm
for learning, and that good teaching skills were critical. It is better not to teach than to teach
ineffectively and with a poor attitude. As an educator, I must consider the unique characteristics
of each student and treat them as unique individuals. I believe that an educator does not only
teach the brain but also touches the heart of every student. After all, what we need is not good
students but good teachers who can offer themselves to teaching and have undying passion to
teach and mold young minds to become responsible citizens of our nation.
 2. The sociological aspects of the movie

The sociological background of every individual influenced the behavior and learning style
of every student. Teachers are in the best position to understand and recognize that students have
diverse cultural backgrounds and can adapt their instruction to meet these diverse learning needs.

In the movie, Mr. Clark had to deal and endured the misbehavior of the students first day of
class and he even experienced worst treatment from the students as the day passed. With all
those challenges and hardships, Mr. Clark never gave up on teaching. Instead, he tried to know
more about the social background of his students and why they act that way inside the classroom.
He was able to apprehend the students’ whole being by visiting them at their respective homes.
One of the students he visited was Shameika Wallace, a 12-year-old girl trying to attend school
while helping to raise her brothers and sisters. When the teacher saw the whole situation inside
the house, he encouraged more Shameika to focus on her studies. When Mr. Clark visited Julio
Vasquez, who was a juvenile delinquent, he knew him well in depth and valued the artistry he
has.

This sociological background of the students in the movie led them to act and behave
indecently in school. Mr. Clark was there guiding them along the way. He was able to bring his
students back to the right path, instilled in them self-worth and made them realized the value of
education. All the hard works that Mr. Clark did were all paid off as he awarded his students for
passing the standardized exam at the end. The students were grateful for what Mr. Clark did.
They thanked him and that what made the teaching job of Mr. Clark even more satisfying.

My realization is whenever we become a teacher, we will become the heart of our students.
Teachers serve as light to give hope to students whenever they get astray. And as Christian
teachers, we see more the significance of our lives as we realize God has placed us right where
we are for a reason. We should view teaching too as an opportunity God has given us to make a
difference in other people's lives.
 3. The invitation of the movie to you as a teacher

Teaching is a ministry. And there is no ministry without sacrifice. Being in the teaching job
requires a lot of sacrifices. Teachers sacrifice more than most people realize for their students, be
it their time after school or their own money to buy food for their hungry students and to buy
supplies for their classroom.
Just like Mr. Clark, he sacrificed a lot just to offer quality education to students. Mr. Clark
left his stable life teaching at an elementary school in his suburban North Carolina hometown
and challenged himself teaching unruly sixth grader class in the inner city of New York. He also
sacrificed his own health by working so hard and looking for ways to let his students learn better.
Mr. Clark had set an example of a passionate teacher. He inspired not only his students but also
his fellow teachers. He never stopped thinking and using effective strategies such as positive
reinforcement, motivation, and other creative teaching styles just for his students to learn and
focus on their studies. Mr. Clark even sacrificed time for himself being not able to have some
rest because he spent most of his time at school preparing the lessons and the classroom.
In my one year of teaching in public school, I realize that teaching is more than just a job. It
is devoting your whole life to your profession and bearing all the hassles that go along with it. It
is not just about salaries as the lowest salaries are offered to teachers. Teaching is not just about
passing of knowledge to your students, but it is about letting them give value to the knowledge.
It is not just telling them what to do but also showing them how to do it, setting yourself as an
example for them. These might not be easy and sometimes seem impossible, but with great effort
and sacrifice, all of these will be possible.

References:

(E-Article)
Lynch, Matthew (2017). 5 Things That Educators Should Know About the Philosophy of
Education
https://www.theedadvocate.org/5-things-that-educators-should-know-about-the-philosophy-of-education/

Kainuwa, A., & Yusuf, N. B. M. (2013). Influence of socio-economic and educational

background of parents on their children’s education in Nigeria. International journal of
scientific and research publications, 3(10), 1-8.

(Book )
Vega, V., & Prieto, N., & Carreon, M. (2015). Social Dimensions of Education, Lorimar
Publishing House, Inc.