Film History: ‘To Sir, With Love’ Showcases Sidney Poitier At His Best!

With the end of the school year approaching, here are a few of cinema’s worthy valedictorians in the same vein as To Sir, With Love.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Canadian director Philippe Falardeau writes (from Evelyne de la Chenelière’s play) and directs one of the most unforgettable classroom dramas to appear on the screen. After tragedy strikes a Montreal public school, a substitute teacher from Algiers steps in, putting aside his own trauma to deal with the trauma facing both students and teachers at his adopted school.

The Class (2008)

This film depicts one year in the lives of a teacher and his racially mixed classroom a tough Parisian neighborhood. The students seem to have more difficulty with each other than they do with their instructor. A film about diplomacy as much as it is about learning.

School of Rock (2003)

Director Richard Linklater’s surprisingly commercial dive into the classroom genre puts a rowdy failed rock musician into the staid environment of a private school. Jack Black’s wild antics are suitably put to play here as a substitute teacher who inspires a healthy dose of anarchy in his students.

Up the Down Staircase (1967)

A young idealistic teacher played by Sandy Dennis begins her career in a tough inner-city New York high school. Up the Down Staircase was released the same year as To Sir, With Love and to a better critical reception. The film’s take on high school is not dominated by the inspirational victories of one teacher. This is a gritty, sometimes heartbreaking film that explores the lives of students and teachers alike. Memorable for a devastating scene between a cruelly dismissive teacher and the socially awkward student who confesses her affection for him.

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